Jainism ke anusar, jab koi Tirthankar ya arihant ko kevalgyan (sarvajnata, yaani poorn gyaan) prapt ho jata hai, tab ve parmatma kehlate hain. Kevalgyan prapt karne ke baad, ye parmatma sabhi jivon ke kalyan ke liye deshna (updesh ya pravachan) dete hain. In deshnaon ka mukhya uddeshya hai jivon ko moksha ka marg batana, unhe samyak gyaan, samyak darshan aur samyak charitra ki shiksha dena.

Parmatma apni deshna se ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy) aur aparigraha (non-possessiveness) ki mahima batate hain. Ve karma siddhant, punarjanm, moksha prapti, aur jivan ke sahi moolyon par prakash dalte hain. Unki deshna sabhi jivon ke kalyan hetu hoti hai aur ve sabhi jivon ko samta aur daya ki bhavna apnane ki prerna dete hain.

Jain sampraday ke anusar, Tirthankar apne kevalgyan ke bal par samavasaran mein baithkar sarv jivon ko apni amulya deshna dete hain, jo sabhi bhashaon mein suni ja sakti hai (Divya-dhwani ke roop mein). Unki baatein shrut kevalis dwara likhit aur sanrakshit ki jati hain, jo aage chal kar Jain agamon ka roop leti hain.