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Arihant (Template:Lang-pka arihant, Template:Lang-sa árhat "conqueror") also called Jina is a human being who has conquered inner passions like attachment, anger, pride, greed, etc. Arihants destroy all four gathi karmas and live on until they attain moksha and achieve the siddha status. Arihant are also called kevalins (omniscient beings) as they possess Kevala Jnana (pure infinite knowledge).

The Ṇnamōkāra mantra, fundamental prayer of the Jains begin with, Ṇnamō arihantāṇnamṁ--"Obeisance to the Arihantās."

Arihants are said to be of two kinds-

1. Sāmānya kevali- Arihantas who are concerned with their own liberation.
2. Tirthankara kevali- 24 human spiritual guides who after becoming arihant show other humans the true path to salvation.

Tirthankaras

Those Arihants who re-establish Jain faith are called Tirthankaras. Tirthankaras are pre-defined who will be reach their place as arihants because they are spiritual leaders who revitalize the sangha, the four-fold order consisting of male saints (sādhus), female saints (sādhvis), male householders (Śrāvakas) and female householders (Śrāvikas).

According to Jain cosmology, during every half-cycle of time, twenty-four humans rise to the level of Tirthankara. The first Tirthankara of the current time cycle was R̥ṣabhadēva, and the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara was Mahavira, who lived from 599 BCE to 527 BCE.

Beliefs

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According to Jains, every human being have the potential to become Arihanta. A human being who destroys all kashayas or inner enemies like anger, ego, deception, and greed - responsible for the perpetuation of ignorance becomes an Arihant. When that happens, the person has destroyed the four ghati karmas, namely Gyanavarniya (knowledge blocking) Karma, Darshanavarniya (perception blocking) Karma, Mohniya (passion causing) Karma and Antaraya "obstacle-causing" karma. Thus the arihant obtains:

1. Kevala Jnana, perfect knowledge due to the destruction of all jnanavarniya karmas.
2. Kevala darshan, perfect perception due to the destruction of all darshanavarniya karmas.
3. Becomes passionless due to the destruction of all mohniya karmas.
4. Gains infinite power due to the destruction of all antaraya karmas.

Complete knowledge and perception means they know and see everything everywhere that is happening now, that has happened in the past, and that will happen in the future.

An arihant is also called a jina "conqueror". At the time of nirvana, the arihant sheds off the remaining four aghati karmas:

1. Nam (physical structure forming) Karma
2. Gotra (status forming) Karma,
3. Vedniya (pain and pleasure causing) Karma,
4. Ayushya (life span determining) Karma.

These four karmas do not affect the true nature of the soul and are therefore called aghati karmas. After attaining salvation from these arihants become siddhas.

In the Ṇamōkāra Mantra, Namo Arihantanam, Namo Siddhanam, Jains pray to the arihants first and then to the siddhas even though the latter are perfected souls who have destroyed all karmas and are considered to be at a higher spiritual stage than arihants. Since siddhas have attained ultimate liberation, they are inaccessible. However arihants are accessible for spiritual guidance to human society until their nirvana.

See also

• Arahant
• God in Jainism
• Sramana
• Simandhar Swami
• Jainism and non-creationism
• Jain philosophy

Notes

1. ^ Sangave 2001, p. 15.
2. ^ Sangave 2001, p. 16.
3. Sangave 2001, p. 164.
4. Rankin 2013, p. 40.

References

• Sangave, Vilas Adinath (2001), Aspects of Jaina religion (3 ed.), Bharatiya Jnanpith, ISBN 81-263-0626-2
• Rankin, Aidan (2013), "Chapter 1. Jains Jainism and Jainness", Living Jainism: An Ethical Science, John Hunt Publishing, ISBN 978-1780999111

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