Glimpses Of World Religions

SR No.: 032397
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Gunvant Barvalia
Publisher: Navbharat Sahitya Mandir
Publication Year: 2003
Total Pages: 228
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 26 MB

Page 62

Jainism
mahavratas and Astapravachana – these thirteen forms of rules have been accepted by Terapanthi creed.
Thus Rev. Bhikkhanjee Maharaj (Acharya Bhikshu) became the chief founder of Terapanth. Over and above this, there is a unique series of saman and samanee who serve as connecting link of the shrawakas and sadhus, doing the work of propaganda and circulation of religion; and this hierarchy observes only 3 great disciplines of truth, non-stealing and celibacy of the five great vratas mentioned earlier and 85 samanees and 4 samanas do the work of propagating and spreading religion in various countries of the world. Acharya Mahapragnajee who is the heir-apparent so to say of Acharya Tulsijee, happens to be the Acharya of this creed at present. The one and only one head or Acharya, the one and only one type of conduct, and the one and only one constitution is the speciality of the said creed.
The holy time-passing (and sermons, meditations etc.) for all the four months of monsoon by saints-ladysaints are usually done at Jaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ladnu, Ajmer, Udaipur and Bikaner in Rajasthan, at Surat, Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Gandhidham, Bhuj and in addition to these, the main cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Gauhati, Hyderabad, Chennai or Madras, Bangalore, Ludhiana, and at Kathmandu in Nepal. At Ladnu, there is Jain university and degrees of M.A.Phil curriculums are possible. There are as good as 30 universities including Brahmi Vidyapeeth. There are stores of books and libraries at Ladnu, Kolkata and Chooru (known as Sardarsaher).
There are about 350 ‘Anuvrat' samitees, in which the shrawakas are engaged in five Anuvratas, three Gunavratas and four Sikshavratas. They try to get them observed. There are seven centres including at London and America. They are doing the work