Shree Adinath/Rushabhadev

1st Jain Tirthankar

Adinath(1st Jain tirthankar)

According to Jain beliefs, Rishabhadev was the first Tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). Because of this, he had the name of Adinath

Tirthankara Rishabhanatha, who is also known by the names Rishabhadeva, Ṛṣabhadeva, or Ṛṣabha, is represented by the “bull”. He is the first Tirthankara in Jainism. The meaning of Tirthankara is ford maker. As per the Jain cosmology, the universe is not associated with a temporal beginning or end. It’s “Universal History” that splits the time cycle into two halves, named Avasarpiṇī and Utsarpiṇī along with six aras (spokes) in each half. In this way, the cycles keep on repeating perpetually. In every ara, twenty-four Tirthankaras appeared, and the first Tirthankara found Jainism each time. In the recent ara, Rishabhanatha is regarded as the first Tirthankara, and he was born at the end of the third ara that is known as Suṣama-Duṣamā.
He is a mythical leader who was believed to live millions of years ago in Jainism. Tirthankara Rishabhanatha was the first among the twenty-four teachers in the present half cycle of time in the Jain cosmology. He was known as a ford maker, as his teachings helped the individuals to cross the sea of ceaseless rebirths and deaths that are known as Saṃsāra.
It is stated that Tirthankara Rishabhanatha had attained Moksha on Mount Kailash. His life events have been described in the text Adi Purana by Jinasena. Colossal statues, such as Statue of Ahimsa as well as Bawangaja and those are erected in Gopachal hill, are considered as his iconography. The icons of Tirthankara Rishabhanatha include the eponymous bull (as his emblem), Gomukha (bull-faced) Yaksha, the Nyagrodha tree, and Chakreshvari Yakshi.

Birth Information and personal life of Rishabhanatha

As per the Jain traditional accounts, the names of the parents of Rishabhanatha were King Nabhi and Queen Marudevi. He (Rishabhanatha) was born in Ayodhya, a north Indian city (which was also called Vinita). Sunanda and Sumangala were his two wives. According to the description, Sunanda had two children- Bahubali and Sundari and Sumangala was the mother of his ninety-nine sons, among which Bharata was one of them. Sumangala also had one daughter, named Brahmi.

Renunciation

Rishabhanatha had given his kingdom to his hundred sons. Among his sons, Bharata got the city of Vinita (Ayodhya), and another son Bahubali got the city of Podanapur (Taxila). As per the Jain mythologies, he practiced extreme austerities for 1,000 years, and then he gained enlightenment and became a Jina.

Akshaya Tritiya

Akshaya Tritya is regarded as a supremely auspicious and holy occasion by Jains. As per the belief, Rishabhanatha had taken his first ahara (alms) after developing an ascetic on this particular day. According to the belief of Jains, Rishabhanatha was the first monk of the current half cycle of the time (avasarpini). So, people had no idea about the procedure of offering food (ahara) to the monks. Akshaya Tritya is a significant day for Jains because only after one year on this day, Rishabhanatha was provided food. In Jain tradition, this important day is celebrated on the third day of the bright fortnight and of the month Vaishaka (usually April).

Omniscience

Rishabhanatha had spent a thousand of years to perform austerities and then he had attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). It was on the 11th day of Falgun Krishna (Hindu calendar), and the Kevala Jnana was attained under a banyan tree. Rishabhanatha was associated with a large group of devotees, and the followers included Sramanas, male and female mendicants, as well as sages and disciples.

Nirvana kalyanaka, death

It is said that Rishabhanatha had spread Jainism far and wide. He had attained Nirvana kalyanaka (also called Moksha), as well as all four of his ghati karma, were destroyed; his soul was liberated from the infinite cycle of rebirths for staying eternally at siddhaloka. As per medieval era Jain text, Rishabha (Adinatha) had performed asceticism for millions of years, and then he had returned to Ashtapada where he had fasted to his death (moksha). In that time, God Indra came along with his fellow gods from the heavens to cremate his body with camphor, sandalwood, butter, and other fire offerings.

His Contributions

As per the Jain texts, Rishabhanatha was born in a king’s family in the time when happiness prevailed all around. At that point, no one needed to do any work as Kalpavriksha (miraculous wish-fulfilling trees) existed. With the progressing of the cycle, the efficacy of these trees started decreasing. At that moment, people rushed to their king for help. It is said that Rishabhanatha had taught six primary professions to the individuals and those were:

Asi (swordsmanship for protection)
Masi (writing skills)
Krishi (agriculture)
Vidya (knowledge)
Vanijya (trade and commerce)
Shilp (crafts)

In a nutshell, he introduced the karma-bhumi (the age of action) through the foundation of arts and professions for enabling the householders to survive themselves. According to the Jain belief, Rishabhanatha organized a social system that had created the varna based on professions.
According to Jainism, Rishabhanatha was the one who invented and taught creation fire, and also taught cooking and all skills that were needed for the human beings for the living purpose. It is stated that as a whole, Rishabhanatha has taught seventy-two sciences to men as well as sixty-four to women. As per Paul Dundas, in Jain mythology, Rishabhanatha is not only a spiritual teacher but also one who have founded knowledge in its various forms as well as a form of culture hero for the present cosmological cycle.
It is stated that the ritual of marriage has come into existence after he has married to set an example for other human beings to follow. As per Jains, his life was the starting point of the institution of charity (daana) from the layperson to mendicants. It had happened when Rishabhanatha had received sugarcane juice (in his hand) from King Sreyamsa to break his fast.

Some Important Information about Tirthankara Rishabhanatha

It is said that Rishabhanatha is the founder of Jainism through the different Jain sub-traditions.
It is stated that he had lived for 8,400,000 purva years.
As per the description of the Jain texts, his height was 500 arc, lengths (800 ells) or about 1,200 feet.
According to the Jain texts, such kind of non-human heights and age related descriptions are also found for the next 21 Tirthankaras.

Rishabhanatha is generally depicted in the lotus position or kayotsarga. Furthermore, he is associated with some distinguished features, such as his long locks of hair that fall on his shoulders as well as an image of a bull in his sculptures

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.

Rishabha has been mentioned in the Hindu text of the Bhagavata Purana as an avatar of Vishnu. He is mentioned in all the Vaishnava/Shaiva Puraņas, as well as in some other texts.

famous temple
Adishwar temple, Palitana, Gujarat

source
religioustalks.com

Family
Father:	Nabhiraja
Mother:	Marudevi
Dynasty:	Ikshvaku
Places
Birth:	Ayodhya
Nirvana:	Mount Kailash
Attributes
Colour:	Golden
Symbol:	Bull
Height:	500 dhanusha (1500 meters)
Age:	8,400,000 purva (592.70 Quintillion Years)
Attendant Gods
Yaksha:	Gaumukh
Yaksini:	Chakeshwari