Rishabhanatha

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File:Birth of the Tirthankara Rishabha.jpg
Birth of the Tirthankara Rishabha, folio from the Devasano Pado Kalpasutra, Kalpasutra and Kalakacharya Katha. Gujarat, c. 1500. Bharat Kala Bhavan

Rishabhanatha (Devanagari: ऋषभनाथ), also Rishabhadeva (Devanagari: ऋषभदेव, Template:Transliteration), Rishabha (Devanagari: ऋषभ, Template:Transliteration) or Ikshvaku (Devanagari: इक्ष्वाकु, Ikṣvāku), is the first Script error: No such module "Lang". (Supreme preacher) of Jainism.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain cosmology and called a "ford maker" because his teachings helped one cross the sea of interminable rebirths and deaths. The legends depict him as having lived millions of years ago. He was the spiritual successor of Sampratti Bhagwan, the last Tirthankara of the previous time cycle.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He is also known as Ādinātha (Template:Lit),Template:Sfn as well as Adishvara (first Jina), Yugadideva (first deva of the yuga), Prathamarajeshwara (first God-king) and Nabheya (son of Nabhi).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He is also known as Ikshvaku, establisher of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanath, Neminath, and Shantinath, Rishabhanatha is one of the five Tirthankaras that attract the most devotional worship among the Jains.Template:Sfn

According to traditional accounts, he was born to king Nabhi and queen Marudevi in the north Indian city of Ayodhya, also called Vinita.Template:Sfn He had two wives, Sumangalā and Sunandā. Sumangalā is described as the mother of his ninety-nine sons (including Bharata) and one daughter, Brahmi. Sunandā is depicted as the mother of Bahubali and Sundari. The sudden death of Nilanjana, one of the dancers sent by Indra in his courtroom, reminded him of the world's transitory nature, and he developed a desire for renunciation.

After his renunciation, the legends as described in major Jain texts such as Hemachandra's Trishashti-Shalakapurusha-Charitra and Adinathcharitra written by Acharya Vardhamansuri state Rishabhanatha travelled without food for 400 days.[1][2][3] The day on which he got his first Script error: No such module "Lang". (food) is celebrated by Jains as Akshaya Tritiya. In devotion to Rishabhanatha, Śvetāmbara Jains perform a 400-day-long fast, in which they consume food on alternating days. This religious practice is known as Varshitap. The fast is broken on Akshaya Tritiya.[4][5] He attained Moksha on Mount Ashtapada. The text Adi Purana by Jinasena, Aadesvarcharitra within the Trishashti-Shalakapurusha-Charitra by Hemachandra are accounts of the events of his life and teachings. His iconography includes ancient idols such as at Kulpak Tirth and Palitana temples as well as colossal statues such as Statue of Ahimsa, Bawangaja and those erected in Gopachal hill. His icons include the eponymous bull as his emblem, the Nyagrodha tree, Gomukha (bull-faced) Yaksha, and Chakreshvari Yakshi.

Life

Rishabhanatha is known by many names including Adinatha, Adishwara, Yugadeva and Nabheya.Template:Sfn Ādi purāṇa, a major Jain text records the life accounts of Rishabhanatha as well as ten previous incarnations according to the Digambara tradition.Template:Sfn For Rishabhanatha's biography in accordance with the Śvetāmbara tradition is found in several texts such as Hemachandra's Trishashti-Shalakapurusha-Charitra and Adinathcharitra written by Acharya Vardhamansuri.[3] Jain tradition associates the life of a tirthankara to five auspicious events called the pancha kalyanaka. These include garbha (mother's pregnancy), janma (birth), diksha (initiation), kevalyagyana (omniscience) and moksha (liberation).Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

