Article: Ajita
Contributed by Jasmine Kelly
Ajitanātha or Lord Ajita is the second of the 24 Jinas of the present cycle of time.
The word Jina means 'victor' in Sanskrit. A Jina is an enlightened human being who has triumphed over karma through practising extreme asceticism and teaches the way to achieve liberation. A Jina is also called a Tīrthaṃkara or 'ford-maker' in Sanskrit – that is, one who has founded a community after reaching omniscience.
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Story and images
Elephant
Image by British Library © CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)
There is no historical evidence of Ajita's existence but traditional writings recount his life as following the usual career of a Jina. Tradition holds that he was born in Ayodhyā and achieved liberation on Mount Sammeta, also known as Pārasnātha Hill.
Ajita’s symbolic colour is gold and his emblem the elephant.
Like all Jinas, Ajita has a pair of spiritual attendants, often shown in art. His yakṣa is Mahāyakṣa. Digambaras call his yakṣī Rohinī while Śvetāmbaras call her Ajitā.
Related Manuscripts
Worship of R̥ṣabha
British Library. Add. 26519. Unknown authors. Possibly 18th century
Mahāvīra and 23 Jinas
British Library. Or. 13472. Unknown author. Perhaps 19th century
Related Manuscript Images
Jinas at the top of the universe
British Library. Or. 2116 ms. C. Śrīcandra. Perhaps 16th century
Back cover - omniscience of a Jina
Wellcome Trust Library. Gamma 3. Unknown author. 1503
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