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  • Adinath Bhagwan (Rishabhanatha), the first Tirthankara, is traditionally said to have taught 72 kalās (arts/skills) to men and 64 kalās to women.give each one in detail with pictures
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    Jain Follower

    Adinath Bhagwan (Rishabhanatha), the first Tirthankara, is traditionally said to have taught 72 kalās (arts/skills) to men and 64 kalās to women.give each one in detail with pictures

    9 months ago 309

    In Jain tradition it is indeed said that Bhagwan Ādināth (Rishabhdev) taught:

    • 72 kalā (arts/skills) to men, and
    • 64 kalā (arts/skills) to women.

    However, there is an important point that honest Jain scholars always mention:

    > There is no single, fully agreed, word‑by‑word list of all 72 and 64 kalās in the Jain scriptures. > Digambar and Śvetāmbara traditions, and even individual ācāryas, give slightly different names, groupings and orders.

    Because of this, giving a “complete, fixed” list with “each one in detail” would not be fully authentic to Jain Āgams and commentaries. It would mean mixing sources or guessing, which goes against the instruction to preserve the purity of Jain dharma.

    So instead of a fake precision, I will share:

    1. What is firmly agreed in Jain tradition
    2. Main types/categories of kalās Rishabhdev Bhagwan gave
    3. Separate focus on men’s 72 and women’s 64
    4. Why you do not see one uniform, picture‑style list in Jain granths

    For deeper reading, you can see discussions on JainKnowledge here (64 kalās, Śvetāmbara focus): You can read more here (General 72 and 64 kalā tradition): You can read more here

    ---

    1. What all Jain traditions agree on

    All major Jain traditions agree that:

    • The world moved from Bhog‑bhūmi (age of natural enjoyment) to Karma‑bhūmi (age of effort and work).
    • When kalpavṛkṣa (wish‑fulfilling trees) started losing their power, people did not know how to live by effort.
    • Then Tirthankar Rishabhdev taught humans:
    - 6 main professions to men: 1. Asi – use of weapons for protection 2. Masi – writing 3. Kr̥ṣi – agriculture 4. Vidyā – education/knowledge 5. Vāṇijya – trade and commerce 6. Śilpa – crafts/technical arts - On this base, he gave 72 detailed kalās to men and 64 detailed kalās to women.

    His daughters are specially remembered as:

    • Brahmī – linked with letters/script and language
    • Sundarī – linked with numbers and mathematics

    ---

    2. 72 kalās taught to men – what kind of skills?

    Because exact names differ from text to text, it is safer to describe the main types of arts men were taught. They broadly cover:

    1. Protection and governance

    - Use of different weapons - War strategy and defence - Administration, justice, organisation of society

    1. Education and knowledge

    - Scripts and languages - Basic sciences (logic, counting, measures, time‑keeping, astronomy in a simple sense) - Teaching and learning methods

    1. Agriculture and nature‑related skills

    - Ploughing, sowing, irrigation - Animal care (cows, oxen etc., for peaceful use) - Storage and preservation of grains and food

    1. Trade and business

    - Buying and selling - Weighing, measuring - Managing goods and routes

    1. Crafts and construction

    - Building houses and halls - Wood, metal, stone work - Making tools and utensils

    1. Fine arts and cultural skills

    - Music, singing, playing instruments - Storytelling, drama, poetry - Drawing, simple painting, decoration

    So the 72 kalās for men are understood as a detailed breakdown of these areas, not just 72 random, unrelated activities.

    ---

    3. 64 kalās taught to women – what kind of skills?

