
in the ancient History
Each culture, caste and country has its own history. History
is not just a collection of facts but it also mentions rise and fall,
development and decline, circumstances of victory and defeat. Person and
religions too have a history, like a country and
caste. In fact a history of
religion is a history a person because a religion is a matter of personal high
social attitude, values and virtues. A study of personal or religious history is
to educate the present and future generation so that there absorb the values and
virtues in their life to raise their life to the highest stage.
These virtues give peace and satisfaction in daily life and it also gives the same peace and satisfaction to those who are related to such person.
History writing is an old event since a long time. The history in which great religious personalities have been mentioned is called "Purans" and not history. Although "Puran" is a history too but there is a fundamental difference between a history and a Puran. History is a time bound collection of events and it is said History. Itivrat or Atiyha. Puran is also a history as it is already said that a fundamental difference occurs in history and Puran, History deals with the events only but Purans deal with the events which are related with the spiritual persons like Arihant, Siddha and Sadhus etc. In fact Puran deals the events which are related with Mahapurush (Great men and the effects of these events in their lives in terms of Pap and Punya (good and bad). Puran also deals with the moral and spiritual emotions and not only character building of a person. History deals with only the present events but Puran deals with the future and past events of the leader and these stories tell a person how he could become a saint or a great man. What should he leave and what (Tapasya) he should do to create himself as a saint. Puran has an important sole in personal character building for general class. This is the only reason why the Purans are worshipped by the Indian public till today.
Whenever we try to know a religion, than we have a curiosity about its origin and development. The curiosity not only shows the pure heritage of the religion but also solves many kinds of historic facts. Each religion has its own history, there is a great story of its origin and development which is related with its origin and development which is related with its ancestors and PRACHARAK. As for as the history of Jain Religion is concerned it had a dark age period and it had a long time when there was a confusional state. Someone says (thinks) that it is a branch of Buddhism while some thinks it as a reactive religion which has been created due to the anti-religion of the Karmkand of the Vedic Civilization. Some has a wrong interpretation that its founder is Bhagwan Mahaveer on the other hand some says its founder is Bhagwan Parshwanath. The recent inventions in the field of Indian history has discovered these interpretations and has proved that how much ancient is the Jain Religion.
According the Jain belief, Jain religion is the oldest religion and it has been propagate by its 24 Tirthankars. Since infinite time the heritage tradition of custom of these 24 "Tirthankars" is an infinite (Timeless) heritage. Archaeological, historical, inscriptions and literatural proofs are there which can prove how ancient is the Jain Religion.
According to above mentioned facts most of the eastern and western scholars have proved its Tirthankars Rishabhadeo was its first founder. The main object of the article is to throw light on the Jain history and how ancients.
Traditional Jain History
Jain leterature throw light on Indian History from that time when modern civilization was not developed. People were living in the forests at that time. They were not living in the villages and cities. In the beginning people did not know how to grow food and animal husbandry and industries. They fulfilled their daily needs by 10 type of trees called "Kalpavrikshas" (A tree which can fullfil daily needs was called Kalpavrikshas). There was neither social system nor family relations. The Purankars (Authors of Puran) have told it Bhogabhumi (the land of luxury). Gradually the situation was changed and a new era was started called Karmabhumi (the land of action). We can say the beginning of modern civilization. Now, the Kalpavrikshas were not able to fulfill daily needs of everyone. As a result people started fighting with each other. Heat and cold started their action over the people. Fear of the wild animals began. 14 Kulkars came to the existence and they gave solutions to the problems, also directed the society towards a new system. These "Kulkars" were the directors of the human civilization. They opened the mystries of the nature which was fearsome for mankind. They taught the art of living to by humans developing the system between human and nature. They created the social system and educated them through thoughts and wisdom. These Kulkars have the same place in Jain tradition as that of "Manus" in Vedic civilization, 14 Manus are also written in Vedic civilization. Kulkars taught them how to survive/defend from the wild animals. Maintenance of land records trees and the boundaries of the property were taught by the Kulkars. They also taught the use of wild animals like cows, bullocks, elephants and horses etc. They also educated them to take care of their children and also gave the names of a child. The general people were also taught from heat and cold by the kulkars. Gradually they were taught boating, making of stairs over the mountains, climbing, use of the umbrellas in the rains and finally cultivation of food grains through agriculture. Trade, sculpture (Shilp) and industries were established due to which the land was call Karmabhumi (the land of the hard work).
In such a manner each Kulkar taught something special in his time to the society, by that time, development of recent civilization started/began.
Agriculture and industrialization is the gift of Kulkars to the society. Those Kulkars are the founder of Village and cities civilization. Scholars have mentioned this time as stone age i.e. Palacolithic, Mesolithic and neolithic.
Sixty three Shalaka (honourable) person
Just after the 14 Kulkars, there were 63 Shalaka (honourable) persons who propagated the religion through their own character, good and bad conduct, so that they were called Shalaka person. Shalaka persons are those who have created the social system and personal development of the society. Social development and personal development is educated by these Shalaka persons. There are the stories of these 63 Shalaka persons in the Jain Purans. 24 Tirthankars, 12 Emperors (Chakravarties), 9 Narayans, 9 Balbhadras and 9 Prati-Narayans are there in these 63 Shalaka persons.
24 Tirthankars
1. Rishabhdev 2. Ajitnath 3. Sambhavanath 4. Abhinandannath 5. Sumatinath 6. Padmaprabhu 7. Suparshvanath 8. Chandaprabhu 9. Pushpadant 10. Sheetalnath 11. Shreyasnath 12. Vasupujya 13. Vimalnath 14. Anantnath 15. Dharmanath 16. Shantinath 17. Kunthunath 18. Arahanath 19. Mallinath 20. Muni Suvratnath 21. Naminath 22. Neminath 23. Prashvanath 24. Mahaveer.
12 Chakravarties (Emperors)
1. Bharat 2. Sagar 3. Madhava 4. Sanat Kumar 5. Shanti 6. Kunthu 7. Araha 8. Subhaum 9. Padma 10. Harisen 11. Jayasen 12. Brahmadatta.
9 Narayans
1. Triprishtha 2. Dviprishtha 3. Swayambhu 4. Purushottam 5. Purushsingh 6. Purush Pundrik 7. Datta 8. Laxman 9. Krishna.
9 Prati-Narayans
1. Ashvagreev 2. Tarak 3. Merak 4. Madhu 5. Nishumbh 6. Bali 7. Prahlad 8. Rawan 9. Jarasangh
9 Balbhadras
1. Achal 2. Vijay 3. Bhadra 4. Suprabh 5. Sudarshan 6. Anand 7. Nandan 8. Ram 9. Balram.
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