________________
Society, Epistemology and Logic in Indian Tradition
“A person does not become a monk (śramaņa) only by shaved head, equanimity makes him monk, by chanting omkāra nobody becomes brāhmaṇa, he becomes brāhmaṇa by virtues of celibacy (brahmacarya), only living in jungle does not make a monk, he needs real knowledge for it, a person becomes an ascetic by holding penance not by having grass garbs. A person becomes brāhmaṇa or kșatriya
or vaisya or sūdra by his conduct.”:16 Thus virtue or conduct is important in Jainism.
Jaina ācāryas have criticized the concept of caste system, Guņabhadra says in Uttarapurāņa:
"There is no difference in human beings on the basis of their shape as it appears between a cow and a
horse.” 17 Ravişeņa (7th C.) says in his Padmapurāņa:
“No caste is vile, virtues are only the cause of welfare, a Cāņdāla performing vows has been known as brāhmaṇa by jinendras."!
Āśādhara (13“ century CE), in his Sāgāradharmāmrta, says that a śūdra, person of lower caste can follow a religion after attaining a maturity of time (kālalabdhi)." 16 Utt 25.31-33: na vi mundieņa samaņo, na omkāreņa bambhaņo; na muņi ranna vāseņam, kusa cīrena na tāvaso. samayāe samaño hoi, bambhacerena bambhano; nānena ya muni hoi, tavena hoi tāvaso. kammunā baṁbhano hoi, kammunā hoi khattio, Vaisso kammunā hoi, suddo havai kammunā. Uttarapurāna 74.492, quoted in Šāstri (1948: 348): nästi jātikrto bhedo manusyanam gανάένανat. * PP 11.203: najāti garhitā kācid, gunāḥ kalyāṇakāraṇam;
vratasthamapi candālam, tam deva brāhmaṇam viduḥ. "SD 2.22: jātyā hinopi kālādilabdhau hyātmāsti dharmabhāk.
