Parśvanātha (Parshvanath) is the 23rd Tirthankara in Jainism.

Key points (arth):

• Lineage and time: He is regarded as a Tirthankara who revived and taught the Jain path before Mahavira. Traditional accounts place him in a time long ago (9th–8th century BCE range in many texts).
• Birth and renunciation: Born to King Aśvasena and Queen Vāmādevī in Vārāṇasī (Varanasi). He renounced the worldly life at about age 30 and became an ascetic, practicing strict vows and meditation.
• Enlightenment and mokṣa: He attained omniscience (Kevala Jñāna) under a dhaṭa-kī tree near Vārāṇasī, and later preached for many years. He is said to have attained mokṣa at Shikharji (Parasnath hill) in present-day Jharkhand.
• Iconography: Commonly shown with a serpent hood above his head and often accompanied by the serpent deities Dhārṇendra (serpent king) and Padmavatī (serpent goddess). His emblem is the snake.
• Dwells in two traditions:

- Digambaras: Generally hold that Parśvanātha did not marry. - Śvetāmbaras: Some texts describe him as having married Prabhavatī, daughter of Prasenajit (King of Kusasthala). These accounts differ between Digambara and Śvetāmbara communities.

• Teachings focus: The essential Jain aims—right conduct, non-violence (ahiṁsā), truth, restraint of senses, and the path to pure knowledge (kevala jñāna)—are central in his canon and later Jain teaching.

Notes on authenticity and tradition:

• Parśvanātha is the earliest Tirthankara whose historicity is discussed in Jain texts; his life stories and the details of his marriage or celibacy differ between Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions.
• The serpent canopy imagery (Dharanendra and Padmavati) is a distinctive feature in Parśvanātha iconography and devotion.

If you have a specific question about Parśvanātha (for example, his life events, a particular hymn like Uvasagharam Stotra, or how Digambara and Śvetāmbara accounts differ), I can explain that in detail.