While many historians view Jainism and other ascetic traditions as responses to the ritualistic practices of Vedic culture, most Jains believe their faith has no true beginning — it is eternal.
- Jain tradition holds that the religion was reawakened by Rishabhdev, the first Tirthankar of the current time cycle.
- His eldest son, Bharat, became a Chakravarti — a universal monarch — and is said to have given India its name.
- Bahubali, Bharat’s younger brother, chose a different path: he renounced worldly power, embraced non-violence, and walked the Jain path to liberation.
- Rishabhdev was followed by twenty-three more Tirthankars, the last being Mahavir, who lived around 2,500 years ago.
In Bahubali, Devdutt Pattanaik delves into the myths, metaphors, rituals, and philosophies of one of India’s oldest yet lesser-known faiths, revealing how the core principles of Jainism remain deeply relevant even in today’s world.