According to Jain cosmology, the universe does not have a temporal beginning or end. Its "Universal History"Template:Sfn divides the cycle of time into two halves (avasarpiṇī and utsarpiṇī) with six aras (spokes) in each half, and the cycles keep repeating perpetually. Twenty-four Tirthankaras appear in every half, the first Tirthankara founding Jainism each time after the destruction of dharma at the end of each half cycle of time. This is similar to, but not completely the same as the idea of destruction of dharma at the end of Kali Yuga in Hindu mythology. In the present time cycle, Rishabhanatha is credited as being the first tīrthaṅkara. Usually, all the tīrthaṅkaras are born in the fourth spoke of the half cycle. However, Rishabhanatha is an exception as he was born at the end of the third half (known as sukhamā-dukhamā erā).Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Rishabhanatha is said to be the founder of Jainism in the present Avsarpini (a time cycle) by all sub-traditions and sects of Jainism.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Jain chronology places Rishabhanatha in historical terms, as someone who lived millions of years ago.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn He is believed to have been born 10224 years ago and lived for a span of 8,400,000 purva (592.704 × 1018 years).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn His height is described in the Jain texts to be 500 bows (1312 ells), or about 4920 feet/1500 meters.Template:Sfn Such descriptions of non-human heights and age are also found for the next 21 Tirthankaras in Jain texts and according to Kristi Wiley – a scholar at University of California Berkeley known for her publications on Jainism. Most Indologists and scholars consider all the first 22 of 24 Tirthankaras to be prehistorical,Template:Sfn or historical and a part of Jain mythology.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn However, among Jain writers and some Indian scholars, some of the first 22 Tirthankaras are considered to reflect historical figures, with a few conceding that the inflated biographical statistics are mythical.Template:Sfn

According to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a professor of comparative religions and philosophy at Oxford who later became the second President of India, there is evidence to show that Rishabhdeva was being worshipped by the first century BCE. The YajurvedaTemplate:Efn mentions the names of three Tirthankaras – Rishabha, Ajitanatha and Arishtanemi, states Radhakrishnan, and "the Bhāgavata Purāṇa endorses the view that Rishabha was the founder of Jainism".Template:Sfn

Birth

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File:Goddess Marudevi.jpg
An idol of Rishabha with mother Marudevi at Palitana

Rishabhanatha was born to Nabhi and Marudevi, the king and queen of Ayodhya, on the ninth day of the dark half of the month of Chaitra (caitra krişna navamĩ).Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn His association to Ayodhya makes it a sacred town for Jains, as it is in Hinduism for the birth of Rama.Template:Sfn In Jain tradition, the birth of a tirthankara is marked by 14 auspicious dreams of the mother. These are believed to have been seen by Marudevi on the second day of Ashadha (a month of the Jain calendar) krishna (the new moon). The dreams signified the birth of a chakravartin or a tirthankara, according to the supposed explanation by Indra to Marudevi.Template:Sfn

Marriage and children

Rishabhanatha is believed to have had two wives, Sunanda and Sumangala.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sumangala is claimed to be the mother of ninety-nine sons (including Bharata) and one daughter, Brahmi.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sunanda is believed to be the mother of Bahubali and Sundari.Template:Sfn Jain texts state that Rishabhanatha taught his daughters Brahmi and Sundari, Brahmi script and the science of numbers (Ank-Vidya) respectively.Template:Sfn The Pannavana Sutra (2nd century BCE) and the Samavayanga Sutra (3rd century BCE) of the aagams followed by the Śvetāmbaras list many other writing scripts known to the ancient Jain tradition, of which the Brahmi script named after Rishabha's daughter tops the list.Template:Sfn His eldest son, Bharata, is stated to have ruled ancient India from his capital of Ayodhya.Template:Sfn He is described as a just and kind ruler in Jain texts, who was not attached to wealth or vices.Template:Sfn

Rule, administration and teachings

File:Rishabhdeva - Dance of Nilanjana.jpg
Ruins of ancient Jain settlement from 2nd century BCE in Kankali Tila, Mathura depicting the scene of Nilanjana's Dance from life of Rishabhdeva.

