Parshvanath or Parshvanatha or Parswanatha was the twenty-third Tirthankara in Jainism. He was the earliest Jain leader generally accepted as a historical figure.
According to Jainism, Parshvanath died two hundred and fifty years ago, before the death of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankar. Parshvanath was the son of king Ashvasena and queen Vama of Varanasi. He discarded the world and the worldly desires and became an ascetic when he was 30 years old. Parshvanath attained Nirvana atop Sammet Sikhar. He was called purisadaniya that means beloved of men. This title signifies that Parshvanath must have been an amiable individuality and most popular among the Jains.
It is stated that there was four prominent leaders of the order of Lord Parshvanath and they are Gandhara Shubhdatta (Shumbh), Arya Haridatta, Acharya Samudra Suri and Arya Keshi Shraman. Additionally, Parshvanath had ten Ganadhars, or disciples or followers. There are one hundred and eight names of Parshvanath.
Arya Keshi Shraman is believed to have been born about 250 years after the death of Parshvanath. He met Ganadhara Gautam Swami, the main disciple of Lord Mahavira. Their conversation about the evident differences between the teachings of the two Tirthankaras is documented in Jain manuscripts.
Lord Parshvanath is always symbolized with the hood of a snake shading his head. The Yaksha Dharanendra and the Yakshi Padmavati are often shown adjoining him. There was a popular story representing this.
According to the story, one day Parshvanath was walking when he saw an old man next to a fire. With a special type of knowledge called Avdhignan he could tell that a pair of snakes was in one of the logs in the fire. Parshvanath speedily warned the man that he was burning the snakes, but instead of acting rapidly to save them, the man became angry at Parshvanath and denied the presence of the snakes. Parshavanath pulled out the right log and put it out, then gently split it, revealing two badly burned snakes. He enchanted the Navkar Mantra, a prayer, for them before they died. It was said that the snakes were reincarnated into the two previously mentioned Yakshas, Dharanendra and Padmavati.
Parshvanatha is symbolized in `padmasana` (lotus) posture in Jain canonical literature. He is represented in `padmasana` posture with both palms and feet, with auspicious lotus marks on them, placed upward. He is portrayed as having blue-black complexion, which is the color of the cosmos. The seven-hooded serpent Shesha with an umbrella-like unfurling its hoods over the deity, represented elements of the earth and the ocean and has hence a similar body colour. Parshvanatha is depicted as wearing a gem studded crown and other ornaments. He has a golden throne as a seat and a rich covering above.
