Answer

In Jain Dharma, the next Tirthankars refers to the 24 Tirthankars of the coming Utsarpiṇī kāl — the next ascending time cycle.

Their commonly accepted order is:

1. Padmanābha
2. Suradeva
3. Supārśva
4. Svayamprabha
5. Sarvānubhūti
6. Devashruta
7. Udaya
8. Pedhāla
9. Pottila
10. Shatakīrti
11. Suvarṇa
12. Amama
13. Nishkashāya
14. Nishpulāka
15. Nirmama
16. Chitragupta
17. Samādhi
18. Samvara
19. Yashodhara
20. Vijaya
21. Mallī
22. Devachandra
23. Anantavīrya
24. Bhadrakṛt

Past Lives / Present Known Souls

According to Jain tradition, several of these future Tirthankars are identified with great souls from the life of Bhagwan Mahāvīr Swami and the present time-cycle tradition:

• 1. Padmanābha — often identified with the soul of King Shreṇik, who was a devoted listener of Bhagwan Mahāvīr.
• 2. Suradeva — identified in tradition with the soul of Suparśva / a great spiritually advanced soul. Details vary across traditions.
• 3. Supārśva — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 4. Svayamprabha — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 5. Sarvānubhūti — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 6. Devashruta — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 7. Udaya — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 8. Pedhāla — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 9. Pottila — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 10. Shatakīrti — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 11. Suvarṇa — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 12. Amama — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 13. Nishkashāya — the name itself suggests one who is free from passions.
• 14. Nishpulāka — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 15. Nirmama — the name suggests one without possessiveness or attachment.
• 16. Chitragupta — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 17. Samādhi — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 18. Samvara — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 19. Yashodhara — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 20. Vijaya — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 21. Mallī — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 22. Devachandra — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 23. Anantavīrya — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.
• 24. Bhadrakṛt — details of past lives are not uniformly given in commonly known tradition.

Important Note

The names of the future 24 Tirthankars are given in Jain tradition, but the detailed past-life stories of all 24 are not equally well-known or uniformly presented across all Jain sects and texts.

The most widely known identification is:

• King Shreṇik will become the first Tirthankar of the next cycle, named Padmanābha.

Spiritual Understanding

The teaching about future Tirthankars reminds us that the path of liberation is eternal. In every proper time-cycle, Tirthankars appear to re-establish the fourfold Jain Sangh and teach the path of:

• Samyak Darshan — right faith
• Samyak Jnan — right knowledge
• Samyak Charitra — right conduct

Takeaway

The next 24 Tirthankars will arise in the future ascending time-cycle. The first among them will be Padmanābha Bhagwan, traditionally identified with the soul of King Shreṇik. For many of the others, Jain tradition preserves their names, but detailed past-life identifications are not uniformly established.