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Lord Mahâvîra
gradually became less than before. During this age, fourteen Kulakaras (Manus) flourished.
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After the Kulakaras, twenty four Tirthankaras appeared at certain intervals who preached true religion for the salvation of the world. Their names are- (1) Rishabha, (2) Ajita, (3) Sambhava, (4) Abhinandana, (5) Sumati, (6) Padamaprabha (7) Suparsva, (8) Chandraprabha, (9) Suvidhi (10) Sitala, (11) Sreyamsa (12) Vasapujya, (13) Vimala (14) Ananta (15) Dharma, (16) Santi (17) Kunthu, (18) Ara (19) Malli, (20), Munisuvrata, (21) Nami, (22) Nemi (23) Parsva and (24) Vardhamana or Mahâvîra.
All Tîrthankaras were Kshatriyas; Munisuvrata and Nami belonged to Harivamda, the remaining twenty two to the Ikshavaku 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 one after the other Tîrthankara has been given. 'Parsva's predecessor Arishtanemi is stated to have died 84,000 years before Mahâvîra's Nirvana. Nami died 500,000 years befor Arista 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 expressed in definite numbers of years, but are given in Palyopamas and Sagaropamas, the last interval being one krore of krores of Sagaropamas. The length of the life and height of the Tirthankaras are in proportion to the length of the interval.
Besides twelve Universal monarches3 (Chakravartins), nine Vasudevas1 nine Baladevas5 and nine Prativasudevas lived within the period from the first to the twenty-second Tirthankara. Together with the twenty four Tîrthankaras, they are sixty-three great personages (Trishashtisalakapurushacharita) of Jaina history.
From such statements and descriptions of the blissful state of the world in its first ages, it is evident that the Jainas like the Hindus attributed to the first race of man a longer life, a greater strength and more happiness than fall to the share of their offspring in the present age. As we know, the Greeks and the Romans help also similar views. But of course, the world grew worse and the life of man shorter and shorter, so that the twenty third Tirthankara Parsva, the immediate predecessor of Mahâvîra, is said to have lived only for a hundred years, and to have died only 250 years before his more celebrated successor.
