The Identity of Rsabha and Siva

Summary

This comparative study argues that the figure of Rsabha (Adinatha), revered as the first Tirthankara, is identified in Vedic and Puranic materials with Rudra–Siva under various epithets and mythic motifs. Drawing on hymns, puranic episodes, and iconographic notes (the bull, matted hair, ascetic powers), the author suggests historical layers of cross‑identification within a shared Indic symbolic field. Citations show how Rsabha appears as a yogin‑originator, culture‑bearer and teacher of restraint, and how Siva in certain texts is praised in terms overlapping with Jain ideals of austerity and knowledge. Without collapsing distinctions, the paper proposes that different communities sometimes preserved memories of a primordial sage in diverse idioms. The argument has two effects: it highlights dialogue rather than rivalry among traditions, and it invites a re‑reading of medieval sectarian polemics in light of older convergences. For students of religion, the essay models a philological approach that is sympathetic yet critical, triangulating between scripture, ritual practice and art‑history to test claims of identity and difference.