Aadishwar Bhagvan
first Jain Tirthankara

Query 1: If Aadishwar Bhagvan was the first Jain Tirthankar, then Jain Religion must be there or may be established by "First Tirthankara: Aadishwar Bhagvan", but it is said that Lord Mahavir established Jain Religion. Please explain the chronology.

Query 2: If Jain Dharma is before Hinduism, why all the Jain Tirthankaras were born in Kshatriya families?

Query 3: When did actually Jain Religion was established and what was the main reason for deviation?

Query 4: From the absolute reality stand point, there is no begining or no end, then how was the Universe created and how did the humans were born and how did they accumulate Karmas and desires?

Vijay Kumar:
Bhagwan Aadinath, the first Tirthankar of the Jain's did not start Jainism as such because Jainism is not a Religion but a way of life. The first Tirthankar set the initial standards as to how Human Beings were to conduct themselves in day to day life. He was the first to preach the relationship between a human being and atman the soul within.

He emphasized the fact that it was atman the soul within which was the true essence of every being and the body of every being was only a garb for atman the soul within. He was the first to Realize God in his age and hence was known as the first Tirthankar. He was not to have another body as his Atman within was going to be liberated forever.

During the period of Bhagwan Aadinath, Humanity was not developed nor was science. It was difficult to preach to a group of people leave apart a whole community or a town. There were no followers and hence no Religion.

In the intervening period from first to the 23rd Tirthankar, the same pattern of preaching followed. The Guru had Realized God but to make the common masses understand the absolute Truth was a difficult task as even written form of communication had not yet evolved. It was only after Bhagwan Mahavira had come and had established his religious supremacy ... he found the time conducive for mass preaching.

He propagated the concept of oneness with God, the Creator. According to him there was no separate God, the Creator and every individual being had the potential to become a Bhagwan, a realized soul. He advocated the Cosmos to be without a beginning and end.

His preachings were followed by the masses and his followers came to be known as Jain's. The word Jain is derived from the word Jina, one who had won the self. All followers of Bhagwan Mahavira are expected to Realize God at the earliest, only then shall they be a true Jain.

From the first to the 23rd Tirthankar, the masses were more busy in earning their livelihood and they had no time for any Religion whatsoever. Only when there basic necessities were fulfilled, they developed an inclination towards Dharma and Religion. The Religion which was in its infancy up to the 23rd Tirthankar had now taken its roots and fully blossomed during the time of Bhagwan Mahavira.

Tirthankars and all God Realized souls are normally born in a Kshatriya family for the only reason that Kshatriyas are fearless people and they can face the truth in its entirety. The other classes of Brahmins, Vaishya and Shudra are dependent on the community for their survival and can also involve themselves in untruthful means for the sake of maintaining their livelihood and which is a great bar in achieving Self Realization for those who are not absolutely truthfully can never gain God Realization. Having led a contended life, they could afford venturing into the inner domains of their real Self, the I within.

Vijay Kumar:
Jainism as a way of life took a foothold during the period of Bhagwan Mahavira sometimes above 2550 years ago. Bhagavad Gita as narrated by Lord Krishna is the complete essence of life in its entirety. It believes in the Doctrine of a Karta, an Omnipotent Creator of the Universe.

The whole Doctrine is so complex in nature that taking even few clues one could develop a separate chain of thought. Bhagwan Mahavira did not believe in the Doctrine of one Creator having created the entire cosmos and hence a separate chain of thought was developed which evolved around the basic theme of Ahimsa. This does not mean that Lord Krishna was against Ahimsa but it is possible that during his time the topic of Ahimsa was not the dominating theme.

It is more likely that due to non availability of greener pastures, practice of non vegetarion diet was a common practice and with passage of thousand years inclination towards vegetarionism increased. Further, Human Beings realized that animals also had an atman the soul within and one would incur papa Karma in killing them.

Vijay Kumar:
True, Cosmos is without a beginning or end. Everything in the Cosmos acts in the cycle manner. At one stage of time the whole Cosmos destructs itself and again is reborn with a Big Bang. This process goes on and on and the time period between the beginning and the end may range between billions of years.

In the initial stages the Cosmos is not conducive to growth of any Jiva (a living being) but slowly signs of first life starts to occur in form of an amoebae (single cell formation). This ultimately leads to development of plant life, then animal life and subsequently the form of a human being takes shape ... the ultimate in the theory of Evolution. This human being paves the way for atman the soul within to get liberated and retain its original form as was at the time of the occurrence of Big Bang.

atman the soul within is hundred percent pure at the time of Big Bang. As the big Bang occurs all atmans souls get scattered all over the Cosmos and in this process they accumulate impurities. atman the soul within cannot purify itself on its own but has to manifest a body and it takes as per Bhagavad Gita a total of 8.4 million manifestations before it gets liberated to its original form.

This Cosmic journey by atman the soul within takes approximately 96.4 million years. The impurities described above when related to a human being are termed as Karmas and desires. Unless a Jiva performs due Karmas there is no reprieve.

One is always bound by the Cosmic laws but the biggest reprieve for mankind is the journey can be cut short in any life depending upon the will power of a human being and his capacity to sustain the hardships one has to past through as has been the case with the undersigned.

May God bless us all

Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),

Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 on First Jain Tirthankara. For more on first jain tirthankara aadishwar bhagvan visit - first jain tirthankara