‘Namo Arihantanam’

In the current descending cycle there have been twenty-four Tirthankars from Bhagawan Rishabhdev to Bhagawan Mahavir.To have a glimpse of some of the images of Tirthanakar at various tirth centers, please click at the symbol of the tirthanakar. (A write up on concept of tirthanakar is given after the table.

Tirthanakar' name symbol color father mother birthplace size H=hand(haath) D=Dhanush(bow) family age(years) tap-period (years) gandhar (nos) Muni

('000)

 Aaryika

(nos)

 omniscience tree (bodhi tree) yaksh yakshni garbhkalyanak  K=Krishnapaksh   S=Shukalpaksh birth tapasaya gyankalyanak mokshkalyanak Nakshatera
Rishabhdev Bull golden nabhirai marudevi ayodhya 500D Ikshvaku 84 lacspurv 1000 84 84 3,50,00 baniyan gomukh chakreshwari aasad k2 chait_k9 chait k 9 phalgun k11 magh k 14 uttarasadh
Ajitnath   elephant golden jitsatru vijaya ayodhya 450D Ikshvaku 72 lacspurv 12 90 100 3,20,000 saptparna mahayaksh rohini jyesth k30 magh_s10 magh s 9 posh s 11 chait s 4 rohini
Sambhavnath horse golden jitari susena sravasti 400D Ikshvaku 60 lacspurv 14 105 200 3,20,000 saal trimukh pragyapti phalgun s8 kartik s15 magsir s 15 kartik k 4 chait s 6 mrigshira
Abhinandan monkey golden sanwar sidharatha ayodhya 350D Ikshvaku 50 lacspurv 18 103 300 3,30,600 saral yaksheshwar vajrasrinkhala vaisakh s6 magj s12 magh s 12 posh s14 vaisakh s 6 punarvasu
Sumatinath Koka bird (chakva) golden meghprabh mangala ayodhya 300D Ikshvaku 40 lacspurv 20 116 320 3,30,400 priyangu tumburav vajrakusha shravan s2 chait s11 vaisakh_s_9 chait s 11 chait s 11 magha
Padmaprabh lotus red dharan sushima kaushambhi 250D Ikshvaku 30 lacspurv 6months 110 330 4,20,000 priyangu matang aprtichakreshwari magh k6 kartik_k13 kartik k 13 chait s15 phalgun k 4 chitra
Suparshvanath swastik green supartisth prithavi varanashi 200D Ikshvaku 20 lacspurv 9 95 300 3,30,400 shirish vijay purushdatta bhadrapad s6 jyesth s12 jyesth s 12 phalgun k 6 phalgun k 7 visakha
Chandraprabh crescent white mahasen lakshmimati chanderpuri 150D Ikshvaku 10 lacspurv 3months 93 250 3,80,000 nag ajit manovega chait k5 posh k11 posh k 11 phalgun k 7 phalgun k 7 anuradha
Suvidhinath crocodile white sugreev rama kakandi 100D Ikshvaku 2 lacspurv 4 88 200 3,80,000 nag brham kali phalgun k9 magsir s1 magsir s1 kartik s 2 bhadrpad s 8 mul
Sheetalnath shrivatsa golden dridrath nanda bhaddalpur 90D Ikshvaku 1 lacpurv 3 81 100 3,80,000 bel brhameshwar jwalamalini chait k8 magh k12 magh k 12 posh k 14 aashvin s 8 pooraasadh
Shreyansnath rhino golden vishnu venudevi sinhpuri 80D Ikshvaku 84 lacs 2 77 84 1,20,000 tunvar kumar mahakali jyesth k6 phalgun_k11 phalgun k11 magh k 30 sravan s 15 sravan
Vasupujya buffalo red vasupujya vijaya champa 70D Ikshvaku 72 lacs 1 66 72 1.06,000 kadamb sanmukh gauri aasadh k6 phalgun k14 phalgun k14 magh s 2 bhadrapad s 14 satbhisha
Vimalnath boar golden kritvarma jaishyama kampila 60D Ikshvaku 60 lacs 3 55 68 1,03,000 jamboo pataal gandhari jyesth k10 magh s 4 magh s4 magh s 6 aasadh k 8 uttrabhadrapad
Anantnath (procupine) sehi golden singhsen sarvayasha ayodhya 50D Ikshvaku 30 lacs 2 50 66 1,08,000 pipal kinnar vairoti kartik k1 jyesth k12 jyesth k 12 chait k 30 chait k 30 revti
Dharmnath vajra golden bhanu suvarta ratanpur 45D kuru 10 lacs 1 43 64 62,400 dadhiparna kimpurush solsanantmati vaisakh k13 magh s13 magh s 13 posh s 15 jyesth s 4 pushap
Shantinath deer golden visvasen era hastinapur 40D Ikshvaku 1 lac 16 36 62 60,300 nandyavarta garur manasi bhadrapad k7 jyesth k14 jyesth k 14 posh s 10 jyesth k 14 bharni
Kunthunath goat golden suryasen srimatidevi hastinapur 35D kuru 95,000 16 35 60 60,350 tilak gandharav mahamanasi sharavank10 vaisakh s1 vaisakh s 1 chait s 3 vaisakh s 1 kritika
Arnath fish golden sudarshan mitra hastinapur 30D Kuru 84,000 16 30 50 60,000 mango kuber jaya phalgun s3 magsir s14 magsir s 10 kartik s 12 chait k 30 revti
Mallinath kalash golden kumbh prbhavati mithilapuri 25D Ikshvaku 55,000 6days 28 40 55,000 ashok varun vijaya chait s1 magsir s 11 magsir s 11 posh k 2 phalgun s 5 ashvini
Munisuvrat tortoise blue sumiter padma rajgriha 20D yadav 30,000 11 months 18 30 50,000 chamapak bhrikuti aprajita shravan k2 vaisakh k10 vaisakh_k_10 vaisakh k 9 phalgun k 12 sravan
Naminath bluelotus golden vijay vaprila mithilapuri 15D Ikshvaku 10,000 9months 17 20 45,000 vakul gomedh bahurupini ashvin k2 aasadh k10 aasadh k 10 magsir s 1 vaisakh k 14 asvini
Arishtanemi(Neminath) conch (sankh) blue samudervijay shivdevi shouripur 10D Yadav 1,000 56days 11 18 40,000 deodar parsva kushmandi kartik s6 shravan s 6 sravan s 6 ashvin s 1 aasadh s 7 chitra
Parshvanath serpent green asvasen varmila varamashi 9H Ugra 100 4months 10 16 36,000 deodar matang padmavati vaisakh 2k posh k 11 posh k 11 chait k 4 ravan s 7 visakha
Mahavir lion golden siddharth priyakarini kundalpur 7H Nag 72 12 11 14 36,000 saal grihayak siddhyani aasad s6 chait s 13 magsir k 10 vaisakh s 10 kartil 14 uttraphaguni

