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Who was the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism?
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Answer: Option B — Vardhamana Mahavira
Detailed Solution
In Jainism, a Tirthankara is a spiritual teacher who has conquered all passions, attained omniscience (kevala jnana) and shows others the way to cross the ocean of rebirth. Jains believe there have been 24 Tirthankaras in the present age. Mahavira was the 24th and last of them.
Mahavira was born in about 540 BCE (599 BCE by Jain tradition) at Kundagrama, near Vaishali in present-day Bihar. His father, Siddhartha, was the chief of the Jnatrika clan, and his mother, Trishala, was a Lichchhavi princess. He was married to Yashoda and had a daughter, Anojja (Priyadarshana). At the age of 30, he left home and lived as an ascetic for 12 years. At the age of 42, he attained kevala jnana under a sal tree on the bank of the river Rijupalika, near the village of Jrimbhikagrama. He was then called "Mahavira" (the great hero) and "Jina" (the conqueror), from which the word "Jain" comes. He preached for about 30 years and attained nirvana at the age of 72 at Pawapuri, near Rajgir in Bihar, around 468 BCE (527 BCE by Jain tradition).
Mahavira added the fifth vow, brahmacharya (celibacy), to the four vows taught by Parshvanatha: ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (not stealing) and aparigraha (non-possession). The three jewels (triratna) of Jainism are right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. Mahavira preached in Ardhamagadhi, the language of the common people.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Parshvanatha was the 23rd Tirthankara, born at Varanasi.
- ✗Rishabhanatha (Adinatha) was the first Tirthankara.
- ✗Neminatha (Arishtanemi) was the 22nd Tirthankara.
Quick tip
Remember: Mahavira = 24th Tirthankara, born at Kundagrama (Vaishali), kevala jnana at 42, nirvana at Pawapuri. Parshvanatha = 23rd; Rishabhanatha = 1st.
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Buddhism & Jainism — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Buddhism & Jainism, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Buddhism and Jainism arose in the 6th century BCE as reform movements. This topic covers the lives and teachings of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira, the Jain tirthankaras, the Buddhist councils, the sects of both religions, their sacred texts and the places linked to them. Common questions cover the four great events of the Buddha's life and their places (birth at Lumbini, enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, first sermon at Sarnath, death at Kushinagar), the four Buddhist councils with their kings and venues, and the Jain sects Digambara and Shvetambara. Learning the councils as a table of place, king and president is the fastest way to revise. Practise the Buddhism and Jainism questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.