The six necessary daily duties of a
Jaina householder are: devotional worship of the 'Deva (Jina), reverence
to the Guru, study of holy books ('shastra'), practice of self-discipline,
observance of fasts including the curbing of desires, and charity. The
last duty includes providing food to holy persons and to the indigent,
medicine and medical aid to the ailing, educational facilities for those
who are in need of them, and a sense of security and fearlessness to those
who are under duress, are wrongfully oppressed, persecuted or tyrannized.
This fourfold philanthropy is a very important positive aspect of the
Jaina way of life and in substance consists in selfless service of
humanity as a pious duty done out of love for all and compassion for those
in want or distress, the Jaina motto being, 'piety is rooted in active
compassion'.
Another significant feature of the Jaina
way of life is the great emphasis it lays on what you think and how you
think, that is on the Bhavanas, or yearning pure thoughts and pious
aspirations. On leaving bed in the morning and going to it at night, while
worshipping before the images of the Jina in the temple or performing
Samayika, a Jaina fervently wishes for the well being, happiness and peace
of all and every body.
Sects & subsects: Schismatic
tendencies resulting in sects and subsects are known to have existed in
Jainism since the early periods of its history. In course of time many
died out, a few survived and several new ones emerged. At present, the
community is divided into two principal sects, the Digambara (sky-clad)
and the Shvetambara (white-clad). The former is so called because its male
ascetics go naked and possess nothing except a peacock feather brush and a
wooden jug for water. The followers of this sect also install in their
temples the nude images of the Tirthankaras in the Kayotsarga (standing)
or lotus-seated postures of complete bodily abandonment and contemplative
spiritual meditation. This sect is further divided into three subsects:
the 'Terahpantha' which is more puritanical in conduct and simpler in
worshipping ritual; the 'Beespantha' which is much less so in both these
aspects and adheres to the institution of the Bhattarakas, the
saffron-robed religious pontiffs; and the Samayya or 'Taranapantha' which
is opposed to temple and image worship. The Shvetambara sect is divided
into the temple worshippers and Sadhumargis. The former adorn the images
of the Jinas and indulge in an elaborate worship-ritual, while the latter
are opposed to temple and image worship and are further divided into the
Sthanakavasis and the Terapanthis. The ascetics of both these
denominations wear a piece of cloth ('muhapatti') over the mouth. All the
Shvetambara ascetics of the three divisions wear a piece of two or three
simple, unsewn , white garments and keep very limited possessions. A Jaina
ascetic, male or female, of whichever sect or subsect, has no home, no
worldly possessions, no intimate associations with house-holders, takes
meals only once in a day, and does not stay in any one place for more than
a few days except during the four-months rainy retreat when they abide in
any one place. The basis of these sects and subsects is not so much the
difference in the doctrine or the basic principles of the creed as in the
codes of conduct, particularly of the ascetics, and in the modes of
worship and ritual. There are some other differences, too, relating to
certain traditions, etc., but they are of minor significance.
Literature: The original Jaina
scriptures ('Agama', 'Shruta' or 'Jinavani'), as preached by the 24
Tirthankaras, one after the other, and finally codified in the time of
Mahavira (599-527 B.C.), the last of them, consisted of the twelve 'Angas'
(limbs of canon) and a number of Miscellanies ('Painnas'). The last of the
12 Angas, the 'Drishtivada', comprised five sections, the most important
of which was that of the fourteen 'Purvas' dealing with philosophy in
detail. Thus, the Jaina canonical knowledge has often been described as
the Eleven Angas & Fourteen Purvas. After Mahavira's nirvana, this body of
knowledge flowed down by word of mouth through a succession of eminent
Acharyas, dwindling in volume with the passage of time. At last, about the
beginning of the Christian era, what remained of the contents of the
Purvas was recollected in the form of 'Mahakarmaprakritiprabhrita' and
Kasayaprabhrata, and the remnants of the 11 'Angas' together with certain
other older texts were redacted about the middle of the 5th century A.D.
Side by side, a number of quasi-canonical texts were also compiled by
eminent Acharyas like Kundakunda, Battakera, Uma-Svami, Sivarya and
Yativrishabha, during the first and second centuries of the Christian era.
