Here’s a simple, authentic Jain perspective on Parsva (Parshvanath) and Mahavira.

• Parsva (Parshvanath)

- He is the 23rd Tirthankara in the current time cycle. - He taught the path of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct (the three jewels of Jain practice) and emphasized ahimsa (non-violence) and ascetic discipline. - Symbol/icon: often associated with the serpent (naga) emblem. - Tradition-wise: there are minor differences between Digambara and Śvetāmbara accounts about specific life events and chronology, but both respect him as a deeply realized jina who guided many toward liberation.

• Mahavira

- He is the 24th and last Tirthankara of the current time cycle. - He re-emphasized and organized the Jain path of ahimsa, truth, plutra (non-possessiveness), and austerity, bringing the teachings to a form that could be practiced by many. - Symbol/icon: typically associated with the lion emblem. - He attained kevala jnana (omniscience) and later moksha (liberation). In both Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions, his life and teachings are central to Jain practice, though there are some doctrinal and ritual nuances between the two sects.

Key shared themes

• Both Tirthankaras taught the same core aims: cleansing of the self from karmic bondage, the cultivation of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct, and the practice of non-violence, non-attachment, and spiritual discipline.
• They are revered as perfect beings who demonstrate the path to liberation, each in a different era of the Jain dharma.

Note on differences

• Digambaras and Śvetāmbaras may describe certain events, lifetimes, or ritual details differently for Parsva and Mahavira. The essential spiritual message—awakening, self-purification, and liberation through strict ethics and ascetic practice—remains the same in both traditions.

If you’d like, I can provide more on their specific teachings (arya/artha, sutras, or stotras) or explain how each tradition venerates them in rituals and festivals.