________________
360
Jaina Community-A Social Survey
the religion and to show that Lord Rshabha did found the Jaina religion in this age. In the first place the Jaina tradition firmly believes that the Jaina religion is eternal and in every age4 it is propounded by twenty-four Tirthankaras for the benefit of all beings. In the present age the twenty-four Tirthankaras did pieach Jainism and as in these twenty-four Tirthankaras Lord Rshabha was the first one, he is considered as the founder of Jainism. All ancient Jaina scriptures and Jainas of all sects accept this as a well established fact.5 Secondly, what is really remarkable about the Jaina tradition is the confirmation of it from non-Jaina sources, especially, Hindu and Buddhist sources. The Hindus, indeed, never disputed the fact that Jainism was founded by Lord Rshabha in this half-cycle and placed his time almost at what they conceived to be the commencement of the world. They acknowledged him as a divine person and counted him amongst their Avatāras, i. e., various incarnations of Lord Vishnu. They give the same parentage of Lord Rshabha as the Jainas do and they even agree that after the name of his son Bharata this country is known as Bhārata-Varsha.6 In the RgVeda we have clear references to Rshabha and Arishțanemi, two of the Jaina Tirthankaras? and the Yajur-Veda mentions the names of three Tirthankaras--Rshabha, Ajitanātha and Arishtanemi.
The sect of Vrātyas mentioned in the Atharva-Veda is said to signify the Jainas on the ground that the term Vrātya means the observer of vows or Vratas as distinguished from the performer of sacrifices, which applied to the Hindus at the time. Similarly in the same Veda it is supposed that the word Mahā Vrātya refers to Lord Rshabha.9 The story of Rshabha also occurs in the Vishnupurāna and Bhāgavatapurāna, where he figures as an Avatāra, i. e., incarnation of Nārāyana in an age prior to that of the ten avatāras of Vishnu. The story is exactly identical with the life history of Rshabha as given in the Jaina sacred lite, ature. 10 From the fact that Hindu tradition regards Lord Rshabha — and not Lord Mahāvira-along with Lord Gautama Buddha as an incarnation of God, it is argued that the Hindu tradition also from ancient times accepts Lord Rshabha as the founder of Jainism. Like Hindus, Buddhists also are said to believe in Lord Rshabha as the founder of Jainism on the grounds that in the Buddhist literature (i) Jainism is not shown as a new religion, (ii) Lord
