Rishabha (Jain tirthankar)

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Rishabha Deva or Aadinatha was born more than 5000 years ago estimated near about 3000 B.C.E. He belongs to the Houuse of Ikshwaku also known as "House of Sun". He is a forefather to Lord Rama, the Hindu avatar of Supreme God. He is considered the first Tirthankar of Jainism and referred to with the honorific prefix Lord.The worship of Rishabha Deva is found in Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan Civilization time period.

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Rişhabha (other names used: Rişhabh, Rişhabhanāth, Rishabh Dev,Rushabh, Rushabhdev, Rishabha devar, Adhi Bagvan ,Adinath or Adishwar)

According to Jain beliefs, Rishabha was the first Tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). Because of this, he had the name of Ādināth - the first lord. He became a Siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma.

Rishabh has been derieved from Sanskrit and it means morality, but it is often confused with the sanskrit word "Vrishabha," which means bull.

1 Life
2 Descriptions from Jain Texts

[edit] Life

Rishabha Sculpture excavated in Khajuraho

Rishabha was born to King Nabhi Raja and Queen Marudevi at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku clan. According to Jain beliefs, Rishabh existed before civilization developed. He taught people agriculture, tending of animals, cooking, and more. He had one hundred and one sons.

His eldest son - Bharat - was a chakravarti king - the conqueror of the known world. In the later part of his life he retired to become a monk and attained moksha. Since he became a siddha, he is occasionally worshipped. According to the Jain beliefs, India was named Bhārata-varsha or Bhārata after him.

His second son was Bahubali, whose statue stands at Shravanabelagola, Karnataka as well as at Karkala. Marudevi mother of adinath was the first person^{[citation needed]} to achieve moksha or moksha - even before Rishabh himself. Rishabh's grandson Marichi's soul later became Mahavira^{[citation needed]}. He attained 'kevalgnan' or infinite knowledge at Palitana and attained liberation (moksha) at Ashtapad mountain in Himalayas^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Descriptions from Jain Texts

According to Trilokasara:

धम्मो वि दयामूलो विणिम्मियो आदिबह्मेण

(The "first Brahmā" (Lord Rishabha) established the (ordinary) dharma based on compassion.)

In Jain tradition, he is more than a Tirthankar. As a king, he is credited with development of several innovations affecting the society, as transition was being made from a simple to a more complex society. According to Vrihat-svayambhuu stotra:

प्रजापतिर्यः प्रथमं जिजीविषुः शशास कृष्यादिसु कर्मसु प्रजाः

(As first Prajapati, he taught people who wanted to earn a living various trades.)

[edit] Sculptures and mentions

Rişhabha is venerated by many Jains through his statutes. Some features of his statues are:

Long Hair: The ancient idols of Rishaba all show him long shoulder length hair.
- This is referred to by Acharaya RavisheNa in Padma-PuraNa:

वातोद्धूता जटास्तास्य रेजुराकुलमूर्तयः. धूमल्व इव सद्ध्यान वह्निसक्तस्य कर्मणः

(Blowing in the wind, the locks of his hair looked as if they were smoke coming out the fire burning the karmas.)

- The Vaishnava text Bhāgavata-Puraņa also mentions the locks of hair of Rishaba:

कुटिल जटिल कपिशकेशभूमिभारा

[edit] References in Hinduism

Rishabha has been mentioned in the Hindu text of Bhagavatha-Purana as an Avatar of Vishnu. He is mentioned in all the Vaishnava/Shaiva Puraņas, as well as in some other texts. According to Bhāgavata,he was born to show the people of this world the path of salvation. It was he who advised the people to follow the path of eternal bliss, instead of indulging in a life of worldly pleasures and enjoyment. He is the founder and promoter of sramanic culture. In the depth study of the vedas and puranas, which contain numerous references to Rishabha.

The Bhāgavata says:

अष्टमे मेरुदेव्यां तु नाभेर्जात उरूक्रमः. दर्शयन वर्म धीराणां सर्वाश्रमनमस्कृतम्

(In the womb of Merudevi, wife of Nabhi, Rishaba had his eighth avatara. He showed himself in a form that is to be worshipped by all Shramanas.)

Bhāgavata calls him "शरीर मात्र परिग्रह " (body his only possession), "गगन परिधानः " (wearing the sky), वातरशना (wearing the wind).

It is to be noted that Jainism is a Shramana Paramparā, ie, a monastic tradition, as opposed to orthodox Hinduism, which is a Vedic Paramparā; this also is what the Bhāgavata Purana mentions above.

Some of the attributes of Adinath are similar to Shiva of Hinduism, long hair, association with bull (the mark of Adinath), meditation in the Himalayas (Ashtapad in Jain tradition is identified with Kailash), etc.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Description in Bhagvata Purana about Rishabha Deva and Jainism

SANSKRIT VERSE

yasya kilānucaritam upākarṇya końka-veńka-kuṭakānāḿ rājārhan-nāmopaśikṣya kalāv adharma utkṛṣyamāṇe bhavitavyena vimohitaḥ sva-dharma-patham akuto-bhayam apahāya kupatha-pākhaṇḍam asamañjasaḿ nija-manīṣayā mandaḥ sampravartayiṣyate

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: My dear King, the King of Końka, Veńka and Kuṭaka whose name was Arhat, heard of the activities of Ṛṣabhadeva and, imitating Ṛṣabhadeva's principles, introduced a new system of religion. Taking advantage of Kali-yuga, the age of sinful activity, King Arhat, being bewildered, gave up the Vedic principles, which are free from risk, and concocted a new system of religion opposed to the Vedas. That was the beginning of the Jain dharma. Many other so-called religions followed this atheistic system.

Srimad Bhagvatam Canto 5, Chapter 6, Verse 9