Neminatha (नेमिनाथ) was twenty-second Jain
TirthankarIn Jainism, a Tirthankar is a human being who achieves enlightenment through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance...
of the present age (Avsarpini). According to Jain beliefs, he became a
SiddhaA siddha सिद्ध in Sanskrit means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to Hindu belief, have transcended the ahamkara , have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies into a different kind of body dominated by...
, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its
karmaKarma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist philosophies..'Karma' is an Eastern religious concept in contradistinction to...
. He is also known as
Aristhnemi He along with Rishab or
AdinathAdinath or Adin atha is a Sanskrit word meaning "First Lord" and can refer to:* Adi Jina, a title of the Lord Rishabha* Adi Nath, a title of the Hindu deity Shiva* Adinath Sampradaya, a sadhu sub-sect of the Nath Sampradaya...
is mentioned in the Rig Veda Samhita. Neminatha was born to King Samudravijay Raja and Queen Shivadevi Rani at Souripur in the HariVansh clan.
Neminatha (नेमिनाथ) was twenty-second Jain
TirthankarIn Jainism, a Tirthankar is a human being who achieves enlightenment through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance...
of the present age (Avsarpini). According to Jain beliefs, he became a
SiddhaA siddha सिद्ध in Sanskrit means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to Hindu belief, have transcended the ahamkara , have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies into a different kind of body dominated by...
, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its
karmaKarma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist philosophies..'Karma' is an Eastern religious concept in contradistinction to...
. He is also known as
Aristhnemi He along with Rishab or
AdinathAdinath or Adin atha is a Sanskrit word meaning "First Lord" and can refer to:* Adi Jina, a title of the Lord Rishabha* Adi Nath, a title of the Hindu deity Shiva* Adinath Sampradaya, a sadhu sub-sect of the Nath Sampradaya...
is mentioned in the Rig Veda Samhita. Neminatha was born to King Samudravijay Raja and Queen Shivadevi Rani at Souripur in the HariVansh clan. His birth date is the 5th day of Shravan Sukla in the Indian calendar.
Neminatha as a historical figure
There seems to be no doubt about the existence of Jainism in the 7th century BC, but the history of Jainism goes back even earlier than of Parsvanatha. The Jain record mentions the names of twenty two Tirthankaras before him. Neminatha, the 22nd
TirthankarIn Jainism, a Tirthankar is a human being who achieves enlightenment through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance...
a of the Jains, was the son of Samudra Vijaya and grandson of Andhakavrishni. Many Jains and some
HinduHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
s is said to be a cousin of
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
, the lord of the
Bhagavad GitaThe Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important Hindu scriptures. It is revered as a sacred scripture of Hinduism, and considered as one of the most important philosophical classics of the world. The Bhagavad Gita comprises 700 verses, and is a part of the Mahabharata...
(Hindu scriptures).
According to both religions,
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
negotiated his marriage with Rajamati, the daughter of Ugrasena, but Neminath, empathizing with the animals which were to be slaughtered for the marriage feast, left the procession suddenly and renounced the world. Some writers of the Jain scriptures say that Tirthankara Neminath was the master of
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
.
The
Andhakavrishnis of Dwaraka in
KathiawarKathiawar or Kathiawad is a peninsula in western India. It is part of Gujarat state, bounded on the north by the great wetland of the Rann of Kutch, on the northwest by the Gulf of Kutch, on the west and south by the Arabian Sea, and on the southeast and east by the Gulf of Cambay.-Major...
Region of present
GujratGujrat is a city in Pakistan and is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. A person living in Gujrat is called Gujrati. The major sources of livelihood of Gujrat populace are agriculture and small industries.-Location:Gujrat is situated near the...
state of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, as a
republicA republic is a form of government in which the head of state is not a monarch and the people have an impact on its government. The word 'republic' is derived from the Latin phrase res publica which can be translated as "a public affair".Both modern and ancient republics vary widely in their...
is referred to in the
MahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the . The epic is part of the Hindu itihāsa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
, Arthasastra and Ashtadhyayi of Panini.
The name of the Vrishni corporation is also found on a coin which on paleographical grounds dates to the first or second century B.C.E. It seems that the republic was named after
Andhakavrishni, the grandfather of Neminath. If
Andhakavrishni is a real person, there seems to be little doubt that his grandson Neminatha was real.
It is mentioned in the Chhandogya Upanishads III, that the sage Ghora Angirasa imparted certain instructions of the spiritual sacrifice to
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
, the son of Devaki. The liberal payment of this sacrifice was austerity, liberality, simplicity, non-violence and truthfulness. These teachings of Ghora Angirasa seem to be the tenets of
JainismJainism is an ancient dharmic religion from India that prescribes a path of non-violence for all forms of living beings in this world. Its philosophy and practice relies mainly on self-effort in progressing the soul on the spiritual ladder to divine consciousness...
