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Sramaņa, Vol 59, No. 4/October-December 2008
as his father although it accepts Maru Devī as mother and Bharata as his son. In Manusmrti, it has been said that Rşabhadeva was the founder of three rules “nītitrayakartā yo yugādou prathamo Jinaḥ’16. In sivapurāņa"?, he has been accepted as Avatāra or incarnation of god by Hindus. Bhāgavata Puranal8 describes in detail the incarnation of Rşabhadeva on the basis of whose preachings the Jaina religion was founded
In fact it is extremely difficult to assess his exact date of birth. But based on different literary sources an agreeable date can be established. On the basis of different sources he could be placed before 5000 years back. The present life story of Rşabhadeva is based on Triśastiśalākā-puruşacarita' where the life of sixty-three torchbearers (Salākāpuruṣas) has been given by Hemacandra (late 1088-1172 AD). Rşabhadeva was the first among twenty four Tīrtharkaras. He is considered as the founder of Jainism. The scholars who accept Vardhamăna Mahāvīra (599 BC to 527 BC) as the founder of Jainism, some how believe that Jainism is born against the Brahmanism.
The concept of rebirth is accepted by Jains, Bauddhas and Hindus. It is believed that Rşabhadeva was born twelve times before he was born as a child of Maru Devī and Nābhi Rai20. In his previous births, Rşabhadeva was never born as a Brahmin. Svetāmbara tradition calls him Rşabhadeva while Digambaras call him Ādinātha or Yugādinātha. He is also called as Vșsabha or Usava. The mundane life of Rşabhadeva is equally eventful and an admixture of natural and supernatural episodes likes his previous births. Although it is a fact that the persons having high flown spiritual potency have some miraculous incidents in their lives. This we see in lives of Jesus Christ, Moses, Lord Buddha, and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa of recent era. So there is nothing new in the case of Rşabhadeva. According to Jaina concept of time when three years seven months and fifteen days were left to third Ārā, Rşabhadeva was conceived by Marudevi. No sign of pregnancy was visible in his body but her
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