 

Every soul is a dormant source of infinite energies, uninterrupted light of knowledge and unending joy and happiness. Knowledge and happiness are the fundamental natural activities of the soul. But the accumulated inertia of ignorance and illusion acts as an impediment to its endeavor to activate these inherent infinite energies. Even when it launches its efforts, the dense accumulation of attitudes of attachment and aversion does not allow these efforts to become successful. As such, the disciplining of these attitudes of attachment and aversion becomes the prime need on this path of salvation.

When its own true form is revealed on the soul it recognizes its inherent potential and gradually starts the efforts to win over the attitudes of fondness, attachment and aversion, as a result of its intense craving for salvation and practices of equanimity, penance, and meditation, it becomes tireless or Nirgranth (a term for Jain ascetic).

Continuing its un-dogmatic practices or the Nirgranth attitude, a day comes when the soul destroys all attachment and aversion and conquers fondness. As a result of this victory the soul attains the status of Jina.

Jina means the victorious one.

The individual who has destroyed attachemtn and aversion; who is absolutely free of fondness and ignorance; who has shed the four vitiating Karmas; namely illusory (Mohaniya), knowledge obstructing (Jnanavaraniya), perception obstructing (Darshanavaraniya), and power hindering (Antaraya); is known as vitarag (the detached one), Jina (the victorious) and Sarvajna or Kewali (the omniscient).

Any deserving soul may attain the status of Jina, omniscient, ultimate or pure soul (Param-Atma), but not a Tirthankar. This is because of the fact that it is only as the result of a specific pious type of Karma that one may become Tirthankar.

The lofty person, an omniscient Arihant, who defines, elaborates, and propagates Ahimsa, Truth, Brahmacharya etc., establishes the four pronged (Sadhu, Sadhvi, Shravak and Shravika) religious organization, and is endowed with unique powers is known as the Tirthankar.

It is a belief, mentioned in Jain scriptures, that it is only the soul who earns the pious bond of the Tirthankar-nam-karma through a very high level of penance and meditation, can attain the status of Tirthankar.

During one descending cycle of time there may be innumerable omniscients but only twenty four Tirthankars. Acharya Somdev Suri has given an explanation about why there can only be this specific number of Tirthankars-

"If the number of things existing in nature is not a fixed figure why the number of things like date, day constellations, stars, planets, oceans, mountains are believed to be fixed? It means that although they are numerous their exact number is fixed as per the law of nature." During one descending cycle of time only these twenty four Tirthankars are the originators of religious founders of religious order and persons with divine powers.

A Tirthankar is not an incarnation of the God. He is an ordinary soul that born as a human and attains the states of a Tirthankar as a result of intense practices of penance, equanimity and meditation. As such, the Tirthankar is not defined as an Avatar (god-incarnate) but is the ultimate pure developed state of the soul. Thus he may be called as the God in human form.

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