Tirthankara
/teerth-UN-kuh-ruh/
A 'ford-maker' who shows the way across rebirth.
A human who attained omniscience and taught the path. There are 24 in each half-cycle of cosmic time. The first of this age was Rishabhanatha; the 23rd, Parshvanatha, and the 24th, Mahavira, are historical figures.