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11
The FOUNDERS of JAINISM*
-Jack Finegan
The Tirthankars
Among the great figures of Jainism the most important are the twenty-four Tîrthankaras, the title Tîrthankara probably meaning one who is a guide over the ocean of Samsara.
In the introduction to the Trishashtisalakapurushacarita, Hemachandra addresses words of praise and prayer to the twentyfour as follows:1
We praise the Lord Rishaba, who was the first king, the first ascetic, the first head of a congregation.
I praise the Arhat Ajita, the sun to the lotus-bed in the form of the universe, in the clear mirror of whose omniscience the world is reflected.
May the words of the Lord of the World, Holy Sambhava, prevail at the time of his preaching-words that resemble rivers in the garden of all the souls who can attain emancipation.
May the Blessed Abhinandana, the moon for the exhilaration of the ocean of Anekanta-doctrine2 give great joy.
May the Blessed Lord Sumati, whose toe-nails are sharpened on the whitestone of the gods' diadems,3 grant your desires.
May the spendor of the Lord Padmaprabha's body, red as if from a burst of anger in crushing internal enemies, promote your emancipation.
Homage to the Lord of Jinas, Holy Suparsva, whose feet are honored by Mahendra (Sakra),4 the sun to the sky in the form of the forfold congregation.5
May Lord Chandraprabha's form, bright as a mass of moonbeams, as if made of embodied pure meditation, be for
* The Archeology of world Riligious Princeton, 1952
