Jain Tirthankara Stories

The stories of the Jain Tirthankaras — the 24 great teachers who achieved liberation and showed the path to moksha — are central to Jain tradition. Lord Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara, renounced his royal life at age 30, practiced extreme asceticism for 12 years, and attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). His life story, from the auspicious dreams at his conception to his final liberation, illustrates the Jain ideals of ahimsa (non-violence), truth, and detachment.