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founder of Jain religion, but the 24th and the last Tirthankara. We quote below from the foreign writers:
a. Mrs. Sinclair Stevenson, M. A., Sc. D. Dublin says in her book-The Heart of Jainism:
"Parsvanath, the Tirthankar, who immediately preceeded Mahavira, may also have been a historical person. Very probably he did something to draw together and improve the discipline of the homeless monks, who were outside the pale of Brahmanism much as St. Benedict did in Europe. If so, he was the real founder of Jainism, Mahavira being only a reformer who carried still further the work that Parswanath had begun.” ( page 48, para 1 ).
b. "Mahavira was not an originator, he merely carried on, with but slight changes, a system which existed before his time, and which probably owes its most distinguishing features to a teacher named Parsva, who ranks in the succession of Jinas as the predecessor of Mahavira."--Encyclopaedia Britannica, XI edition, Vol. XV. page 127, first column.
But according to the Jainas the founder of their religion, in this half cycle of time. (see foot note) was Rishabhdeva, the first of their 24 lords
[Note] The Jaina belief is that the world is eternal. They have divided the time into two parts Utsarpini kal ( time of progress) and avsarpini kal
