The 24 Thirthankaras of Jainism

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The 24 Thirthankaras of Jainism

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by Jayaram VThe concept of thirthankara is peculiar to Jainism. A tirthankara is

a religious teacher who has been freed from the bonds of karma andcrossed the world of transmigrations. Through his teachings andpersonal example, he makes it his central objective to help mankindachieve nirvana or salvation. Jain tradition recognizes 24thirthankaras who propagated the religion during their existenceupon earth, after receiving enlightenment through severe austerities

and ascetic practices. The last of the thirthankaras was VardhamanaMahavira who succeeded Parsvanath, the 23rd thirthankara, and madeJainism popular in the Indian subcontinent by reviving many of itsancient traditions and practices. The thirthankaras constitute the

Jain pantheon. Although Jainism is an atheistic religion, followersof Jainism worship the statues, icons, images and symbols of thethirthankaras in temples and homes seeking their blessings andintervention for liberation. A thirthankara is not a god, but anenlightened and perfect being who has been rendered by his previouskarma to be a source of knowledge and enlightenment to others. Thethirthankaras appear in certain periods of human history to redeempeople from the cycle of births and deaths by teaching them thedoctrine of Jainism. Followers of Jainism believe that in each artha

kalpa (half time cycle) 24 thirthankaras manifest upon earth. Thethirthankaras manifest not only upon earth, but in several otherworlds that exists in different parts of the universe. The Digambara

Jains believe that all the thirthankaras who were born in this timecycle are men, while the Svetambaras believe that of the 19ththirthankara was a woman named Mallinath. Some of the thirthankarassuch as Mahavira,Parsvanath and Rishabhanath are confirmedhistorical personalities. In their icons the thirthankaras areusually depicted as either seated in lotus position or standing. The

Digamabaras depict them as stark naked while the Svetambaras showthem decorated with clothes and ornaments. Parsvanath, the 23rdthirthankara is usually shown in the company of snakes orovershadowed by a snake hood.Rishabhanatha

Rishabha, also known popularly as Adinath, was believed to be ahistorical person, born to King Nabhi Raja and Queen Marudevi atAyodhya in the Ikshvaku clan. P. C. Roychoudary puts the date ofRisabha at the end of Stone Age and beginning of the agricultureage. Some historians like Ramprasad Chandra, John Marshall,suggested that Rishabhanatha was known to Indus valley people andworshipped by them. According to Jain legends, Rishabh existed inprehistoric times before the development of human civilization. Asthe first knowledgeable person, he said to have taught the mankindagriculture, animal husbandry, art, architecture, music, dance,


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criminal justice and many other branches of knowledge and arts andcrafts. With the blessings of his father Nabhiraja, he assumed theresponsibilities of a king and introduced a social order based onvirtues and profession, dividing the society into merchants,warriors and workers, a system that was subsequently adopted by thevedic people with suitable modifications. Vinita or Ayodhya was hiscapital. He had several sons, of whom the eldest was Bharata whobecame the first emperor of ancient India. Bahubali was his anotherson, whose mammoth statue now stands at Shravanabelagola inKarnataka and worshipped by millions of Jains. Some Hindu Puranasmention the name of Rishabhanath. According to the Bhagavata purana,

Rishabha was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.AjinathAjitnatha, the second Jain Tirthankar, was born to King JitashatruRaja and Queen Vijaya at Ayodhya in the same Ikshvaku clan in whichRishabha and Lord Rama were born. He received enlightenment afterperforming severe austerities under the guidance of Arindam Suri.One of his brother's name was Sagara, who according to some, was the

father of sage Bhagiratha who was responsible for the descent of the

Ganges on to the earth through his penances.The list of the 24 thirthankaras with their associated details are

shown below.1TirthankarHeavenBirthplace;ConsecrationParentsComplexSymbolTreeAttendantspiritsMale disciple;Female discipleI. Lord Rishabha (Adinath)SarvarthasiddhaVinittanagari;PurimatalaNabhirajaby Marudevagoldenbull or oxVata (banyan)Gomukha andChakresvariPundarika;BrahmiII. AjitnathVijayavimanaAyodhya;Sammet ShikharjiJita['s]atruby Vijayamatagoldenelephant['S]ala

(Shorea robusta)Mahayaksha andAjitabala;or Rohi[n.]iSimhassena;PhalguIII. SambhavanathUvarimagraivekaSavathi;SravastiJitariby SenamatagoldenhorsePrayala(Buchanania latifolia)Trimukha andDuritari;or PrajnaptiCharu;SyamaIV. AbhinandannathJayantavimanaAyodhya;Sammet ShikharjiSambararaja

by SiddharthagoldenmonkeyPriyangu(Panicum italicum)Nayaka andKalika; orYakshesvara andVajrasrinkhalaVajranabha;AjitaV. SumatinathJayantavimanaAyodhya;Sammet ShikharjiMegharajaby Mangalagoldencurlew orred gooseSalaTumburu and


