Rasbha

Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha is the first of the 24 Jinas of the present cycle of time. There are many versions of his name but he is commonly called Ādinātha – First Lord. The name Ṛṣabha means ‘bull’.

The word Jina means 'victor' in Sanskrit. A Jina is an enlightened human being who has triumphed over karma through practising extreme asceticism and teaches the way to achieve liberation. A Jina is also called a Tīrthaṃkara or 'ford-maker' in Sanskrit – that is, one who has founded a community after reaching omniscience.

Ṛṣabha’s symbolic colour is gold and his emblem the ox or bull. Unusually in depictions of Jinas, statues and paintings of Ṛṣabha often show long locks of hair falling on his shoulders that help identify him.

Like all Jinas, Ṛṣabha has a pair of spiritual attendants, often shown in art. His yakṣa is Gomukha and his yakṣī is Cakreśvarī.

Story

There is no historical evidence of the existence of Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, but he is credited with setting up the customs and institutions of society. These include the caste system, marriage, farming, crafts, reading, writing and mathematics.

Tradition holds that Ṛṣabha was born in Ayodhyā, son of the patriarch Nābhi and his queen, Marudevī. Ṛṣabha is said to have achieved liberation on Mount Aṣṭāpada, also known as Mount Kailāsa.

Ṛṣabha had many children and when he renounced the householder life to become the first mendicant his eldest son Bharata succeeded him as king. Ṛṣabha divided parts of his kingdom among his other sons, including Bāhubali. His daughters Brāhmī and Sundarī became the first nun and the first lay woman and are counted among the sol satī.