Supārśvanātha

Supārśvanātha

Ancientwell-documentedJainismVaranasiShikharjiIndian subcontinent
Origin

According to traditional Jain accounts summarized in the provided sources, Supārśvanātha was born in Varanasi to King Pratistha and Queen Prithvi on 12 Jestha Shukla into the Ikshvaku clan. He is consistently placed in the canonical sequence as the seventh of the twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras of the present aeon (avasarpini). The sources record that he attained moksha at Shikharji on the sixth day of the dark half of Phālguna. Biographical motifs such as royal parentage, clan affiliation, and attaining liberation at a sacred site follow the standard narrative pattern for Tīrthaṅkaras in Jain tradition.

Appearance

In Jain iconography and museum cataloguing Supārśvanātha is represented as a Jina/Tīrthaṅkara figure within the conventional sculptural typology: often shown in kayotsarga (the standing meditative posture) or as a seated Jina in stone sculpture. Museum entries identify works as 'Digambara Jina Supārśvanātha' (for example a schist figure from Karnataka, c. 900), and he appears among chaturvimsati (twenty-four) Tīrthaṅkara reliefs following established conventions for depicting Tīrthaṅkaras. The provided sources do not supply a specific textual physical description (height, color, unique bodily attributes) or a distinct personal emblem in these excerpts, so descriptions rely on general Jina/Tīrthaṅkara visual conventions recorded in the museum and art-historical material.

Abilities

The sources describe Supārśvanātha principally as a Tīrthaṅkara and siddha—an enlightened being who 'destructed all of his karma' and attained moksha. His defining role is soteriological: as an exemplar and spiritual ford (tīrtha) across saṃsāra for others to follow. The provided materials do not attribute specific miraculous powers, interventions, hostile behaviours, or particular supernatural abilities beyond this canonical role as an enlightened liberate.

Weaknesses & Wards

Weaknesses

  • other
    No weaknesses documented in provided sources

Wards

  • other
    No wards or protective measures against Supārśvanātha are applicable or documented in the provided sources
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Sources
  1. [1]
    Supārśvanātha - Wikipedia. Wikipedia: Supārśvanātha (summary of birth, parents, clan, moksha, position as seventh Tīrthaṅkara).wiki
  2. [2]
    Lord Śrī Supārśvanātha (Jain Legend). HereNow4U: 'Jain Legend : Lord Śrī Supārśvanātha' (context on placement among Tīrthaṅkaras and devotional significance).folk
  3. [3]
    Suparshavnatha (Indianetzone). Indianetzone summary: describes Supārśvanātha as the seventh Tīrthaṅkara who became a siddha and destroyed all karma.other
  4. [4]
    Jain sculptures and museum entries (Government Museum Chennai; Rietberg Museum references). Government Museum Chennai catalogue entries identifying works as 'Digambara Jina Supārśvanātha' and related chaturvimsati relief conventions; Rietberg Museum referenced in art-historical discussion of Jain visual culture.other
  5. [5]
    Pratapaditya Pal: Engaging with Jain Visual Culture. Art-historical commentary situating Tīrthaṅkara imagery and the role of the twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras in visual culture.academic
well-documented