जै · The Jain Encyclopedia
Concept · the emblem

Lāñchana

लांछन

The mark that tells one Tīrthaṅkara from another — carried on the pedestal, because the figures themselves are deliberately identical.

A Jina image shows a being who has left every particular behind, so the images are all alike by design. Identity moves to the pedestal: Ṛṣabha's bull, Candraprabha's crescent, Mahāvīra's lion. Twenty-four marks for twenty-four otherwise indistinguishable figures.

The Descent draws them the same way — the mark on the pedestal, never on the person. Where the Digambara list differs (the falcon of Ananta is a bear there), the difference is recorded.

the third ara, endingthe fifth ara begins 3 years 8½ months after him1 · Ṛṣabhanātha500 dhanuṣ · 84 lakh pūrvaafter 50 lakh koṭi sāgaropama2 · Ajitanātha450 dhanuṣ · 72 lakh pūrvaafter 30 lakh koṭi sāgaropama3 · Sambhavanātha400 dhanuṣ · 60 lakh pūrvaafter 10 lakh koṭi sāgaropama4 · Abhinandananātha350 dhanuṣ · 50 lakh pūrvaafter 9 lakh koṭi sāgaropama5 · Sumatinātha300 dhanuṣ · 40 lakh pūrvaafter 90,000 koṭi sāgaropama6 · Padmaprabha250 dhanuṣ · 30 lakh pūrvaafter 9,000 koṭi sāgaropama7 · Supārśvanātha200 dhanuṣ · 20 lakh pūrvaafter 900 koṭi sāgaropama8 · Candraprabha150 dhanuṣ · 10 lakh pūrvaafter 90 koṭi sāgaropama9 · Suvidhinātha100 dhanuṣ · 2 lakh pūrvaafter 9 koṭi sāgaropama10 · Śītalanātha90 dhanuṣ · 1 lakh pūrvaafter 1 koṭi sāgaropamaless 100 sāgaropama and 66,26,000 years11 · Śreyāṃsanātha80 dhanuṣ · 84 lakh yearsafter 54 sāgaropama12 · Vāsupūjya70 dhanuṣ · 72 lakh yearsafter 30 sāgaropama13 · Vimalanātha60 dhanuṣ · 60 lakh yearsafter 9 sāgaropama14 · Anantanātha50 dhanuṣ · 30 lakh yearsafter 4 sāgaropama15 · Dharmanātha45 dhanuṣ · 10 lakh yearsafter 3 sāgaropamaless ¾ palyopama16 · Śāntinātha40 dhanuṣ · 1 lakh yearsafter ½ palyopama17 · Kunthunātha35 dhanuṣ · 95,000 yearsafter ¼ palyopamaless 1,000 koṭi years18 · Aranātha30 dhanuṣ · 84,000 yearsafter 1,000 koṭi yearshere the texts stop counting in sāgaropamasand begin counting in years19 · Mallinātha25 dhanuṣ · 55,000 yearsafter 54 lakh years20 · Munisuvrata20 dhanuṣ · 30,000 yearsafter 6 lakh years21 · Naminātha15 dhanuṣ · 10,000 yearsafter 5 lakh years22 · Neminātha10 dhanuṣ · 1,000 yearsafter 83,750 years23 · Pārśvanātha9 hāth · 100 yearsafter 250 years24 · Mahāvīra7 hāth · 72 yearspast caubīsīours · the presentfuture caubīsī– of 24
The twenty-four, in descent — Lāñchana highlighted

Measurements and counts

Wherethe pedestal
Whythe figures are alike by design
Count24 distinct

Connected

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समयं गोयम! मा पमायए

Do not be heedless, Gautama, for even a single samaya.

Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 10