Rushabhdev (Rishabhanatha) is regarded in Jainism as the first Tirthankara of the current cosmic cycle. His teachings laid the foundation for the Jain path to liberation. Key points:

• Core dharma for all beings: He taught the eternal duties of right conduct (dharma) that help souls progress toward liberation.
• Vows for monks and nuns (mahavratas): He established the five great vows—non-violence (ahimsa), truth (satya), non-stealing (asteya), celibacy (brahmacharya), and non-possessiveness (aparigraha).
• Vows for householders (anuvratas): He systematized the householders’ code of conduct, guiding lay followers to live rightly, honestly, and without attachment to wealth or violence.
• Social and ethical order: His teachings emphasize ethical living, restraint, self-discipline, and the management of passions as a path to purity of the soul.
• Metaphysics and path to liberation: He outlined basic Jain ideas about the soul, karma, and the possibility of purifying the soul through disciplined conduct, meditation, and renunciation.

Note on traditions:

• Both Digambar and Shwetambar traditions regard Rushabhdev as the first Tirthankara and agree on the core principles (ahimsa, satya, etc.). There are differences in certain texts and details about his life and the exact formulations of practice in some scriptures, but the essential teachings—core vows and the path to liberation—are shared.

If you’d like, I can summarize specific sutras or verses attributed to Rushabhdev and explain their meaning in a Jain context.