Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 2.djvu/150

 131* THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. [May, 1873. PAPERS ON SATRUNJAYA AND THE JAINS. BY THE EDITOR. II.—The Tirthahkaras or Jinas. Continued from page 17. The Jaina Tirthahkaras or Arhantas —images of one or more of whom figure in every temple—are twenty-fonr in number, each having his separate chinha or cognizance, usu¬ ally placed under the image, and many of them distinguished by the Golour 6f their complexion, —sixteen being yellow, two red, two white, two blue, and two black. In the temples, however, the images are generally of white marble, with eyes made of silver and overlaid with pieces of glass. The following is a list of these saints, with the principal particulars related of each:— A 1. RishabhanItha or Adinatha, called also Nabheya, Yugadisa, Yugadijina, Rishabha Deva, Kausalika, Adis- v & r a, and VrishabhaSena, of the race of Ikshwaku, was the son of Nab hi by Maru-devi. In the Adi Purdna, a Jaina compilation ascribed toJinasena Acharya, who is said to have lived in the reign of V i - kramaditya, but who was probably much later,—Gautama the disciple of Mahavira relates to Srenika the king, the birth and actions ofYrishabha. According to this authority, “Vrighabha was first born asMah&bala Chakravartti; be¬ ing instructed in the Jaina doctrines, he was next born in the second heaven asLalit&nga Deva. He was next born as. Yajrajangha, son of V a- j r a b & h u, king of Utpala Kata, a city on the Sitod&, one of the rivers of Mah&meru. Having in this existence given food to a Jaina mendicant, he was born as a teacher of that faith named A r y a. From thence he returned to the second heaveu as Swayamprabha deva, and was again born a prince, tho son of the R&ja ofSasinimah&nagara, by the name of S u- v e d i. He again became a divinity as A c h y in¬ tend ra, presiding over tho 16fch Swarga or heaven. He was then born as V a j r a n & b h i, son of Y a j r a s e n a, king of Pundarikini- n a g a r a ; having obtained great purity, he was born as Sarv&rthasiddhiDeva.in a part of the upper world above the 16th heaven, and •Wilson, Mackenzie Coll. Vol. I. pp. 144, 145. f Satruiijaya MdMtmya. I. 60. The twelve Chakra- varttts are: Bh&rata Arahabni; Maghavan, son of Vijaya; Sanatkum&ra, son of As vase na; g&nti, Kunthu, and Ara, only twelve yojanas from the site of M o k s h a or final liberation. His next birth was as V r i s h a - b h a the Tirthankara, tho son of N & b h i by Maru Devi, king and queen of Saketa- n a g a r. His incarnation was announced by the fall, morning and evening for six months, of three hundred and fifty millions of precious stones. The goddesses Sri, Krl, Dhriti, Kirttl, B u d h 1, and L a k s h m 1, were sent byDeven- d r a to wait on Maru devi, during her preg¬ nancy, and feed her with the food of the Kalpa, or all-bestowing tree of heaven, and at his birth, Devendra and all the inhabitants of every di¬ vision of the universe came to render homage. Devendra bathed the child with the contents of the tree of milk, and gave him the name of Yri?habha.”* He is represented as of yellow or golden com¬ plexion ; has the bull (Vrisha) for his chinha or cognizance, Chakresvari for his sdsana- dem. According to the commentator of the Kalpa Siltra, he was born at Kosala or Ayo- dhyfi, towards the end of the third age. He was the first king (Prathama Rdjd), first an¬ choret (Prathama Bhikshdkara), and first saint (Prathama Jinn and Prathama Tirthankara). His stature, it is pretended, was 500 poles (dhanush) ; and when he was inaugurated king his age was 2,000,000 great years (purva varsha). He reigned 6,300,000 years; and then resigning the empire to his sons he withdrew to a state of abstract purity: and having spent 100,000 years more in passing through the various stages ot austerity and sanctity, he attained nirvana on a mountain named Ashtapada, according to Hemachandra the same as K a i 1 a s a, others say on Satruiijaya, 3 years 81 months before the end of the third age. Besides his children by other wives, Rishabha had twins by each of his wives Sumangalil and Sanandn ,—by the former a son B h a r a t a the first Chakravarttif —and a daughter Brahmi; by the latter a second son Bahubali, and Sundari a daughter. The saint had altogether a hundred children, for whose instruction he invented all —the 16th, 17th, and 18th Jinas; Sagara, tho son of Snmitra; SubhAmacalled Kurtavirya; Podma, son of Pad* mdttara; Harishena of Hari; Jaya of Vyaya; and Brah- madatta of Brahme;—all of the race of Iksbw&ku —Cole- broolce, Essays, Vol. II. 217; Asiat. Res., Vol. IX. p. 815.