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The Jain religion
also known as Shraman Dharma, Nirgranth Dharma, etc. is the oldest
religion in the
world. It is an independent religion has been taught by Tirthankaras also
called Jina. A follower of a Jina is called a Jain and the religion followed by
Jains is called Jainism. Each of 24 Tirthankara revitalizes the Jain order. The Jain
Order is known as the Jain Sangh. The current Jain Sangh was reestablished by
Bhagavan Mahävira, who was the 24th and last Tirthankar of the current time period. The
twenty-four Tirthankaras who appeared in the present cycle of time are:
1.
Bhagwan Rishabha 9. Bhagwan Pushpadanta
17.
Bhagwan Kunthu
2. Bhagwan Ajita
10. Bhagwan Sitala
18. Bhagwan Ara
3. Bhagwan Sambva
11. Bhagwan Sreyamsa
19.BhagwanMalli
4.Bhagwan Abinandana 12. Bhagwan Vasupujya
20. Bhagwan Munusuvratha
5. Bhagwan Sumathi
13. Bhagwan Vimala
21. Bhagwan Nami
6. Bhagwan Padmaprabha 14. Bhagwan Ananta
22. Bhagwan Nemi
7. Bhagwan Suparsva 15. Bhagwan Dharma
23. Bhagwan Parswa
8.Bhagwan Chandraprabha 16. Bhagwan Santhi
24.Bhagwan Vardhamana
The Jain Sangh is composed of the following four groups:
1) Sadhus (Monks)
2) Sadhvis (Nuns)
3) Shravaks (Male householders)
4) Shravikas (Female householders)
The first Tirthankar of the current time period was Bhagavan Rushabhdev
followed by the above 24 Tirthankars. Bhagavan Mahavira is the most
popular Tirthankar of our time. Bhagavan Mahavira attained nirvan
in 527 B. C. He had eleven ganadharas (disciples). Nine ganadharas attained liberation
(salvation) during the lifetime of Lord Mahavira, while another two Gautamswami
and Sudharmaswämi survived him. Gautamswämi attained perfect knowledge and
perfect perception and became Arihant the very night of Bhagwan Mahavira's nirvän.
The remaining ganadhar, Sudharmaswami, was the next to attain perfect knowledge
and perfect perception and became Arihant. Jambuswami, the disciple of Sudharmaswami was the last Arihant of the present half time cycle. After
Jambuswami none attained perfect knowledge and the knowledge declined slowly as
time went on.
Bhagwan Mahavira's teachings were carried on by his ganadharas to us in the form of
scriptures (Agams). They were compiled into twelve separate parts, known as
Angagama or the
dwadashangi (twelve parts). These 12 parts of Anagama are:
Acharangam Upasakadyayanam
Suthrakruthangam
Anthakrudadasakam
Sthanagam
Anutharo Papadika dasakam
Samavayangam
Prasna Vyakaranam
Vyakya Pragnapti
Vipagasutrum
Gyathruth Dharmakta
Drushtivadam
Besides
the above 12 parts of Angagama there are 14 parts of Purvagama and 16
parts of Bahisruthagama. The Agamas are revealed by Tirthankars so
these twelve Anagama were acceptable to all
followers. However, the Anagama were not put in writing for a long time. The
Jain pupils learned them by memorizing them. About 150 years after the nirvana
of Bhagwan Mahavira, in the latter part of Chandragupta's regime, there occurred
a terrible famine in Northern India lasted for 12 years. During this time,
nearly 8,000 monks headed by leader Bhadra Bahu swami migrated to
South India. After the famine was over, all the
monks returned back to North India . They discovered that the Jaina
ascetics who stayed behind became lax in the discipline. They gave up
their religious practices and begin to accept food of all kinds from all people. They also observed that there was some inconsistency in
oral recollection of the Jain scriptures by different monks. That made them to compile scriptures. To accomplish that, the first council (conference) of monks
was held in Patliputra about 160 years after Lord Mahavira’s nirvana. Monk
Bhadra bahu, who had the knowledge of all 12 Angas, could not be present at that
meeting. The rest of the monks could compile only the first eleven Angas by recollection and thus, the twelfth Anga was lost. The monks from the South did
not agree with this compilation, and the first split in Jainism started. Jains
divided into two main groups, Svetambaras and Digambaras. Svetambara monks wore
white clothes. Digambara monks did not wore any clothes at all.
The second council (conference) was held in Mathura, 825 years after the nirvana
of Bhagwan Mahavira, under the leadership of monk Skandil. Simultaneously, another
council was held in Valabhi under the leadership of Monk Nagarjunasuri. However,
the texts of Jain Scriptures were not written systematically until after the
third council that was held at Vallabhi 980 years after the nirvana of
Bhagavan
Mahavira under the leadership of monk Devarthigani.
Jain order had divided into two major sects.
1 The Digambara sect
2 The Swetambar sect
The Digambara sect, in recent centuries, has been divided into the following
sub-sects:
Major sub-sects:
A. Bisapantha,
B. Terapantha, and
C. Taranapantha or Samaiyapantha.
Minor sub-sects:
Gumanapantha
Totapantha.
Bisapantha:
The followers of Bisapantha support the Dharma-gurus, that is, religious
authorities known as Bhattarakas who are also the heads of Jaina Mathas, that
is. religious monasteries. The Bisapanthas, in their temples, worship the idols
of Tirthankaras and also the idols of Ksetrapala, Padmavati and other deities.