Rishabhanatha was born in bhoga-bhumi or the age of omnipresent happiness.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn It is further suggested that no one had to work because of miraculous wish-fulfilling trees called the kalpavrikshas.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn It is stated that people approached the king for help due to decreased efficacy of the trees with passage of time.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Rishabhanatha is then said to have taught them six main professions. These were: (1) Asi (swordsmanship for protection), (2) Masi (writing skills), (3) Krishi (agriculture), (4) Vidya (knowledge), (5) Vanijya (trade and commerce) and (6) Shilp (crafts).Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn In other words, he is credited with introducing karma-bhumi (the age of action) by founding arts and professions to enable householders to sustain themselves.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Rishabhanatha is credited in Jainism to have invented and taught fire, cooking and all the skills needed for human beings to live. In total, Rishabhanatha is said to have taught seventy-two sciences to men and sixty-four to women.Template:Sfn The institution of marriage is stated to have come into existence after his marriage to Sunanda marked the precedence.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn According to Paul Dundas, Rishabhanatha, in Jainism, is thus not merely a spiritual teacher, but the one who founded knowledge in its various forms.Template:Sfn He is depicted as a form of culture hero for the current cosmological cycle.Template:Sfn

Traditional sources state that Rishabhanatha was the first king who established his capital at Vinitanagara (Ayodhya).Template:Sfn He is claimed to have given first laws for governance by a king.Template:Sfn He is said to have established the three-fold varna system based on professions consisting of kshatriyas (warriors), vaishyas (merchants) and shudras (artisans).Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Bharata is said to have added the fourth varna, brahmin to the system.Template:Sfn

Renunciation

File:Lord Rishabhdev in meditation.jpg
Statuary representing meditation by Rishabhanatha in Kayotsarga posture. (Photo:Ajmer Jain temple)

Jain legends talk about a dance of celestial dancers organised in Rishabhanatha's royal assembly hall by Indra, the heavenly-king of the first heaven.Template:Sfn Nilanjana, one of the dancers, is said to have died in midst of the series of vigorous dance movements.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The sudden death of Nilanjana is said to have reminded Rishabhanatha of the world's transitory nature, triggering him to renounce his kingdom, family and material wealth.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn He is then believed to have distributed his kingdom among his hundred sons.Template:Sfn Bharata supposedly got the city of Ayodhya and Bahubali is believed to have got the city of Taxila and the kingdom of Gandhara (as per the Śvetāmbara tradition)[6][7][8] or Podanapur (as per the Digambara tradition).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He is believed to have become a monk in Siddharta-garden, in the outskirts of Ayodhya, under Ashoka tree on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra Krishna (Hindu calendar).Template:Sfn Tirthankaras usually tear out five handfuls of their hair at initiation. Śvetāmbara text Trisasti-salaka-purusa-caritra mentions Rishabhanatha tore only four handfuls of his hair. Just as the moment he was about to pull and tear a fifth handful, Indra requested him not to do so, because the remaining hair 'shone like emerald on his golden soulders'.[9]

Akshaya Tritiya

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File:Jain Universal History Diorama in Jain Museum Madhuban 12.jpg
A diorama in Jain Museum of Madhuban, Giridih depicting Shreyansa offering sugarcane juice to Rishabhanatha
File:Footprints of Rishabhanatha at Hastinapur.jpg
Footprints of Rishabhanatha at Hastinapur.

Jains believe that people did not know the procedure to offer food to a monk, since Rishabhanatha was the first one.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn His great-grandson, Shreyansa, a king of Gajapura (now Hastinapur) after recalling his previous birth in which he had offered food to a Jain monk keeping in mind all the dietary restrictions and preparing it to be free from all faults, offered him sugarcane juice (ikshu-rasa) with required procedure to break 400-days-long fast.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Jains celebrate the event as Akshaya tritiya every year on the third day of the bright fortnight of the month Vaishaka (usually April).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn It is believed to be the starting of the ritual of ahara-daana (food offerings) from layperson to mendicants.Template:Sfn

File:Shrine housing Rishabhantha's footprints at Hastinapur.jpg
Main entrance to the shrine housing Rishabhanatha's footprints at Hastinapur, where he broke his 400-day-long fast.

