Jain Journal 2008 04 No 04

SR No.: 520270
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publication Year: 2008
Total Pages: 46
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, India_Jain Journal, & India
File Size: 3 MB

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JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XLII, NO.4 APRIL 2008
outdoor and indoor games. Besides the rich people there was a "middle class” also who used to live on a standard suited to their professions.'"
As far as Hemacandra's record in the Kumārapālacarita is concerned, it can be guessed that there were four castes (caturvarna) at the time of Kumārapāla. These castes were Brāhmaṇa, Ksatriya, Vaisya and Sūdra (I. 183 ; II. 2). But Hemacandra has used different names for them. For brāhmin Hemacandra used dvija, kșatra for ksatriya, viț for vaisya and sūdra for sūdras. This caste system is still prevalent among the Digambara Jains in the South. At the time of Kumārapāla all these castes used to enjoy their rights in the usual way.
Apart from these four castes, there were other tribes also in his time. These tribes were Ābhira (xv. 85), Kirāta (xiv. 23), Candāla (iv. 38) Jangala (xviii. 71), Nişāda (v. 50), Bhilla (1 - 179), Takka (I. 54), Māheya (xvi. 6) and Khasa (vi. 26). Besides these tribes, some other foreign tribes are also mentioned. These are Cina (viii. 58), Barbara (viii. 58), Mleccha (iv, 38), Turuska and Huņas (vii. 102). The mention of these tribes shows that at the time of Kumārapāla, Indian society was heterogeneous, and each one has a part to play in the society. Hemacandra has not said specially anything for the Jainas.
The education system at the time of Kumārapāla was something different. But we can believe that a sort of primary and secondary education existed. The kings used to encourage such education by granting lands or money to different monasteries, individual saints andāśramas. The name of the educational institution is Vidyāmatha (1.7). There is a Gurukula system and students, both boys and girls, used to reside in Gurukulas and studied various branches of learning (xv. 37). All the Vidyāmathas were patronized by the kings (xv. 120 - 121). In the Vidyāmathas the teachers were the sādhus or gurus. The students were normally asked to learn by heart (I. 66), There were discourses among students (I. 43). The teachers were highly respected (I. 33).
The languages prevalent at the time of Kumārapāla were mainly Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhrañsa and Pali. It should be noted that it
1.
S.R. Banerjee, Prolegomena to Prakritica et Jainica, The Asiatic Society, Calcutta, 2005, p. 189.