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By Mr. Satish Kumar Jain The Jains are the followers of 24 Tirthankaras for whom they have the highest reverence. They do not believe in God as Supreme Creator. The conception of a creator God finds no place in Jainism. They do not believe that the world has been created by any God. Jains do believe in God in the sense that every soul is capable of attaining the state of Godhood when it is free from passions; is beyond attachments and aversions and has shed the shackles of Karmas, and through the process of purification of the Soul has achieved salvation (Nirvan, Moksha) bringing to an end the cycle of births and deaths. The entire devotion of the Jains is therefore concentrated in the Tirthankaras-Jinas to become like them and to attain salvation. Tirthankar means who establishes the ford (Tirtha) which leads human beings across the great ocean of worldly existence. The term Tirthankar literally means "Tarati samsara-maharnavam yena nimittena tat tirtham. Tirtham karoti iti Tirthankarah" That is, the contrivance which helps to cross the great ocean of worldly life is known as Tirtha and the person who makes the Tirtha is termed as Tirthankar. Hence the Tirthankaras are the personages who delineate the path of final liberation or emancipation of all living beings from the cycle (succession) of births and deaths. Tirthankaras or the Jinas are the path finders, ford-makers and the worthiest exemplars. They are the conquerors of the Self, Arihantas, who have in the evolutionary apotheosis attained the transcendental state of body, mind and soul (Kaivalya), in which an individual is completely emancipated and is endowed with cosmic conciousness. As the Jinas possessed the supreme knowledge, they are called the Kevali- Jinas, i.e. the Jinas who attained Keval-Jnan, that is, the infinite knowledge. These Kevali-Jinas are of two kinds, viz. Samanya-Kevalis, and Tirthankar- Kevalis. While the Samanya-Kevalis are those Jinas who are mainly concerned with their own salvation, the Tirthankar-Kevalis are those Jinas, who after the attainment of Keval-Jnan, i.e. the infinite knowledge, are not only concerned with their own salvation (Nirvan) but also show the path of liberation to all living beings. These Tirthankar-Kevalis are known as Tirthankaras. According to Jain tradition the time cycle is divided into two eras: A vasarpini and Utsarpini, and there are 24 Tirthankaras in each of the two eras. There were 24 Tirthankaras in the past Utsarpini and there have been 24 Tirthankaras in the present A vasarpini era. There will be 24 Tirthankaras in the Future Utsarpini era as well, and this tradition of24 Tirthankaras in each of the A vasarpini and Utsarpini eras will go on continuing. Weare presently living in the A vasarpini era in which the first Tirthankar was Rishabhdev (also known as Adinath-being the first Tirthankar) and the last or the twenty-fourth Tirthankar was Mahavir (599 B.C.-527 B.C.) Being the last Tirthankar of this era, the teachings and doctrines of Mahavir are mainly followed by the Jains. The first Tirthankar Rishabhadev and the next 20 Tirthankaras were born in the periods which are much beyond the reach of the history. But historicity of 22nd Tirthankar Neminath, cousin of Shri Krishna of Mahabharat period, 23rd Tirthankar Parsvanath (877 B.C.- 777 B.C.) and 24th Tirthankar Mahavir (599 B.C.-527 B.C.) have been well proved. The Jains have abundant literature giving vivid details of all the 24 Tirthankaras regarding their birth, birth place, their kingdoms and the significant events in their lives including renunciation, kaivalya and nirvan. Jains consider all the 24 Tirthankaras as real and historical personages. ---------------------------------------------
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