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Mahakali; orPurushadattaCharama;KasyapiVI. PadmaprabhaUvarimagraivekaKausambi;Sammet ShikharjiSridharaby SusimaredlotusChhatraKusuma andSyama; orManovegaor ManoguptiPradyotana;RatiVII. SuparshvanathMadhyamagraivekaVaranasi;Sammet ShikharjiPratish[t.]harajaby P[r.]ithvigoldenor emeraldswastikaSirisha(Acacia sirisha)Matangaand Santa; orVaranandiand KaliVidirbha;SomaVIII. ChandraprabhaVijayantaChandrapura;Sammet ShikharjiMahasenarajaby LakshmanawhitemoonNagaVijaya andBhrikuti; orSyama or Vijaya

and JvalamaliniDinna;SumanaIX. PushpadantaAnatadevalokaKanandinagari;Sammet ShikharjiSugrivarajaby RamaraniwhiteCrocodileSaliAjita andSutaraka;or MahakaliVarahaka;VaruniX. SheetalnathAchyutadevalokaBhadrapura or Bhadilapura;Sammet ShikharjiDridharatha-rajaby NandagoldenKalpavriksha orficus religiosaPriyanguBrahma andAsoka; or

ManaviNanda;SujasaXI. ShreyansanathAchyutadevalokaSimhapuri;Sammet ShikharjiVishnurajaby VishnagoldenrhinocerosTandukaYakshet andManavi; orIsvara andGauriKasyapa;DharaniXII. VasupujyaPranatadevalokaChampapuri;Sammet ShikharjiVasupujyaby Jayaruddyfemale buffaloPatala(Bignonia suaveolens)Kumara and

Chanda; orGandhariSubhuma;DharaniXIII. VimalnathMahasaradevalokaKampilyapura;Sammet ShikharjiKritavarmarajaby SyamagoldenpigJambu(Eugenia jambolana)Shanmukha andVidita; orVairo[t.]i)Mandara;Dhara


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XIV. AnantnathPranatadevalokaAyodhya;Sammet ShikharjiSimhasenaby Suyasahor SujasagoldenporcupineAsoka(Jonesia asoka)Patala andAnkusa; orAnantamatiJasa ;PadmaXV. DharmanathVijayavimanaRatnapuri;Sammet ShikharjiBhanurajaby SuvritagoldenvajraDadhiparna(Clitoria ternatea)Kinnara andKandarpa;or ManasiArishta;ArthasivaXVI. ShantinathSarvarthasiddhaGajapura or Hastinapuri;Sammet ShikharjiVisvasenaby AchiragoldendeerNandi(Cedrela toona)Garuda andNirvani; orKimpurusha andMahamanasiChakrayuddha;SuchiXVII. KunthunathSarvarthasiddhaGajapura;

Sammet ShikharjiSurarajaby SriranigoldengoatBhilakaGandharva andBala; orVijayaSamba;DaminiXVIII. AranathSarvarthasiddhaGajapura;Sammet ShikharjiSudarsanaby Deviranigoldenfish orPiscesAmba(Mango)Yaksheta andDhana; orKendra andAjitaKumbha;

RakshitaXIX. MallinathJayantadevalokaMathura;Sammet ShikharjiKumbharajaby Prabhavatibluejar or KalasaAsokaKubera andDharanapriya;or AparajitaAbhikshaka;BandhumatiXX. MunisuvrataAparajita-devalokaRajagriha;Sammet ShikharjiSumitrarajaby PadmavatiblacktortoiseChampaka(Michelia champaka)Varuna andNaradatta; orBahurupiniMalli;

PushpavatiXXI. Nami NathaPranatadevalokaMathura;Sammet ShikharjiVijayarajaby Vipraraniyellow;or emeraldblue water-lily or blue lotusBakula(Mimusops elengi)Bhrikuti andGandhari; orChamundiSubha;AnilaXXII. NeminathaAparajitaSauripura and Ujjinta (Ujjain);


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Mount Girnar (Girnarji)3by SenamatablackconchVetasaGomedha andAmbika; orSarvahna andKushmandiniVaradatta;YakshadinnaXXIII. ParshvaPranatadevalokaVaranasi;Sammet ShikharjiAsvasenarajaby VamadevibluesnakeDhataki(Grislea tomentosa)Parsvayaksha orDharanendraand PadmavatiAryadinna;Pushpachu[d.]aXXIV. MahaviraPranatadevalokaKundagrama or Chitrakuta;RijupalukaSiddhartharaja,Sreyansa orYasasvinby TrisalaVidchadinnaor PriyakariniyellowlionteakMatamga andSiddhayikaIndrabhuti;Chandrabala

Suggested Further Reading

Vardhamana Mahavira of JainismHistorical antecedents of JainismHistory of Jainism after Mahavira

1. This table is adopted with some modifications from WikipediaWednesday , September 21, 2011

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The 24 Thirthankaras of Jainism