| Parshvanatha | |
|---|---|
23rd Tirthankara | |
 The idol of Tirthankara Parshvanatha at Shankheshwar Jinalaya | |
| Other names | Pārśva, Pārasanātha |
| Venerated in | Jainism |
| Predecessor | Neminatha |
| Successor | Mahavira |
| Symbol | Snake[1] |
| Height | 9 cubits (13.5 feet) [2] |
| Age | 100 years[3] |
| Tree | Ashok |
| Color | Green |
| Genealogy | |
| Born | c. 872 BCE[4] |
| Died | c. 772 BCE[4] |
| Parents |
|
| Spouse | Prabhāvatī, daughter of Kuśasthala’s Prasenajit (Shvetambara) Unmarried (Digambara) |
| Dynasty | Ikshvaku dynasty |
Parshvanatha (Sanskrit: पार्श्वनाथः), or Pārśva and Pārasanātha, was the 23rd of 24 Tirthankaras (Ford-Maker of Dharma) of Jainism. Parshvanatha is one of the earliest Tirthankara who is acknowledged as a historical figure. The Jain sources place him between the 9th and 8th centuries BCE whereas historians consider that he lived in the 8th and 7th century BCE.[5][6]
Parshvanatha was born 273 years before Mahavira. He was the spiritual successor of the 22nd Tirthankar Neminatha. He is popularly seen as a supreme propagator and reviver of Jainism. Parshvanatha is said to have attained moksha on Mount Sammeda (Madhuban, Jharkhand) popular as Parasnath hill in the Ganges basin, an important Jain pilgrimage site. His iconography is notable for the serpent hood over his head, and his worship often includes Dharanendra and Padmavati (Jainism's serpent Devtā and Devī).
Parshvanath was born in Varanasi, India. Renouncing worldly life, he founded an ascetic community. Texts of the two major Jain sects (Digambaras and Śvētāmbaras) differ on the teachings of Parshvanath and Mahavir, and this is a foundation of the dispute between the two sects. The Digambaras believed that there was no difference between the teachings of Parshvanatha and Mahavira.
According to the Śvētāmbaras, Mahavir expanded Parshvanatha's first four restraints with his ideas on ahimsa (lit. 'non-violence') and added the fifth monastic vow (celibacy). Parshvanatha did not require celibacy and allowed monks to wear simple outer garments. Śvētāmbara texts, such as section 2.15 of the Ācārāṅga Sūtra, say that Mahavira's parents were followers of Parshvanatha (linking Mahavira to a preexisting theology as a reformer of Jain mendicant tradition).
- ^ Tandon 2002, p. 45.
- ^ Sarasvati 1970, p. 444.
- ^ Sangave 2001, p. 128.
- ^ a b Dundas 2002, pp. 30–31.
- ^ "Rude Travel: Down The Sages Vir Sanghavi". 13 September 2013.
- ^ Sangave 2001, p. 103.