Omniscience

File:Lord Risbabhdev moving over golden lotus after attaining Omniscience.jpg
Rishabhanatha's moving over lotus after attaining omniscience

Rishabhanatha is said to have spent a thousand years performing austerities before attaining kevala jnana (omniscience) under Akshayavata in the town of Purimatala[10] on the 11th day of falgun-krishna (a month in traditional calendar) after destroying all four of his ghati-karma.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The Devas (heavenly beings) are suggested to have created divine preaching halls known as samavasaranas for him after that.Template:Sfn He is believed to have given the five major vows for monks and 12 minor vows for laity.Template:Sfn He is believed to have established the sangha (four-fold religious order) consisting of male and female mendicants and disciples.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn His religious order is mentioned in Kalpa Sutra to have consisted of 84,000 sadhus (male monks) and 3,000,000 sadhvis (female monks).Template:Sfn

Nirvana kalyanaka

File:Kailash north.JPG
Mount Kailash or Ashtapad, the Nirvana place of Rishabhdeva.

Rishabhanatha is said to have preached the principles of Jainism far and wide.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He is suggested to have attained Nirvana or moksha, destroying all four of his aghati-karma.Template:Sfn This is marked as liberation of his soul from the endless cycle of rebirths to stay eternally at siddhaloka. His death is believed in Jainism to have occurred on Ashtapada (also known as Mount Kailash) on the fourteenth day of Magha Krishna (Hindu Calendar).Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn His total age at that time is suggested to be 84 lakh purva years, with three years and eight and a half months remaining of the third era.Template:Sfn According to medieval era Jain texts, Rishabhanatha performed asceticism for millions of years, then returned to Ashtapada where he fasted and performing inner meditation to his moksha. They further state that Indra came with his fellow gods from the heavens after that, to perform rituals of the place from where Rishabhanatha attained moksha.Template:Sfn

In literature

The Ādi purāṇa, a 9th-century Sanskrit poem,Template:Sfn and a 10th-century Kannada language commentary on it by the poet Adikavi Pampa (fl. 941 CE), written in Champu style, a mix of prose and verse and spread over sixteen cantos, deals with the ten lives of Rishabhanatha and his two sons.Template:Sfn[11] In 11th century, Śvetāmbara monk Acharya Vardhamansuri wrote Adinathcharit, an 11000-verse-long biography of Rishabhanatha in Prakrit. The life of Lord Rishabhanatha is also detailed in Mahapurana of Jinasena, Trisasti-salaka-purusa-caritra by the Śvetāmbara monk Acharya Hemachandra, Kalpa Sutra (a Śvetāmbara Jain text written by Bhadrabāhu that contains the biographies of some of the Tirthankaras), and Jambudvipa-prajnapti.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Bhaktamara Stotra by Acharya Manatunga is one of the most prominent prayers mentioning Rishabhanatha.[12] There is mention of Rishabha in Hindu texts, such as in the Rigveda, Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana (in 5th canto).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In later texts, such as the Bhagavata Purana, he is described as an avatar of Vishnu, a great sage, known for his learning and austerities.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Rishabhanatha is also mentioned in Buddhist literature. It speaks of several tirthankara and includes Rishabhanatha along with: Padmaprabha, Chandraprabha, Pushpadanta, Vimalanatha, Dharmanatha, and Neminatha. A Buddhist scripture named Dharmottarapradipa mentions Rishabhanatha as an Apta (Tirthankara).Template:Sfn

Iconography

File:Rishabhanatha and ambika, Khandagiri Caves.jpg
Carving at Ambika Gumpha, Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, 2nd century BCE

