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24 JAINS TODAY IN THE WORLD
Kṣatriyānī Trisala. The Digambara are of the opinion that no such incident occurred in the life of Mahavira.
The Śvetambara say that Mahāvīra was married to a Princess before renouncing the world and that they had a daughter of whom they mention the name. The Digambara reject both that marriage and this child.
Let us now see the major branches that have developed over time from the two great Jain sections and that are still flourishing. They have been generally created under the influence of some religious leaders or of creeds that do not admit the worship of images, regarded as idolatry, or rituals in sumptuous temples.
2. Digambara branches
In Digambara tradition there are three large branches and three smaller ones: those of the "Bisapanthi", the "Terapanthi" and the "Tārṇapanthi" or "Samayapanthi" as the large, and those of the "Gumānapanthi", the "Totapanthi" and the "Kāñjipanthï" as the
small.
A) The Digambara "Bīsapanthi" recognize the authority of the "Bhaṭṭāraka" (word meaning: learned man). These "Bhaṭṭāraka" are celibate clerks who, at difference with the monks, don't practice nudity and wear orange robes and wooden clogs. They live in monasteries (matha) where they manage the ascetics placed under their authority. They are in charge of their religious education and they oversee their vows. They write books about doctrinal matters and travel throughout India and abroad to promote Jainism. Their libraries (bhaṇḍāra), like that of Mudabidri, have preserved ancient Jain manuscripts that are extremely precious to scholars and researchers.
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