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and practise the virtue of live and help others to live'. It is why, in its practical aspect, Jainism has been described as an 'ethical system par excellance', and Ahimsa, or perfect non-violence, is the keynote of that system. It is the 'dharma', or essential nature, of the spirit and pervades the entire length and breadth of the Jaina code of Right conduct, or the Path.
The aspirants in Jainism fall into two categories, the ascetics and the laity, or the monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen, which constitute the four-fold Jaina order (Sangha). The male ascetics are known as the Sadhus, Munis or Yatis, and the female ones as the Aryikas or Sadhvis. All of them represent persons who have renounced worldly life and pleasures, adopted a life of self-abnegation and asceticism and devote themselves to the pursuit of Moksha or nirvana by attending primarily to their own spiritual wellbeing and secondarily to the moral welfare of the society in general. There is an elaborate
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