. Hence, Ghora Angirasa seems to be a Jain
sadhuIn Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for a mystic, an ascetic, practitioner of yoga and/or wandering monks. The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving the fourth and final Hindu goal of life, moksha , through meditation and contemplation of Brahman...
. The word Ghora Angirasa seems to be an epithet given to him because of the extreme austerities he undertook. It may be possible to suggest that Neminatha was his early name and when he had obtained salvation after hard austerities, he might have been given the name of Ghora Angirasa.
In fact, the Jaina traditions about Neminath or Arishtanemi as incorporated in the Harivamsa, Arittha Nemi Chariu and other works may be corroborated to some extent by the
BrahaminicalBrahmins have historically been the class of educators, scholars and preachers in Hinduism. They are considered as belonging to the "forward castes" of the four varnas of Hinduism....
traditions. He is mentioned in some of the hymns of the
VedasThe Vedas are a large body of texts originating in Ancient India. The texts are composed in Vedic Sanskrit and form the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature, and the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism....
but their meaning is doubtful.
In the
YajurvedaThe Yajurveda is the third of the four canonical texts of Hinduism, the Vedas...
, he seems to be clearly mentioned as one of the important Rishis. He is described as one who is capable of crossing over the ocean of life and death, as the remover of violence, and one who is instrumental is sparing life from injury. The
YajurvedaThe Yajurveda is the third of the four canonical texts of Hinduism, the Vedas...
probably belongs to the 12th century B.C.E. This indicates that Neminath was known at this time and flourished even before.
Physical evidence for existence
The literary evidence seems to be supported by an epigraphic evidence. In
KathiawarKathiawar or Kathiawad is a peninsula in western India. It is part of Gujarat state, bounded on the north by the great wetland of the Rann of Kutch, on the northwest by the Gulf of Kutch, on the west and south by the Arabian Sea, and on the southeast and east by the Gulf of Cambay.-Major...
, a
copper plateIndian copper plate inscriptions play an important role in the reconstruction of the history of India. Prior to their discovery, historians were forced to rely on ambiguous archaeological findings such as religious text of uncertain origin and interpretations of bits of surviving traditions,...
has been discovered on which there is an inscription. King
Nebuchadrezzar INebuchadnezzar I , was the king of the Babylonian Empire from about 1125 BC. to 1103 BC. He is considered to be the greatest king of the Dynasty of Pashe , a line which held the Babylonian throne through 12th century BC...
of
BabyloniaBabylonia was a civilization in Lower Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged when Hammurabi created an empire out of the territories of the former kingdoms of Sumer and Akkad...
, who was also the lord of Reva-nagara (in
KathiawarKathiawar or Kathiawad is a peninsula in western India. It is part of Gujarat state, bounded on the north by the great wetland of the Rann of Kutch, on the northwest by the Gulf of Kutch, on the west and south by the Arabian Sea, and on the southeast and east by the Gulf of Cambay.-Major...
of
GujaratGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
) had come to the place (Dwarka) of the Yaduraja. He built a temple and paid homage and made the grant perpetual in favour of Lord Neminath, the paramount deity of Mt. Raivata. This inscription is of great historical importance. Nebuchadrezzar was living in the 10th century B.C.E. This indicates that even in the 10th century B.C.E. there was the worship of the temple of Neminath, the 22nd Tirthankara of the Jains.
He is said to be the contemporary of
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
, the hero of
MahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the . The epic is part of the Hindu itihāsa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
. The Mahbabharta took place in 3138 BC.
Additional reading
- Facets of Jainology by Vilas Adinath Sangave Published 2001 by Popular Prakashan
- Article of Dr.Pran Nath The Times of India 19 March 1935
See also
- God in Jainism
According to Jainism, gods can be categorized into embodied gods also known as Tīrthankaras and Arihantas or ordinary Kevalin, and non-embodied formless gods who are called Siddhas. Jainism considers the Devīs and Devas to be demi-goddesses and demi-gods who dwell in heavens owing to meritorious...
- Arhat
Arhat or arahant , in the sramanic traditions of ancient India , signified a spiritual practitioner who had to use an expression common in the tipitaka "laid down the burden", realising the goal of nirvana, the culmination of the spiritual life...
- Jainism and non-creationism
Jainism does not support belief in a creator deity. According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents - soul, matter, space, time, and principles of motion have always existed . All the constituents and actions are governed by universal natural laws...