In Jainism, Balabhadra or Baladeva are among the sixty-three illustrious beings called śalākāpuruṣas that are said to grace every half cycle of time. According to Jain cosmology, śalākāpuruṣa are born on this earth in every Dukhama-sukhamā ara. They comprise twenty-four tīrthaṅkaras, twelve chakravartins, nine balabhadra, nine narayana, and nine pratinarayana.[1] Their life stories are said to be most inspiring.[2] According to the Jain puranas, the Balabhadras lead an ideal Jain life.[3]

Rama and Lakshmana are the eighth set of Baladeva and Vasudeva according to the Jain universal history

Nine Balabhadras

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According to the Digambaras nine Balabhadras of the present half cycle of time (avasarpini) are:[4]

Acala Bhadra Balarama
Nandimitra Nandisena Rāma
Sudarśana Suprabha Vijaya

References

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  1. ^ Joseph 1997, p. 178.
  2. ^ Jain, Vijay K. (2015), Acarya Samantabhadra's Svayambhustotra: Adoration of The Twenty-four Tirthankara, Vikalp Printers, p. 199, ISBN 9788190363976, Non-Copyright
  3. ^ Jain, Jagdish Chandra; Bhattacharyya, Narendra Nath (1 January 1994). Jainism and Prakrit in Ancient and Medieval India. Manohar. p. 146. ISBN 9788173040511.
  4. ^ Doniger 1999, p. 550.

General references

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