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Bhagwan Rsabhadeva was the first Tirthankara of the Jainas. The vedas of the Bramanic tradition also refers to some Rsabha. Reading the biographical account of Rsabha as found in the Puranas, the reader will have no doubt that it is the biographical account of Rsabha of Jainas. According to Bramanic tradition, Rsabhadeva belonged to the fifth generation of Manu. So it is clear that he flourished in the Puranic times. It should, therefore, be considered as falling beyond the purview of history.
It is now a settled fact that Mahavira being a contemporary of Budha, flourished in the sixth century B.C. According to Jain tradition, Parshvanatha (the 23rd Tirthankara) got emancipation 250 years before Mahavira. This empowers us to fix the life time of Parshvanatha at about 800 B. C. Something has already been said about Rsabhadeva and Aristanemi from amongst the Tirthankaras, who flourished before Mahavira.
From the above discussion, we are now in an unassailable position to state categorically that Jain religion had evolved its definite shape and substance at least before 800 B.C. and it had carved out its name and fame as one of the sects representing Sramanic ideology (emphasizing principles of self-descipline and non-violence). There is no source available to us other than the Jain scriptures to venture a guess about the form of Jainism which was prevalent in the days of Aristanemi or of Rsabhadeva.
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