    Again, texts vary on the exact list and numbering, but the overall nature of the 64 kalās for women is quite clear. They emphasise:

    1. Household management and organisation

    - Storing and protecting clothes and valuables - Preparing and serving food properly - Caring for children, elders and guests

    1. Fine arts and personal refinement

    - Singing, playing instruments, rhythmic clapping and dance - Decorative arts: rangoli, simple painting, floral designs - Composition of simple songs and verses

    1. Handicrafts and ornaments

    - Making garlands (mālya‑grathana) - Making bracelets, necklaces and other ornaments - Embroidery, stitching, designing clothes

    1. Social skills and discipline

    - Teaching children discipline (vainayikī vidyā) - Proper behaviour in परिवार (family) and समाज (society) - Welcoming and honouring guests

    1. Games and recreational skills

    - Certain board and dice games (like dyūta‑viśeṣa) - Making toys (bālaka‑krīḍanaka) - Harmless social games for joy and bonding

    1. Beauty and care (in a modest, गृहस्थ way)

    - Simple body care and cleanliness (śarīra‑madhya) - Arranging clothes attractively yet decently (vastra‑racanam)

    Some Śvetāmbara lists explicitly mention items such as (numbers here are only in one tradition’s ordering):

    • Vastra gopana – proper handling/concealment of clothing
    • Dyūta‑viśeṣa – skill in specific games of dice
    • Ākarṣa‑krīḍā – playful games (sometimes linked to dice or “drawing” games)
    • Bālaka‑krīḍanaka – making toys for children
    • Vainayikī, Vaijayikī, Vaitālikī vidyā – skills of discipline, victory/strategy, and waking someone sweetly with music
    • Kauśalata, Hasta‑laghavam – general cleverness, sleight of hand
    • Chitrayoga, Chitraśālā – decorative painting and maintaining a “picture gallery” or painted room
    • Mālya‑grathana, Maṇibandha‑vidyā, Vastra‑racanam – garlands, bracelets, designing garments

    But again, not every Jain text lists exactly these items, in exactly this order. That is why serious ācāryas always add a note that the spirit of the 64 kalās is more important than fixing one rigid “master list”.

    You can see a Śvetāmbara‑oriented discussion of these 64 kalās here

    ---

    4. About “each one in detail with pictures”

    (a) Why a single, fully detailed list is not given

    To stay true to Jain dharma, we should not invent or “merge” lists from different sources and present them as the official 72 and 64.

    • Different Digambar and Śvetāmbara works, and later kathā‑granths, have different enumerations.
    • Some give more focus to administration and war‑arts, some to music and fine arts, some to household and social skills.
    • Even JainKnowledge, when asked for a full fixed list, clearly notes that the enumeration varies and is not fully uniform.

    Because of this, I cannot honestly give you:

    > “Here are all 72 + all 64, each one with final, guaranteed traditional name + detailed explanation.”

    That would look neat, but it would not be fully faithful to the diverse Jain textual tradition.

    (b) About pictures

    I cannot create authentic historical drawings from the time of Bhagwan Rishabhdev; what I can suggest is:

    • For each category you can imagine or draw simple, respectful scenes, such as:
    - Men learning to plough a field (kr̥ṣi) - A teacher writing on a board (masi, vidyā) - A trader weighing grains (vāṇijya) - Women making garlands or rangoli (mālya‑grathana, chitra‑yoga) - A mother guiding children with love and discipline (vainayikī vidyā)

    If you are preparing a project or booklet, you can:

    1. Make 6–8 main headings (Weapons, Writing, Farming, Trade, Crafts, Education, Music, Household Arts, Decoration, etc.).
    2. Under each heading, list the specific kalās that some Śvetāmbara or Digambar sources mention.
    3. For each, draw your own simple illustration that shows the skill in use, keeping dress and environment modest and respectful.

    ---

    5. Essence from the Jain spiritual view

    From the angle of Jain dharma, the spiritual essence is:

    • Humans in bhoga‑bhūmi did not know work; they only knew enjoyment.
    • Tirthankar Ṛṣabhadeva did not teach violence or luxury, he taught useful, dhārmik skills so that people could:
    - Earn honestly, - Organise society peacefully, and - Slowly turn their minds towards samyak darshan, samyak jñān, samyak chāritra.

    So the 72 and 64 kalās are not for mere worldly show, but to build a stable, ethical society, from which the path of moksha becomes easier to follow.

    For more background explanations, you may also see this discussion

    If you need a brief, child‑friendly summary of only the main categories (without going into all the numbered items), you can take the above section “What kind of skills?” and simplify it into a chart for teaching.

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