In Jain dharma the first Tirthankar is Bhagwan Rishabhdev / Adinath. “All stories” are found in big texts like Ādi‑Purāṇ, Padma‑Purāṇ, Kalpa‑sūtra, etc., so I will give you a clear, simple life‑story with main important incidents.

Digambar and Shvetambar traditions both accept him as the first Tirthankar; some details (names of places, exact sequence, numbers) may differ, but the spiritual message is the same.

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1. Previous life and cause of becoming 1st Tirthankar

• In his last previous human birth he was a very pious, compassionate king / devotee.
• He did intense dān (charity), tapas (austerity) and had very strong desire for sarvajñatā (Keval‑jñān) and to help all souls.
• Because of this bhāv and purity, he got the Tīrthankar‑nāma‑karma – the special karma that makes a soul a Tirthankar in the next birth.

(Details of names, countries, etc. differ in Digambar and Shvetambar texts, but this cause is common.)

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2. Garbh‑kalyāṇak (Conception)

• Devas (heavenly beings) do garbh‑kalyāṇak celebration when such a great soul enters a mother’s womb.
• Queen Marudevī sees 14 (Shvetāmbars) or 16 (some Digambar texts) auspicious dreams – elephant, bull, lion, Lakshmi, garland, full moon, sun, flag, vase, lotus‑lake, ocean, celestial plane, treasure, fire, etc.
• Learned scholars tell King Nābhirāj that a very great soul – first Tirthankar of this time‑cycle – will be born in their family.

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3. Janma‑kalyāṇak (Birth)

• Birth place: Ayodhyā (also called Vinītā nagar in many texts).
• Parents: King Nābhirāj (Nābhi) and Queen Marudevī.
• Dynasty: Ikṣvāku vansh.
• At his birth, there is great prosperity, peace and joy in the kingdom; so he is called “Ṛṣabha” and “Ādināth” (the first Lord).
• Devas perform janma‑abhishek (ceremonial bath) on Mount Meru in some traditional descriptions.

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4. Childhood and Youth

• He is calm, compassionate and very wise even as a child.
• He learns all royal skills easily.
• He marries; has many sons and daughters.

- Important sons: Bharat Chakravarti, Bāhubalī, etc. - Important daughters: Brāhmī and Sundarī (Sundarī / Sunandā – names vary slightly).

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5. Teaching the world basic arts and social life

Before Rishabhdev, people lived in a very simple “natural” way – no farming, no clothes, no organized society. Jain texts say he organized human life:

• He taught:

- Agriculture, animal‑care, trade - Writing and language (especially through daughter Brāhmī) - Numbers and mathematics (through daughter Sundarī) - 72 kalās (arts/skills) for men - 64 kalās (arts/skills) for women

• Because of this, he is called Adi‑Guru of social life as well as dharma.

You can read a short explanation of this part of his life here

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6. Turning point – Vairāgya (detachment)

• After ruling for a very long time and seeing that all worldly pleasures are temporary, he develops strong vairāgya.
• He decides to hand over the kingdom:

- Bharat gets the main kingdom. - Bāhubalī and others also receive regions.

• He explains to his family and people that real happiness is in atma‑sākshātkār (self‑realization), not in wealth and power.

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7. Dīkshā‑kalyāṇak (Renunciation)

• With great celebration, he takes dīkshā (monkhood), gives up all possessions and, finally, even clothes.
• From this time he follows complete non‑violence, non‑possession, and deep meditation.
• Many thousands also take dīkshā with him.

Differences:

• Both traditions agree that he becomes a nude (digambar) muni ultimately.
• Exact place and some small stories around the dīkshā‑day differ in texts.

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8. First year of austerity and the story of food

A very important, touching story:

• When Rishabhdev left the palace, no one knew how to offer alms to a monk, because no monk had existed in that time‑cycle.
• So, wherever he went, people tried to give him:

- Gold, jewels, elephants, clothes – but not gochari (simple food in proper way).

• Because this was not the correct way of bhikshā for a Jain muni, he returned without eating, again and again.
• He continued his fast for a very long time (traditionally given as one full year).
• His body became weak, but his mind stayed peaceful.

