Studies in Jain Literature

Author(s): V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 24

STUDIES IN JAIN LITERATURE
regarded as Baladeva.
With these preliminary remarks we now take up a detailed consideration of these five groups of great men of Jainism :
The Twenty-four Tirthakaras : Besides the 24 Tirthankaras belonging to the present age, Jain Mythology takes account also of a past and future age and to each of the aeons are assigned 24 Tirthakaras. And further, they are said to be born in ten different regions of Jain cosmography such as Bharata-Ksetra, Haimavata-Ksetra and the like. Thus we have in all 720 Tirthakaras. The 24 of the present aeon are, however, described with great details. Their biographies follow a uniform pattern. The lives of the two famous Tīrthakaras-Pārsva and Mahāvīra are described in Jain works with a wealth of detail and in the case of others only remarkable events are recorded. As a rule, in the case of each Tirthakara, the following particulars are mentioned.
(1) The previous births, (2) the name of the heavenly region from which he descends, (3) his parents' names, (4) birth-place, (5) 'Nakşatra' or the Zodiacal sign of his birth, (6) his height, (7) his colour, (8) his age, (9) the tree under which he obtains Kevala or perfect knowledge, (10) his place of Nirvāna, (11) the number of his ganadharas or chief disciples, and of sädhus, sādhvīs, śrāvakas and śrāvikās, (12) the yaksa and yakṣiṇī that wait upon him, (13) the interval between him and his predecessor and (14) the periods of time during which he lived as a householder, etc., and the date of his Nirvana. The names of 24 Tirthakaras are :
1. Rşabha, 2. Ajita 3. Sambhava, 4. Abhinandana, 5. Sumati, 6. Padmaprabha, 7. Supārsva, 8. Candraprabha, 9. Puspadanta, 10. Šītala, 11. Śreyāṁsa, 12. Vasupujya, 13. Vimala, 14. Ananta, 15. Dharmanātha, 16. Sāntinātha, 17. Kunthu, 18. Aranātha, 19. Malli, 20. Muni Suvrata, 21. Naminātha, 22. Nemi (or Aristanemi), 23. Pārsva and 24. Mahāvīra. Excepting the last two (or three) who are historical persons, others are from the sphere of Jain Mythology.
The twelve Cakravartins are the sovereign rulers over six parts of the Bharata country. Like the biographies of the Tīrthakaras, those of the Cakravartins too follow a uniform pattern. As a reward of the good Karman done in the previous births or as a result of ‘Nidāna' (an evil resolution to utilise the merit of one's penance to get the desired object in the next life) they are born as Cakravartins in the dynasty of the Iksvāku, etc. They expand their empire on the strength of their superior valour. They are handsome mighty heroes; defeating their enemies they rule over the Bharata country—when gods descend
from heaven, they bestow encomium on them and coronate them as “Emperor”.