Pañca-Parameṣṭhi

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 (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 syllable. == Five supreme beings ==

The more ancient canonical texts of the Śvetāmbara sect mention Pañca-Parameṣṭhi (five supreme beings) to be the venerable beings in the universe. The Dravyasaṃgraha, a Digambara text, 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==