Jain Journal 1982 10

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

Page 26

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It is stated that one day there occurred sudden death of a dancer named Nilanjana 20 in the court of this first king of the free gens of the primitive people of ancient India, while she was performing dance there before him. Due to this accidental death of the female dancer Rsabha felt very much distressed and developed detachment towards the worldly life and consequently renounced the world after having abdicated the throne of Ayodhya in favour of his eldest son, Bharata and divided his kingdom among his one hundred sons.21 Thus there emerged Nirgrantha Dharma out of his divine feeling for spiritual values of life and search for truth and reality in the cosmic universe.
Historicity of Rsabhadeva:
It is difficult to prove the historicity of Rsabha and to determine his age in the absence of sufficient historical data furnished by reliable sources-literary and archaeological, of the ancient period, although some scholars have made attempts in this respect to place him on the historical record of the ancient past of India.
JAIN JOURNAL
In the Jaina puranas22 there is found an account of life and asceticism and religious teachings of Rsabhadeva on his attainment of omniscience. The Jainas accept the origin of their religion since his time. The Jaina puraṇas ascertain the length of his life by an unit (measure= standard) of sargaras. My revered teacher, Dr. H. L. Jain points out that the life-account of Rsabhadeva is not only found in the Jaina literature, but it is also revealed in the Vedic texts.
An account of his family life and practice of his austerity is given in the first six chapters of the fifth Skandha of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. It agrees with the record of the Jaina puranas on the main points of events of his life. The names of his parents-Nabhi and Marudevī as mentioned in the Jaina texts are found to be there and he has been placed in the fifth generation from Svayambhu Manu, Priyavrata, Agnidhara, Nabhi and Rsabha. 23
Having conferred kingship on his eldest son Bharata, Rsabha took to asceticism. He began to live as nude and there was only body left to him. Inspite of public censures and abuses and beating by the people
20 Tiloyapannatti, v. 610, p. 220.
21 Avasyaka Curni, p. 160.
22 See Jinasena, Mahapurana, parva 41, vv. 87-92.
23 atha ha
tamutpattyaivabhivyajyamanabhagavattatksanam
jagradhuh (1)
tasya ha va ittham varsmana variyasa....pita rsabha itidam nama cakara (2) -Bhagavata Puranam, 5th Skandha, 4th ch., vv. 1-2, p. 556.