Who was Parshvanatha in Jainism?

Correct answer: Twenty third Tirthankara

The direct answer is C, the twenty-third Tirthankara. Parshvanatha was a major Jain spiritual teacher and is traditionally counted as the twenty-third of the twenty-four Tirthankaras. He lived before Mahavira, who was the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara of the current Jain tradition. The reasoning is: Jainism speaks of twenty-four Tirthankaras; Parshvanatha is number 23; Mahavira follows him as number 24. Option A, the first Mauryan ruler, is incorrect because Mauryan rulers belonged to a later political dynasty; Parshvanatha was not a Mauryan king. Option B, Gupta poet, is incorrect because he was not identified as a Gupta-period poet. Option C is correct because it gives his exact Jain religious position. Option D, Buddhist monk, is incorrect because Parshvanatha belonged to Jainism, not Buddhism. Do not confuse him with Mahavira: Parshvanatha is the twenty-third, while Mahavira is the twenty-fourth. Memory cue: “Parshva before Mahavira—23 before 24.”