Risabha Deva

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: Jain Mitra Mandal

Page 11

INTRODUCTION
The Prabhasa qih Purana tells us:
To the pure and beautiful Kailash Mountain this Rislıbha, the Jineshwara, the all-knowing, the allpenetrating the auspicious, proceeded!"
कैलासे विमले रम्ये वृषभोऽयं जिनेश्वरः ।
FIT FT91 a fast: Fa: fra: 1 All these authorities do refer clearly to the great Rishabha by name. In the Atharva Veda, however, there is a reference to a great Vratya, who would, again appear to be Rishabha Deva. The text runs:
"For a whole year he stood erect. The gods said unto him, why standest thou, Vratya? He answered and said: Let them bring my couch. They brought the couch for that Vratya... The Vratya ascended the couch. The hosts of gods were his attendants, solemn vows his messengers and all creatures his worshippers!"
The Vratyas at that distant time in the past should only be the Jains and the account is so very much like that of Rishabha Deva's life that there can be little doubt about its referring to him, though the name is not mentioned in the Veda. Rishaba Deva is, however, actually referred to by name in the oldest of the Vedas.
Rishabha Deva is said to have been all-knowing in the Hindu Puranas. The Jains also say the same of him. The Buddhist scholar, Dharma Kirti, too refers to him as in his “Nyaya-vindu" an Omniscient Being
यः सर्वज्ञ श्राप्तो वा सज्योतिर्ज्ञानादिकमुपदिष्टवान् । यद्यथा। ऋषभ वर्धमानादिरिति ॥