Rishabhadeva- Hindu GodDeity"The Bull Lord"

Birth and Kingship

The Bhagavata Purana describes Rishabhadeva as an incarnation of Vishnu, born to the pious King Nabhi and Queen Merudevi of the Ikshvaku line. Nabhi had performed a great sacrifice seeking a son equal to the Lord himself, and Vishnu, pleased by the request, consented to be born as their child. He inherited his father's kingdom and ruled as a chakravartin, a universal sovereign whose domain encompassed the entire earth. He taught humanity the arts of civilization, married Jayanti, a daughter of Indra, and fathered a hundred sons. The eldest was Bharata, the mighty king from whom the Indian subcontinent takes its ancient name Bharatavarsha.

The Great Renunciation

Having fulfilled his worldly obligations, Rishabhadeva divided his kingdom among his sons and departed for a life of extreme asceticism. He abandoned all possessions, roaming naked through forests and villages in the manner of an avadhuta, a renunciant who has transcended all social conventions. The Bhagavata Purana describes his indifference to the body in vivid terms: he ate, slept, and relieved himself without discrimination, appearing mad to ordinary observers. He endured heat, cold, rain, and the scorn of villagers without reaction. His physical appearance became matted and filthy, yet his inner state was one of perfect equanimity.

Death

Rishabhadeva wandered through the forests of the Konkan and Karnataka regions in this state of total detachment. While passing through a forest in the Kutaka mountains, a wildfire engulfed the area and consumed his body. In Jain tradition, Rishabhadeva holds the position of the first Tirthankara in the current cosmic cycle.