According to Osho, the Tirthankaras before Mahavira—the first twenty-three, beginning with Adinath (Rishabha)—were Aryan sages within the broader Shramana stream, not members of a separate 'Jain' sect. They taught liberation through shram (effort, resolve, tapas) while still moving within the Aryan tradition. Only with Mahavira did this current crystallize into a distinct Jain identity and doctrine.
Before Mahavira, the Tirthankaras were Aryan Shramana teachers like Adinath who emphasized effort, and they weren’t yet called Jains.