They worship these idols with saffron, flowers, fruits, sweets, scented 'agara-battis', i.e., incense sticks, etc. While performing these worships. the
Bisapanthis sit on the ground and do not stand. They perform Arati, i.e., waving
of lights over the idol, in the temple even at night and distribute prasada,
i.e., sweet things offered to the idols. The Bisapantha, according to some, is
the original form of the Digambara sect and today practically all Digambara
Jainas from Maharashtra, Karnataka and South India and a large number of Digambara Jainas from Rajasthan and Gujarat are the followers of Bisapantha.
Terapantha:
Terapantha arose in North India in the year 1683 of the Vikram Era as a revolt
against the domination and conduct of the Bhattarakas. i.e. religious authorities, of the Digambara Jainas. As a result in this sub-sect, the institution of Bhattarakas lost respect in North India, however in South India
the Bhattarakas continue to play an importent role. In their temples, the Terapanthis install the idols of Tirthankaras and not of Ksetrapala, Padmavati
and other deities. Further. they worship the idols not with flowers, fruits and other green vegetables (known as sachitta things), but with sacred rice called
'Aksata', cloves, sandal, almonds, dry coconuts, dates, etc. As a rule they do
not perform Arah or distribute Prasada in their temples. Again, while worshipping they stand and do not sit.
From these differences with the Bisapanthis it is clear that the Terapanthis
appear to be reformers. They are opposed to various religious practices. As
according to them. These are not real Jaina practices. The Terapantha had performed a valuable task of rescuing the Digambaras from the clutches of wayward Bhattarakas and hence the Terapanthis occupy a peculiar position in the Digambara Jaina community. The Terapanthis are more numerous in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It is pertinent to note that even though the name Terapantha sub-sect appears
both among the Digambara and the Svetambara sects. Still the two Terapanthis are entirely different from each other. While the Digambara Terapanthis believe in
nudity and idol-worship, the Svetambara Terapanthis are quite opposed to both.
Taranapantha:
The sub-sect Taranapantha is known after its founder Tarana-Svami or
Tarana-tarana Svami (1448-1515 A.D.). This sub-sect is also called Samaiyapantha
because its followers worship Sarnaya, i.e., sacred books and not the
idols. Tarana Svami died at Malharagarh, in former Gwalior State in Madhya Pradesh, and
this is the central place of pilgrimage of Taranapanthis. The Taranapanthis strongly refute idolatry but they have their own temples in which they keep their sacred books for worship. They do not offer articles like
fruits and flowers at the time of worship. Besides the sacred books of the
Digambaras, they also worship the fourteen sacred books written by their founder
Tarana-Svami. Further, Taranapanthis give more importance to spiritual values and the study of sacred literature. That is why we find a complete absence of
outward religious practices among them. Moreover, Tarana-Svami; was firmly
against the caste-distinctions and in fact threw open the doors of his sub-sect
even to Muslims and low-caste people. These three main traits of the Taranapanthis, namely,
(a) the aversion to idol
worship, (b) the absence of outward religious practices, and (c) the ban on caste distinctions, were evolved as a revolt against the religious beliefs and
practices prevailing in the Digambara Jaina sect, and it appears that Tarana-Svami might have formulated these principles under the direct influence
of Islamic doctrines and the teachings of Lonkashaha, the founder of the non-idolatrous Sthanakvasi sub-sect of the Svetambara sect.
The Taranapanthis are few in number and they are mostly confined to Bundelkhand,
Malwa area of Madhya Pradesh and Khandesh area of Maharashtra.
Gumanapantha
The Gumanapantha is not so important and in fact very little is known about it.
It is stated that this sub-sect was started by Pandit Gumani Rama or Gumani Rai,
who was a son of Pandit Todaramal, a resident of Jaipur in Rajasthan. According to this Pantha, lighting of candles or lamps in the Jaina temples is
strictly prohibited, because it regards this as a violation of the fundamental
doctrine of Jaina religion, viz.,
non-violence. They only visit and view the
image in the temples and do not make any offerings to them. This pantha became famous in the name of shuddha amnaya, that is pure or sacred
tradition, because its followers always stressed the purity of conduct and
self-discipline and strict adherence to the precepts. Gumanapantha originated in the 18th. Century A.D. and flourished mainly during
that century.
Totapantha
The Totapantha came into existence as a result of differences between the Bisapantha and Terapantha sub-sects. Many sincere efforts were made to strike a
compromise between the Bisa (i.e. twenty) Pantha and the Tera (i.e.. thirteen)
pantha and the outcome was sadhesolaha (i.e., sixteen and a half)
Pantha or
'Totapantha'.
That is why the followers of Totapantha
believe to some extent in the doctrines of Bisapantha and to some extent in
those of Terapantha.
In connection with the account of the major and minor sub-sects prevailing among
the Digambara sect, it is worth while to note that in recent years in the Digambara sect a new major sub-sect known as 'Kanji-pantha', consisting of the
followers of Kanji Swami is being formed and is getting popular especially among
the educated sections. Saint Kanji Swami largely succeeded in popularizing
the old sacred texts of the great Digambara Jain saint Acharya Kunda-Kunda of
South India.
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