महाजनो येन गतः स पंथा

Summary

The text describes the life and contributions of Rishabh, the first Tirthankara of the current era. He was the son of the last Kulkar, Nabhiraja, and took over societal administration when the Kulkar system weakened. Rishabh possessed extraordinary knowledge and understood the people's problems. He recognized the end of the Yaugalik era, where wish-fulfilling trees no longer met needs, and rising aspirations required systemic changes. The primary issue was food, leading to the development of agriculture. To process grain, he taught techniques like rubbing it by hand, soaking it in water, and eventually cooking it with fire after people observed a forest fire. He also taught pottery for cooking. For grain processing, he instructed using oxen to tread on grain piles, but when the hungry oxen ate the grain, he advised muzzling them. The muzzles were left on for twelve hours, which legend says caused a karmic bond resulting in Rishabh later going without food for twelve years. After establishing agriculture, animal husbandry, and social institutions like marriage, Rishabh renounced his family and kingdom for spiritual pursuits. He became silent and wandered, demonstrating that one can live without food. He undertook a long fast, believed to be one year, to establish the importance of penance in spiritual practice. After completing his resolve, he began begging for alms, but people were unfamiliar with giving to ascetics. He wandered without accepting anything until he reached Hastinapur, where his great-grandson Shreyans recognized him. Shreyans offered him sugarcane juice, which Rishabh accepted, breaking his year-long fast on the day of Vaishakh Shukla Tritiya. This day became known as Akshaya Tritiya, a festival symbolizing the path shown by great souls. The text concludes by noting that thousands of ascetics continue this tradition of penance, particularly the Varshitap (alternate-day fasting), on Akshaya Tritiya.