RELIGIOUS SECTS OF THE HINDUS. 249 



twenty-fourth Jinas of the present era, who seem to have superseded all 

 their predecessors. 



The generic names of a Jaina saint express the ideas entertained of 

 his character by his votaries. He is Jagatprabhu, lord of the world ; 

 Kshinakermmd, free from bodily or ceremonial acts ; Sarvajna, omniscient ; 

 Adhiswara, supreme lord ; Devddideva, god of gods ; and similar epithets 

 of obvious purport ; whilst others are of a more specific character, as 

 Tirthakara, or Tlrthankara, Kevali, Arhat, and Jina. The first implies 

 one who has crossed over, (Tiryale anena,) that is, the world, compared to 

 the ocean : Kevali, is the possessor of Kevala, or spiritual nature, free from 

 its investing sources of error : Arhat is one entitled to the homage of gods 

 and men, and Jina is the victor over all human passions and infirmities.* 



Besides these epithets, founded on attributes of a generic character, 

 there are other characteristics common to all the Jinas of a more specific 

 nature. These are termed Atisayas, or super-human attributes, and are 

 altogether thirty-six ; four of them, or rather four classes, regard the per- 

 son of a Jina, such as the beauty of his form, the fragrance of his body, 

 the white colour of his blood, the curling of his hair, its non-increase, 

 and that of the beard and nails, his exemption from all natural impuri- 

 ties, from hunger and thirst, from infirmity and decay : these proper- 

 ties are considered to be born with him. He can collect around him 

 millions of beings, gods, men, and animals, in a comparatively small 

 space, his voice is audible to a great distance, and his language, 

 which is Arddha Magadhi, is intelligible to animals, men and gods, the 

 back of his head is surrounded with a halo of light, brighter than the 



# 



These Etymologies are from Hcmachandra s Commentary. 



R 1 



