Jain Journal 1974 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 72

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JAIN JOURNAL
out doubt the last prophet of the Jainas, the last Tirthakara. His predecessor, Parsva, the last Tirthakara but one, seems to have better claims to the title of founder of Jainism. His death is placed at the reasonable interval of 250 years before that of Mahavira, while Parsva's predecessor Aristanemi is said to have died 84,000 years before Mahavira's Nirvāņa. Followers of Parsva are mentioned in the canonical books ; and a legend in the Uttaradhyayana Sutra, xxiii, relates, a meeting between a disciple of Parsva and a disciple of Mahavira which brought about the union of the old branch of the Jaina church and the new one.' This seems to indicate that Parsva was a historical person ; but in the absence of historical documents we cannot venture to go beyond a conjecture.
2.
Jaina view of their Origin, etc.
According to the belief of the Jainas themselves, Jaina religion is eternal, and it has been revealed again and again, in every one of the endless succeeding periods of the world, by innumerable Tirthakaras. In the present avasarpini period the first Tirthakara was Rsabha, and the last, the 24th, was Vardhamana. The names, signs, and colours of the 24 Tirthakaras were as follows:
(1) Rsabha (or Vrsabha), bull, golden ; (2) Ajita, elephant, golden; (3) Sambhava, horse, golden ; (4) Abhinandana, ape, golden ; (5) Sumati, heron, golden ; (6) Padmaprabha, lotus-flower, red; (7) Suparsva, the svastika, golden ; (8) Candraprabha, moon, white; (9) Suvidhi (or Puspadanta), dolphin, white ; (10) Sitala, the śrīvatsa, golden ;(11) Sreyamsa (or Sreyan), rhinoceros, golden ; (12) Vasupujya, buffalo, red ; (13) Vimala, hog, golden; (14) Ananta (or Anantajita), falcon, golden ; (15) Dharma, thunderbolt, golden ; (16) Santi, antelope, golden ; (17) Kunthu, goat, golden ; (18) Ara, the nandyavarta, golden ; (19) Malli, jar, blue ; (20) Suvrata (or Munisuvrata), tortoise, black; (21) Nami, blue lotus, golden ; (22) Nemi (or Aristanemi), conch shell, black ; (23) Parsva, snake, blue ; (24) Vardhamana, lion, golden. All Tirthakaras were Ksatriyas ; Munisurvrata and Nemi belonged to the Harivamsa, the remaining 22 to the Iksvaku race. Malli was a woman, according to the Svetambaras ; but this the Digambaras deny, as, according to them, no female can reach liberation. The interval in years between Mahavira and the two last Tirthakaras has been given above. Nami died 500,000 years before Nemi ; Munisuvrata 1,100,000 years before Nami ; the next intervals are 6,500,000, 10,000,000, or a krore; the following intervals cannot be
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SBE, xlv, Introd., p. xxi f.