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Šramana, Vol. 59, No. 4 October-December 2008
Life Story of Rşabhadeva
Rudrani Mukerjee *
Jainas believe that their religion is etemal. Archaeology takes Jainism back to the Indus Valley civilization, i.e. between 2500 BC! and 1750 BC. The Dravidas should have been Jaina by faith? because all the tirthankaras flourished in the northern regions up to the time when the region was still under the cultural confluence of the Dravidas. Apart from it, most of male human figures found in the Indus Valley are presented standing, with the hands hanging along the body, which is shown, in the nude. They should be representing the tirthankaras in the Kāyotsarga posture. The figures presented in the sitting pose, seem to be representing the tirthankaras in padma-pose. Vedic scholars regard Rşabhadeva as Lord Siva but in any of the two cases they should not be taken to represent Siva because they do not have three eyes, etc, which are the essential characteristics of Siva?. A torso of a standing nude figure, along with one more, was unearthed at Lohanipur near Patna in Bihar. Assigned to 320-185 BC, it is very much identical to the terracotta torso from the Indus Valley." Scholars claim that it is the oldest Jaina image found in India. The nude torso of Harappa seems to represent an image of a Jina probably of Rşabhadeva'. “There is authentic evidence to prove that it was the Phoenicians who spread the worship of Risabha in Central Asia, Egypt and Greece. In foreign countries, Rishabha was called in different names like Reshef, Apollo, Tesheb, Ball and bull-god of Mediterranean people. Reshef has been identified as Rishabha, the son of Nabhi and Marudevi and Nabhi been identified with chaldean god Nabu and Maru with Murri or Muru. Rishabhadeva of the
* Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Psychometry, 117, B.T. Road, Evergreen Plaza, Kolkata
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