Rishabhanatha



Rishabhanatha (Sanskrit, lit. "bull lord") (also Ṛṣabhadeva) is said to be the first Tirthankara (Teaching God) of the present half cycle of time. The word Tīrthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha which means a fordable passage across a sea. The Tirthankara show the 'fordable path' across the sea of interminable births and deaths (saṃsāra). Rishabhanatha is also known as Ādinātha which translates into "First (Adi) Lord (nātha)".