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6
Lord Mahavira and His Times
It is often said that there is a reference to Lord Rishabha in the Vedic literature. Some Vedic preceptors paid reverence to Lord Rishabha, and regarded him as the Lord of Lords. In the Rigveda,1 and in the Taittiriya Aranyaka,2 Vātaraśanas have been used in the sense of Śramanas. Vātaraśana has also been mentioned, and in the same context an excellent tribute has been paid to Kesi. This Kesi alludes to Rishabha because in Jaina literature, there is a tradition that Lord Rishabha was called Keśī. Even on the ancient images of Lord Rishabha, locks of hair are noticed. In the Rigveda,1 Kesi has been mentioned along with Vrishabha. It is more probable that the reference to Lord Rishabha in Vratyakhaṇḍa of the Atharvaveda is only metaphorical. From this it is argued that Vṛishabha lived before the Vedic times and was the first fountain head of Śramana culture. It is from the context of the Rigveda that Lord Rishabha has been depicted as one who sponsored Vātaraśana Śramaņas in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa3 of the eighth century A.D.
Against this, it may be argued that though in the Rigveda and in other Vedic writings, 'Rishabha' has been mentioned many times, its meaning has been controversial and susceptible of different interpretations. There is no evidence of Rishabha being mentioned as the founder of Jainism in Vedic literature. Even in the days of Mahavira, Rishabha was not known as the founder of Nirgrantha sect from any contemporary source. From about the fourth or third century B.C., it seems that Rishabha became popular as the first Jina, the first Tirthankara, and the founder of Jainism. Like the imaginary Manu of Brahmanical literature, he has been described as the first ruler and founder of the new Social Order.
ARISHTANEMI OR NEMINÄTHA AS TĪRTHANKARA
Besides Rishabhadeva, Arishṭanemi or Neminatha has also been mentioned as the Tirthankara of the Jainas in the
1. RV, X, 11.139.2-3.
2. Taill. Ar, 2.7.1, p. 137.
3. RV, X, 11, 136-1.
4. Ibid., X. 9; 102-6,
5. Bhagavata, V, 3, 20.
