Jaina Community a Social Survey

SR No.: 007019
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vilas Sangve
Publisher: Popular Book Depot Bombay
Publication Year: 1980
Total Pages: 484
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 12 MB

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Jaina Community- A Social Survey
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Digambara figures, the Svetambara images are given staring glass eyes, are adorned with golden ornaments and jewels, and are represented as wearing loin clothes.112 The self-contemplation mood characteristic of Digambara images is thus absent in Svetambara images.113 The images of all Tirthankaras are practically of the same type and they can be identified only with the help of their respective Chinhas or cognizances which are always inscribed below the idols.114 The householder worships the images with eight classes of things while ascetics only offer salutations to them. The eight-fold worship is as follows :
(i) Jala Puja is bathing the image with water;
(ii) Chandana Puja is marking or sprinkling the idol with chandana, that is, sandal-wood paste and Kesara, that is, saffron;
(iii) Pushpa Puja is offering flowers before the image or garlanding it;
(iv) Dhupa Puja is waving of a lighted incense stick before the image or burning incense;
(v) Dipa Puja is keeping or waving up a light near the image;
(vi) Akshata Puja is offering rice in front;
(vii) Naivedya Puja is offering sweetmeats; and
(viii) Phala Puja is the offering of fruits and nuts of all kinds. 115
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These eight types of worship need not be performed in any particular order and at times even some of them could be perfomed. There are different hymns to be sung in offering each of these things. The offering are called Nirmalya and they are not to be taken for use or eaten by the offerer, if not by any Jaina. It is said to be a great sin to do so.116
The idol-worshippers are known as Mandiramārgi, that is, those who go to temples for their spiritual upliftment and nonidol-worshippers are termed as Sadhumargi, that is, those who follow the saints for the same reason. The Sadhumärgis maintain that idol-worship has not been prescribed by the Tirthankaras, that the references of idol-worship in Jaina books are later interpolations, that idol-worship is against the Bhavana or spirit of Jaina religion and that it has been introduced in the Jaina religion by priests for their selfish ends.117 Since the Sadhumärgis abhor