Parshvanata

Parshvanata from Lodhruva near Jaisalmer , Rajasthan

Parshvanatha from Mathura , Uttar Pradesh , Museo d'Arte Orientale, Turin

Parshvanata , Parshvanatha or Parshva (approx. 877-777 BC) - in German sometimes just "Parsnath" - was, according to tradition, the 23rd Tirthankara ("ford preparer") and thus the immediate forerunner of Mahavira . He is said to have formulated four of the five commandments of Jainism and is therefore regarded by some as the actual founder of this religion, which is native to India .

Lore

According to legendary tradition, Parshvanata was the son of King Aśvasena and Queen Vāmā of Varanasi , who traced their descent to the mythical Ikshvaku dynasty . Until the age of 30 he led the life of a prince; but then he renounced the world and became an ascetic hermit. After 84 days of meditation , he attained 'Absolute Knowledge' or 'Omniscience' ( kevala jnana ). He gathered other students (men and women) around him and led an ascetic life. At the age of 100 he achieved salvation or liberation from the cycle of rebirths ( moksha ) and died on Mount Shikharji , which was later named Parasnath and became an important pilgrimage destination.

Teaching

Many Jainas consider Parshvanata to be the formulator of four of the five basic principles of Jainism:

ahimsa (absolute non-violence towards humans and animals)
satya (renunciation of untruthful speech)
asteya (do not attack someone else's property)

aparigraha (possess only essential goods)

The fifth principle, brahmacharya (not entering into unchaste relationships) is said to have been added later by Mahavira .

presentation

As a prince, one day Parshvanata rescued a snake ( naga ) from a trap; she was later reborn as Nagaraja ('Snake King') and protected him from a storm sent by a demon ( asura ) named Meghamalin . According to this legend, Parshvanatha is always represented with a 'snake hood' (or 'snake umbrella') behind his head and is therefore easy to recognize. He is usually shown sitting in meditation posture and with his hands clasped in his lap; standing figures are rarer.

literature

Kristi L. Wiley: The A to Z of Jainism . Orient Paperbacks 2014, ISBN 978-81-7094-690-8 , pp. 165f
Mircea Eliade and Ioan P. Culianu : Handbook of Religions. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1995, ISBN 3-518-38886-X .

Web links

Commons : Parshvanatha - collection of images, videos and audio files