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No. II]
WHO WAS THE FOUNDER OF JAINISM.
the Jaina and non-Jaina literary and epigraphical evidences establish it beyond doubt that there had been a real person of the name of Rishabha in ancient India, who was in fact the founder of Jainism in this cycle of time, as we shall see below:
In the Jaina literature, the Agama (Canonical) texts of the Swetambara sect are regarded by a certain scholar of the type of Jacobi as belonging to the Mauryan period * & they clearly narratet the life of Rishabha & name him as the first Tirthankara of the Jainas. Similarly the available Agama ( canonical) portion and the other texts of the first century B.C. of the Digambara sect mention this great Hero in the same way.
In the non-Jain literature our eyes naturally turn to the Vedic literature, and we find mentioned in a work of no less importance than the Rigveda itself the name of Rishabha ; but scholars doubt and say that there is nothing to show that he was a Jaina Tirthankara'. Of course Sayana and other commentators of the said Veda undoubtedly establish it to be a personal name, but they are also not clear as to the identity of the person named", and it seems that either they had no knowledge of him, or they did not want to disclose it owing to religious animosity, which indeed made many alterations and additions in the Vedas. But to remove our gloom of ignorance at this place the Hindu Puranas come to our rescue and they give, one and all, the same story of Rishabhadeo as is found in the Jaina Literature. Then, why not should we regard
* Jaina Sutras, S. B. E., Introduction † Acharanga Sutra ; Kalpasutra, S. B. E pp. 252-53, Samavayanga-Sutra.
. -(Hyderabad ed) pp. 97-194. 1. जयधवला-महाधवला-प्रवचनसार आदि। 2. ऋषभं मासमानानां सपत्ननां विषा सहिं । हन्तारं शव णां कृधि विराजं गोपितं गवाम् ॥
ऋग्वेद १०।१२।१६६ 3. Historical Sleanings p. 76. 4. Sarvanu kramanika, (London) p. 161. 5. Pargiter, A. I. H. T., p. 11 & Asur India, Intr. iv. 6. cf. Jain account of Rishabha (Harivamsa 8. 55-151) with the following quotations
from the Hindu Puranas :"अष्ठमे मरुदेव्यांतु नाभेर्जात उरुक्रमः । दर्शयन्वत्मधीराणां सर्वाश्रम नमस्कृतः ॥३३॥ इत्यादि"
-भागवत प्रथम स्कन्ध तृ० अ० मार्कण्डेयपुराण अ० १० पृष्ठ १५०; कूर्मपुराण अ०४१ पृष्ठ ६१, अग्निपुराण अ० १० पृष्ठ ६२, गरुडपुराण अ० १ पृ० १
"नाभे निसर्ग वक्ष्यामि हिमोहऽस्मिन्निवोधत् । नाभिस्त्वजनयस्पुत्र मरुदेव्यां महाद्युति ॥१६॥ ऋषभपार्थिव श्रेष्ठ सर्वक्षतस्य पूर्वजम् । ऋषभादरतो जज्ञवीरः पुक्षशताप्रजः ॥६॥ सोभिषिच्यर्षभः पुत्र महाप्रव्रज्या स्थितः । हिमान्हं दक्षिणं वर्ष भरतायन्यदेदयत् ॥६॥
ब्रह्माण्डपुराण १४ अ.
