The () in
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
is a fivefold hierarchy of religious authorities worthy of veneration.
Overview
The five supreme beings are:
#''
Arihant'': The awakened souls who have attained
kevala jnana are considered as Arihants. The 24
tirthankaras or Jinas, the legendary founding figures of Jainism in the present time cycle, are Arihants. All tirthankaras are Arihants, but not all Arihants are tirthankaras.
[
#'']Siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of perfection of the intellect as we ...
'' (Ashiri): The souls which have been liberated from the birth and death cycle.
#'' Acarya''
#''Upadhyaya'' ("Preceptors")
#''Muni'' or '' Jain monks''
The five initials, viz. ''A+A+A+U+M'' are taken as forming the Aum
''Om'' (or ''Aum''; ; , ISO 15919: ''Ōṁ'') is a polysemous symbol representing a sacred sound, seed syllable, mantra, and invocation in Hinduism. Its written form is the most important symbol in the Hindu religion. It is the ess ...
syllable.[
]
Five supreme beings
The more ancient canonical texts of the Śvetāmbara
The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...
sect mention ''Pañca-Parameṣṭhi'' (five supreme beings) to be the venerable beings in the universe.text
Text may refer to:
Written word
* Text (literary theory)
In literary theory, a text is any object that can be "read", whether this object is a work of literature, a street sign, an arrangement of buildings on a city block, or styles of clothi ...
, succinctly characterizes the five Supreme Beings (''Pañca-Parameṣṭhi'').
#Definition of the World Teacher (Arhat) - verse 50.
#Definition of the liberated souls (Siddha) - verses 51.
#Definition of the Chief Preceptor (Acarya) - verse 52.
#Definition of the Preceptor (Upadhyaya) - verse 53.
#Definition of the Ascetic (Sadhu) - verse 54.
Arihant
See also
*Namokar Mantra
The Ṇamōkāra mantra is the most significant mantra in Jainism, and one of the oldest mantras in continuous practice. This is the first prayer recited by the Jains while meditating. The mantra is also variously referred to as the ''Pancha ...
* Paramita
*Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Panca-Paramesthi
Jain philosophy
God in Jainism