Sugarcane juice from Shreyāns Kumar (Akṣay Tritiyā)

• After a year, he came to the place where his previous birth’s relative Shreyāns Kumar (now a prince) lived.
• Shreyāns had a smaraṇ (remembrance) of the correct way to give food to a Jain muni from his own past lives.
• With great devotion, he offered simple ikṣu‑rasa (sugarcane juice) in the right manner.
• Rishabhdev accepted it – this was his first āhār after long austerity.
• The day is remembered as Akṣay Tritiyā, a very sacred day for Jains.

This story shows:

• The greatness of tapas (austerity).
• Correct way of offering alms.
• Power of right faith and past good impressions (saṃskār) in Shreyāns.

You can see a short version of this story here

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9. Long life of sādhanā (spiritual practice)

• For a very long time (millions of years in Jain time‑scale), he:

- Wandered as an ascetic. - Practiced deep meditation and severe austerities. - Stayed in equanimity in cold–heat, praise–insult, gain–loss.

• His life as a muni is the perfect example of:

- Ahimsā (absolute non‑violence) - Satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha - Forgiveness and detachment.

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10. Keval‑jñān‑kalyāṇak (Attainment of omniscience)

• At the end of his intense sādhanā, all ghāti‑karmas (knowledge‑obscuring, perception‑obscuring, etc.) get destroyed.
• He attains Keval‑jñān – infinite, perfect knowledge and perception.
• At that moment:

- Devas celebrate his Keval‑jñān‑kalyāṇak. - A Samavasaraṇ (divine preaching assembly) appears.

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11. Preaching in the Samavasaraṇ

• In the Samavasaraṇ, beings from all directions – devas, humans, animals – come peacefully without harming each other to listen.
• Rishabhdev gives sermons on:

- Nature of the soul (jīva) and matter (ajīva) - Bondage and removal of karma - Three jewels (Samyak‑darshan, Samyak‑jñān, Samyak‑chāritra) - Five great vows (for monks) and anuvrats (small vows for laypeople).

• He establishes the four‑fold sangh:

- Sādhus (monks) - Sādhvīs (nuns) - Shrāvaks (male householders) - Shrāvikās (female householders)

From this, he is truly the first Tirthankar – “Ford‑maker”, who creates a path across the ocean of saṃsār.

You can read a simple summary of his birth, life, Keval‑jñān and moksha here

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12. Marudevī’s liberation

• A very special incident:

- When Mother Marudevī, in her old age, comes to see her son who is now an omniscient Tirthankar, - simply by seeing him on the chariot, she attains samyak‑darshan, then in that same state, her karmas get destroyed and she attains moksha.

• This shows the great power of right vision and pure devotion.

(Some details of how exactly this happens differ between Digambar and Shvetambar texts, but the essence – her liberation by his darshan – is accepted.)

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13. Nirvāṇ‑kalyāṇak (Final liberation)

• After completing his work of preaching and helping countless souls, his ayu‑karma (life‑span karma) finishes.
• He goes to Mount Aṣṭāpād (in many traditions associated with Mount Kailāsh region).
• There he does deep meditation and finally attains nirvāṇ / moksha – becoming a Siddha, free from all karma, beyond rebirth and suffering.

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14. Main lessons from all these stories

From the many stories of Rishabhdev Bhagwan, the core teachings are:

1. Worldly achievements are temporary – even the first emperor‑teacher finally chooses renunciation.
2. Real progress is:

- Right faith in the soul and Tirthankars - Right knowledge of karma and reality - Right conduct – non‑violence, self‑control, simplicity.

1. Tapas and patience (like his one‑year fast) are powerful when joined with inner peace, not ego.
2. Dharma and social order both are needed, but:

- Social arts (72 & 64 kalās) are secondary, - The highest goal is moksha.

1. Even a small, simple offering – like sugarcane juice by Shreyāns – becomes great when given with pure bhāva.

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If you want to go deeper, you can read simple, story‑style explanations of the first Tirthankar here:

• Short story of 1st Tirthankar Rishabhdev

• Another simple life‑story of Rishabhdev

These together cover most of the traditional stories of Bhagwan Rishabhdev / Adinath in an easy style.