Naminatha

Naminatha
21st Tirthankara
Idol of Tirthankara Naminath (Government Museum, Mathura)
Symbol	Blue Water-Lily Or Blue Lotus
Height	15 bows (45 metres)[1]
Color	Golden
Parents	Vijaya (father) Vapra (Vipra) (mother)
Preceded by	Munisuvrata
Succeeded by	Neminatha
Born	Mithila
Moksha	Shikharji

Naminatha 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.^[2] When Naminatha was in his mother's womb, Mihila was attacked by a group of powerful kings. The aura of Naminatha forced all the kings to surrender to King Vijaya.^[3] Naminatha was born on the 8th day of Shravan Krishna of the lunisolar Jain calendar. He attained Kevala Jnana under a Bakula tree. He had 17 Ganadhara, Suprabha being the leader.^[4] According to Jain tradition, he liberated his soul by destroying all of his karma and attained Moksha from Sammed Shikhar nearly 50,000 years before Neminatha.^[5]

See also

• God in Jainism
• Arihant (Jainism)
• Jainism

Notes

1. Sarasvati 1970, p. 444.
2. Tukol 1980, p. 31.
3. Jain 2009, p. 87-88.
4. Shah 1987, p. 163.
5. Zimmer 1952, p. 226.

References

• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1987), Jaina-Rupa Mandana: Jaina Iconography, 1, India: Shakti Malik Abhinav Publications, ISBN 81-7017-208-X
• Tukol, T. K. (1980), Compendium of Jainism, Dharwad: University of Karnataka
• Sarasvati, Swami Dayananda (1970), An English translation of the Satyarth Prakash, Swami Dayananda Sarasvati
• Zimmer, Heinrich (1953) [April 1952], Joseph Campbell, ed., Philosophies Of India, London, E.C. 4: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, ISBN 978-81-208-0739-6,  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.