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Jaina Sramana Tradition from Ādinātha to Pārsvanātha
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E. On some seals we find the figure of a bull engraved under the figure of a nude male deity practising penance in the Kāyotsarga mudrā i.e. in a standing posture. These figures appear to be those of Lord Rsabhadeva as in the Jaina tradition there is an established practice of depicting the emblem (lāñchana) of each Tirtharkara bclow their figures and that a bull is the emblem of Lord Rsabhadeva.
F. Sacred signs of swastikas, drawn in Jaina and Hindu style are also found engraved on some scals.
G. Sonic motifs on some seals found in Mohan-Jo-Daro resemble those found in the ancient Jaina art of Mathura and suggest that Jainism was prevalent in that civilisation at that ancient time (3500-3000 BC).
Recently, reputed scholar saint Acaryra Vidyanandaji, has concluded from his research on the relics from the excavations at Mohan
Jo-Daro in the Indus valley, that Jainism was prevalent at least 5000 · years ago.
All this evidence points at a very ancient origin of Jainism and it is now recognised as one of the oldest religious philosophical traditions of the world. Śramaņa Tradition of Lord Rșabha -
Rşabha was the first establisher of human social and political order and thereby to become the first ruler of the lands and their people who owed him thcir allegiance for the favour of his leadership in order to become the masters of their own destinies. He also became the first ascetic and thinker-scer of the descendant phase of the present time cycle, referred to as Hundā Avasarpini-kāla, and lived a long and productive life. He could delve deep into ihe problems facing the humankind of his time and find solutions to them making life easier and bearable for the humans facing extinction for want of food and other life sustaining necessities. He did not limit his quest only to find solution to mundane problems but also meditated on the matter of spiritual evolution and could chart-out a path for the spiritual emancipation for those that wanted themselves free from the miseries of mundane existence. He was the first and foremost exponent of a well-rounded socio-spiritual order comprising the monastic as well as lay social groups (Tīrtha) that is today known as the Sramanic tradition. For this achievement of his, he is known as the first Tirthankara.
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