Match list-I with list-II and choose the correct answer from the code given below- List–I (Tirthankara) (A) Parshvanath (B) Adinath (C) Mahaveer (D) Shantinath List–II (Their cognition) (i) Bull (ii) Lion (iii) Snake (iv) Deer Code -

Correct — option (4), A-(iii), B-(i), C-(ii), D-(iv).

Each Tirthankara has an emblem (lanchhana), the mark the stem calls "cognition". The right code is A-(iii), B-(i), C-(ii), D-(iv).

(A) Parshvanath → (iii) Snake. Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, has the snake as his emblem, and his statues carry a snake crown.

(B) Adinath → (i) Bull. Adinatha, also called Rishabhanatha, is the first Tirthankara, and his emblem is the bull.

(C) Mahaveer → (ii) Lion. Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara of this age, has the lion.

(D) Shantinath → (iv) Deer. Shantinatha, the 16th Tirthankara, has the antelope or deer.

Parshvanath – snake; Adinath – bull; Mahavira – lion; Shantinath – deer.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  A-(ii), B-(iii), C-(iv), D-(i) — No pair in this code is correct. It gives Parshvanath the lion, Adinath the snake, Mahaveer the deer and Shantinath the bull.

  The lion belongs to Mahavira and the bull to Adinatha (Rishabhanatha); the snake is Parshvanatha's emblem.

• (2)
  A-(iv), B-(iii), C-(ii), D-(i) — Only C-(ii), Mahaveer – Lion, is right in this code. It gives Parshvanath the deer, Adinath the snake and Shantinath the bull.

  The deer is Shantinatha's emblem, the snake Parshvanatha's and the bull Adinatha's, so three of the four pairs are wrong.

• (3)
  A-(i), B-(ii), C-(iii), D-(iv) — Only D-(iv), Shantinath – Deer, is right in this code. It gives Parshvanath the bull, Adinath the lion and Mahaveer the snake.

  The bull belongs to Adinatha, the first Tirthankara, and the snake to Parshvanatha, the 23rd, so the first three pairs are wrong.

Jainism counts 24 Tirthankaras in the present age, from Rishabhanatha (Adinatha) to Mahavira. Their images look alike: seated in the lotus posture or standing in kayotsarga, with no distinctive faces or dress.

What tells most images apart is each Tirthankara's emblem (lanchhana), marked in the centre or a corner of the pedestal. Parshvanatha's statues are known by their snake crown, and Rishabhanatha can be identified by locks of hair falling on his shoulders.

Some emblems in the list: bull for Rishabhanatha, elephant for Ajitanatha, horse for Sambhavanatha, deer for Shantinatha, conch (shankha) for Neminatha, snake for Parshvanatha and lion for Mahavira.

Key facts

• Rishabhanatha (Adinatha), the first Tirthankara, has the bull as his emblem.
• Shantinatha, the 16th Tirthankara, has the antelope or deer.
• Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, has the snake; his statues have a snake crown.
• Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, has the lion.
• Most Tirthankara images are told apart by the emblem, marked in the centre or corner of the pedestal; Parshvanatha's statues have a snake crown.

Common traps

• A snake hood is not only Parshvanatha's: Suparshvanatha, whose emblem is the swastika, is sometimes shown with a small snake hood.
• Adinatha and Rishabhanatha are two names for the same first Tirthankara.
• Shantinatha's emblem is given as antelope or deer; both names describe the same mark.

UnlockIAS compared this question with questions from other RAS Prelims papers and found none similar enough to link.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The emblem (lanchhana) of Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara, is

  • (a)Conch (Shankha)
  • (b)Elephant
  • (c)Snake
  • (d)Lion
  Answer(1) — Neminatha's emblem is the conch (shankha). Option (2), the elephant, is Ajitanatha's emblem; option (3), the snake, is Parshvanatha's; option (4), the lion, is Mahavira's.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  The elephant is the emblem of which Tirthankara ?

  • (a)Ajitanatha
  • (b)Sambhavanatha
  • (c)Kunthunatha
  • (d)Rishabhanatha
  Answer(1) — Ajitanatha, the second Tirthankara, has the elephant. Option (2), Sambhavanatha, has the horse; option (3), Kunthunatha, has the goat; option (4), Rishabhanatha, has the bull.