Rishabhanatha is usually depicted in the lotus position or kayotsarga, a standing posture of meditation. The distinguishing features of Rishabhanatha are his long locks of hair which fall on his shoulders, and an image of a bull in sculptures of him.Template:Sfn In accordance with the Śvetāmbara tradition, almost all idols depicting Rishabhanatha have hairlocks on both his shoulders, in accordance with the mention of a loch (tearing out of hair) with four handfuls instead of the normal five handfuls in Trisasti-salaka-purusa-caritra, which makes his iconography distinctive from other Tirthankaras'.[9] Most of his iconography as per the beliefs of the Śvetāmbara tradition can be found at Palitana temples. Rishabhanatha's hairlocks have been depicted in first century CE sculptures found in Mathura and Causa.Template:Sfn Paintings of him usually depict legendary events of his life. Some of these include his marriage, and Indra performing a ritual known as abhisheka (consecration). He is sometimes shown presenting a bowl to his followers and teaching them the art of pottery, painting a house, or weaving textiles. The visit of his mother Marudevi is also shown extensively in painting.Template:Sfn He is also associated with his Bull emblem, the Nyagrodha tree, Gomukha (bull-faced) Yaksha, and Chakreshvari Yakshi.Template:Sfn

Statue of Ahimsa, carved out of a single rock, is a Template:Convert tall (Template:Convert including pedestal) statue of Rishabhanatha and is 1,840 sq feet in size. It is said to be the world's tallest Jain idol.[13] It is located Template:Convert above from sea level, at Mangi-Tungi hills near Nashik (Maharashtra). Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records visited Mangi Tungi and awarded the engineer of the 108 ft tall Rishabhdeva statue, C R Patil, the official certificate for the world's tallest Jain idol.[14][15] In 2016, a 108 feet idol of Rishabhnatha (Adinatha) was installed at Palitana.[16]

In Madhya Pradesh, there is the Bawangaja (meaning Template:Convert) hill, near Barwani with a Gommateshvara figure covered on the top of it. This site is important to Jain pilgrims particularly on the full moon day in January.Template:Sfn The site has a Rishabanatha statue carved from a volcanic rock.Template:Sfn The Template:Convert Rishabhanatha Statue at Gopachal Hill, Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh. Thousands of Jain idols including 58.4 foot idol of Rishabhanatha were carved in the Gopachal Hill idol from 1398 CE to 1536 CE by rulers of Tomar dynasty rulers – Viramdev, Dungar Singh and Kirti Singh.[17] A Template:Convert statue of Rishabhanatha was unveiled at the Abhay Prabhavana Museum in 2024.[18]

Temples

File:Palitana.jpg
Palitana temples

Rishabhanatha is one of the five most devotionally revered Tirthankaras, along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha, Neminatha and Shantinatha.Template:Sfn Various Jain temple complexes across India feature him, and these are important pilgrimage sites in Jainism. Mount Shatrunjaya, for example, is a hilly part of southern Gujarat, which is believed to have been a place where 23 out of 24 Tirthankaras preached, along with Rishabha.Template:Sfn Numerous monks are believed to have attained their liberation from cycles of rebirth there, and a large temple within the complex is dedicated to Rishabha commemorating his enlightenment in Ayodhya. The central Rishabha icon of this complex is called Adinatha or simply Dada (grandfather). This icon is the most revered of all the murtipujaka icons, believed by some in the Jain tradition to have miracle making powers, according to John Cort.Template:Sfn In Jain texts, Kunti and the five Pandava brothers of the Hindu Epic Mahabharata came to the hill top to pay respects, and consecrated an icon of Rishabha at Shatrunjaya.Template:Sfn Important Rishabha temple complexes include Palitana temples, Dilwara Temples, Kulpakji, Kundalpur, Paporaji, Soniji Ki Nasiyan, Rishabhdeo, Sanghiji, Hanumantal Bada Jain Mandir, Trilok Teerth Dham, Pavagadh and Sarvodaya Jain temple.

See also

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Notes

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References

Citations

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Sources

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