| Naminatha | |
|---|---|
21st Tirthankara | |
| Venerated in | Jainism |
| Predecessor | Munisuvrata |
| Successor | Neminatha |
| Symbol | Blue Water Lily [1] |
| Height | 15 bows (45 metres)[2] |
| Age | 10,000 |
| Color | Golden |
| Gender | Male |
| Genealogy | |
| Born | Mithila
[3] |
| Died | |
| Parents |
|
| Dynasty | Ikṣvākuvaṁśa |
Naminatha (Devanagari: नमिनाथ) (Sanskrit: नमिनाथः) was the twenty-first tirthankara of the present half time cycle, Avsarpini. He was born to the King Vijaya and Queen Vipra of the Ikshvaku dynasty. King Vijaya was the ruler of Mithila at that time.[4] Naminatha lived for 10,000 years.[5] When Naminatha was in his mother's womb, Mithila was attacked by a group of powerful kings. The aura of Naminatha forced all the kings to surrender to King Vijaya.[6]
Legends
Naminatha was born on the 8th day of Shravan Krishna of the lunisolar Jain calendar.[citation needed] His height is mentioned as 15 dhanusha.[7] He attained Kevala Jnana under a Bakula tree. He had 17 Ganadhara, Suprabha being the leader.[8] He is said to have lived for 10,000 years.[7]
According to Jain tradition, Naminatha is said to have liberated his soul by destroying all of his karma and attained Moksha from Sammed Shikhar nearly 571,750 years before his successor, Neminatha.[9][7] He was preceded by Munisuvrata who is believed to have lived 9 lakh years before his birth.[9][7]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Tandon 2002, p. 45.
- ^ Sarasvati 1970, p. 444.
- ^ Thakur, Ripunjay Kumar (1 March 2022). "Historical Geography of Early Medieval Mithila: From Videha to Tirhut". New Archaeological & Genological Society, Kanpur, India. ISSN 2348-8301. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Tukol 1980, p. 31.
- ^ Harshshilvijay, Kulshilvijay. "24 Characters of Tirthankara".
- ^ Jain 2009, p. 87–88.
- ^ a b c d Finegan 1952, p. 190.
- ^ Shah 1987, p. 163.
- ^ a b Zimmer 1953, p. 226.
Sources
- Finegan, Jack (1952), The archeology of world religions, Princeton University Press
- Jain, Arun Kumar (2009), Faith & Philosophy of Jainism, Gyan Publishing House, ISBN 9788178357232, retrieved 23 September 2017
- Johnson, Helen M. (1931), Naminathacaritra (Book 7.11 of the Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra), Baroda Oriental Institute
- Sarasvati, Swami Dayananda (1970), An English translation of the Satyarth Prakash, Swami Dayananda Sarasvati[permanent dead link]
- Shah, Umakant Premanand (1987), Jaina-Rupa Mandana: Jaina Iconography, vol. 1, India: Shakti Malik Abhinav Publications, ISBN 81-7017-208-X
- Tandon, Om Prakash (2002) [1968], Jaina Shrines in India (1 ed.), New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, ISBN 81-230-1013-3
- Tukol, T. K. (1980), Compendium of Jainism, Dharwad: University of Karnataka
- Zimmer, Heinrich (1953) [April 1952], Joseph Campbell (ed.), Philosophies of India, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, ISBN 978-81-208-0739-6,
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{citation}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
External links