The original language of the canon was the Ardhamagadhi Prakrit, most of
the other texts also being in Prakrit. A vast exegetical literature came
into being and numerous independent works and treatises written on
different topics in the Prakrit, Sanskrit, Apabhramsha, Kannada and Tamil
languages. The entire religious literature of the Jains is classified into
four 'Annyogas': 'Prathamanayoga', dealing with 'Puranic' and historical
traditions and religious lore; 'Charananuyoga', dealing with the rules of
conduct of the ascetics and the laity, including consecrations, ritual and
devotional compositions; Karananuvoga, dealing with metaphysics and,
cosmology; and Dravyanuyoga, dealing with pure philosophy, mysticism and
dialectics. In addition, the Jains also produced a rich secular and
scientific literature on different branches of ancient learning. They have
handsomely contributed to the development of almost all the ancient,
mediaeval and modern Indian languages literary styles and forms. The
institution of 'Shastra' 'bhandaras' ('manuscript-libraries') has helped
the preservation and dissemination of Jaina works. Jaina literature forms
a valuable part of India's literary heritage.
Holy Places & Monuments: The
principal places of Jaina pilgrimage are those associated with birth,
'nirvana' or any other important event in the life of the twenty-four
Tirthankaras, or with some important event in the ecclesiastical history
of the Jains, some miraculous Jina image or shrine, or some important
ancient religious or cultural center. As such, the Jaina holy places are
scattered all over India, from 'Mt. Kailas' (in Tibet) to 'Cape Comorin',
and from the western coast to the Bay of Bengal. Jaina 'stupas', 'caves',
cave-temples, pillars, shrines, temples and temple-cities, with superb
sculptural and architectural specimens, are to be seen in almost every
part of the country. More important of the Jaina pilgrim centers are: 'Parasnath
Hill', 'Rajgir', 'Pawa', 'Champapur', 'Kolhua-pahar' and Vaishali in
Bihar; Paharpur and Pak-Vir in Bengal; Udayagiri Khandagiri caves in
Orissa; Ayodhya, Ratnapuri, Shravasti, Varanasi, Kakandi, Kaushambi,
Kampilya, Hastinapur, Prayag, Shauripur, Ahichchhatra, Mathura and Deograh
in U.P.; Khajuraho, Una, Siddhavarakoot, Dronagir, Nainagiri, Muktagiri,
Badwani, Sonagir, Kundalpur, Bandhaii and Bahoriband in Madhya Pradesh;
Rishabhadeva, Mt. Abu, Mahavirji, Ranakpur, Osia, Padmapuri, Tejara and
Chittor in Rajasthan; Gimar, Taranga, Shatrunjaya and Palitana in Gujarat;
Ellora, Ajanta, Badami, Dharasiva, Nasik, Mangitungi, Kunthalgiri and
Ramtek in Maharashtra; Ramkond and Banvasi in Andhra; Shravanabelagola
with its Gommatesha colossus, Moodbidre, Karkal, Venur, Humcha, Hampi and
mbhoj-Bahubaliin Karnataka and Kanchi, Madura, Sittanvassal, Tirumalai,
Mylapore and Nagarcoil in Tamilnadu; Mithila in Nepal; Mt. Kailas in
Tibet; and Taxila in Pakistan. The Jaina monuments are important not only
from the religious but also from the cultural, artistic, antiquarian and
historical points of view.
Festivals: There is hardly any
month of the year which does not contain one or more Jaina holidays, fast
days, festivals or fairs. The 8th and the 14th days of each fortnight are
regular fast-days. Then, there are the three Ashtanhikas (eight-day
festivals) and three Dashalakshaniks (ten-day festivals) including the
Paryushana, falling in different months. The birth and 'nirvana'
anniversaries of the Tirthankaras, especially those of Rishabha, Parshva
and Mahavira, are celebrated with great eclat. At most of the important
places of pilgrimage, annual fairs are held, and in many cities and towns
car-processions of the Jina are taken out annually. Keeping fasts,
worshipping the Jina and other adorable objects, recitation of hymns and
of the sacred texts holding religious discourses, alms giving, taking the
vows, and such other acts of piety usually characterize the celebration of
their holidays by the Jains.
To sum up, Jainism is a rational creed
and a living religion which has preserved in a large measure its
originality and integrity. It is a well developed system with a rich
cultural heritage and its own characteristic way of life and thinking The
number of its declared adherents may be comparatively small, the
percentage of literacy and education among them is very high, and numerous
educational, charitable and social-welfare institutions owe their
existence to the philanthropy of the Jams.
