Mallinatha (
Prakrit
The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...
''Mallinātha'', "Lord of jasmine or seat") was the 19th
tīrthaṅkara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...
"ford-maker" of the
present ''avasarpiṇī'' age in
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...
. Jain texts indicate Mālliṇātha was born at
Mithila Mithila may refer to:
Places
* Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state
** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha
* Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepal
...
into the
Ikshvaku dynasty to King Kumbha and Queen Prajnavati. ''Tīrthaṅkara Māllīnātha'' lived for over 56,000 years, out of which 54,800 years less six days, was with
omniscience
Omniscience () is the capacity to know everything. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, this is an attribute of God. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any individual can eventually attain. In Buddhism, there are diffe ...
(
Kevala Jnana).
Mallinatha is believed to be a woman named Malli Devi by
Shvetambara Jains while the
Digambara
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being '' Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing ...
sect believes all 24 tirthankara to be men including Māllīnātha. Digambara tradition believes a woman can reach to the 16th heaven and can attain liberation only being reborn as a man. Digambara tradition says Mallinatha was a son born in a royal family, and worships Mallinatha as a male. However, the Shvetambara tradition of Jainism states that Māllīnātha was female with a name Malli bai.
According to Jain beliefs, Mālliṇātha became a
siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...
, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
.
Literature
#
Jnatrdharmakathah
''Jnātrdhārmakathāh'' is the sixth of the 12 Jain āgamas said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself. Jnātrdhārmakathāh translated as "Stories of Knowledge and Righteousness" is said to have been composed by Ganadhara Sudharmaswami ...
gives the story of Lord Mallinath, which is said to be composed by Ganadhara
Sudharmaswami.
#''Mallinathapurana'' was written by
Nagachandra
Nagachandra or Abhinava Pampa was a 12th-century poet in the Kannada language.
Biography
Nagachandra, a scholar and the builder of the Mallinatha Jinalaya (a Jain temple in honor of the 19th Jain tirthankar, Māllīnātha, in Bijapur, ...
in 1105 CE.
Main temples
*
is a Jain temple in
Mannargudi
Mannargudi () is a town in Thiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Mannargudi taluk. The town is located at a distance of from the district headquarters Thiruvarur, 36 km from Kumbakonam, 40 km fro ...
, an ancient town in the erstwhile
Chola Empire
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BC ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
.
*
Chaturmukha Basadi is a famous
Jain temple
A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...
located at
Karkala
''Karkala'' also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state,it lies near the foothill ...
in the Indian state of
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. The temple is dedicated to ''Tirthankar
Aranatha
Aranath was the eighteenth Jain Tirthankar of the present half cycle of time ( Avasarpini). He was also the eighth Chakravartin and thirteenth Kamadeva. According to Jain beliefs, he was born around 16,585,000 BCE. He became a siddha i.e. a l ...
'', ''Mallinath'' and ''
Munisuvratnathswami''.
*Sri Mallinath Jain Derasar, near Bhoyani,Viramgam Taluk,Gujarat.
Kosbad
Kosbad is a village in the Palghar district of Maharashtra, India. It is located in the Dahanu taluka.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, Kosbad has 835 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of popu ...
See also
*
God in Jainism
In Jainism, godliness is said to be the inherent quality of every soul. This quality, however, is subdued by the soul's association with karmic matter. All souls who have achieved the natural state of infinite bliss, infinite knowledge ('' keva ...
*
Jainism and non-creationism
According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents—soul, matter, space, time, and principles of motion—have always existed. Jainism does not support belief in a creator deity. All the constituents and actions are governed by univ ...
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallinatha
Tirthankaras
Jainism in Mithila