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(Pārśvanātha), also known as Parshva (Pārśva) was the twenty-third Tirthankara of Jainism.[3][4] He is the earliest Jain leader (c. 877–777 BCE)[5][6][7][8] for whom there is reasonable evidence of having been a historical figure.[9][10][11] On this famous Indologist, Heinrich Zimmer note:
The foundation of Jainism has been attributed by Occidental historians to Mahavira. There must be some truth in the Jaina tradition of the great antiquity of their religion. We have grounds for believing that he (Parsva) actually lived and taught and was a Jaina.[12]
Bhagvan Parshvanath was born in Varanasi, on the tenth day of the dark half of the month of Paush. Pārśva was the son of King Aśvasena and Queen Vāmā of Varanasi.[13] He belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty.[14][15]
Prabhavati was the daughter of King Prasenjit of Kushasthal. She wanted to marry Parshvanatha. Yavan, a powerful ruler of Kalinga, wanted to marry Prabhavati. So he attacked Kushasthal but was defeated by Parshvanath. King Prasenjit, then, offered Prabhavati's hand for marriage to Parshva in reward.[16]
He lived as formal prince of Varanasi and at the age of thirty, he renounced the world to become a monk.[17] He meditated for eighty-four days before attaining Kevala Jnana.[18] He achieved mokṣa at the age of one hundred atop Shikharji, which is known today as "the Parasnath Hills" after him. Pārśva was called purisādāṇīya "beloved of men", a name which shows that he must have been a genial personality.[14] He remains beloved among Jains.[19]
According to the Kalpa Sūtra, Pārśva had 164,000 śrāvakas (male lay followers) and 327,000 śrāvikās (female lay followers) and 16,000 sādhus (monks) and 38,000 sādhvīs (nuns). He had eight ganadharas (chief monks): Śubhadatta, Āryaghoṣa, Vasiṣṭha, Brahmacāri, Soma, Śrīdhara, Vīrabhadra and Yaśas. After his death, the ganadhara Śubhadatta became the head of the monastic order. He was then succeeded by Haridatta, Āryasamudra and Keśī.[17]
Keśī is believed to have been born about 166 to 250 years after the death of Pārśva and to have met the ganadhara of Mahavira, Indrabhuti Gautama.[25] Their discussion about the apparent differences between the teachings of the two tirthankaras is recorded in Jain texts.
Pārśva is the most popular object of Jain devotion. He is closely associated with compassion, although he is free from the world of rebirth like all tirthankaras and therefore unable to aid his devotees personally.[26]
Guru Gobind Singh has penned life history of Parsavnath in a composition called the Paranath Avtar, which is included in the Dasam Granth.[27]
Parsvanath Temple, Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Parshvanatha temple in Ranakpur
Mandapa of the Parshvanâtha's temple in Jaisalmer
Parshvanatha basadi (1133 AD) at Halebidu
Parvantha image, Government museum, Mathura
Tirthankara Parsvanatha, Government Museum, Mathura
Statue of Pārśva at Lodhruva
Parsvanatha image, Badami caves, Karnataka
Tirthankara Parsvanatha, Linden-Museum
Parshwanath Temple at the Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Jina Parshvanatha with Attendants
Parshvanatha, Thirakoil
18 feet (5.5 m) sculpture of Parshvanatha in the Parshvanatha basadi at Halebidu
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