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250
Aspects of Brahmanical Influence on the Jaina Mythology
those three 73 "It is clear from the observation that Jinasena, like his Brahmanical predecessors, does not approve Pratiloma form of intercaste marriage
Jinasena's statement regarding the Anuloma form of intercaste marriage shows that during the period that form of marriage was considered to be a recognized form of matrimonial alliances And his permission to the members of the upper classes for marrying a Sūdra woman suggests that the practice, though strongly discouraged by the successors of Manu, was still in vogue However, the marriage of a Brahmana with a Sūdra woman was viewed as an uncommon occurrence of censurable nature This is implied by the term Kvacit occurring in the relevant verse noted above Besides, we also meet with passages wherein the author has laid particular stress on the preservation of lineal purity Thus, while defining Kula and Jätt, he remarks that "the purity of the father's lineage is called Kula and the purity of the mother's lineage is stated to be Jāti."'" Now, purity from both paternal and maternal sides is held to be a noble birth (Sajjali), whereupon a meritorious man acquires gradually excelling lineage (uditoditavamśatva) And in Jinasena's opinion only those families are to be considered to be pure (the members of) which have the right of being admitted to the initiation sacrament " Now, as noted before, the Sudras were not entitled to the different sacraments. This being the case, Jinasena, too, seems to suggest that a member of the twice born classes must avoid his marriage with a Sudra woman to preserve the purity of his family and class
73 शूद्रा शूद्रेण वोढव्या नान्या ता स्वा च नैगम |
वहत् स्वा ते च राजन्य स्वा द्विजन्मा क्वचिच्च ता ॥
शूद्रव भार्या शूद्रस्य सा च स्वा च विश. स्मृते । ते च स्वा चैव राज्ञश्च ताश्च स्वा चाग्रजन्मन. |
74 पितुरन्वयश द्धिर्या तत्कुल परिभाष्यते । मातुरन्वयश द्विस्तु जातिरित्यभिलप्यते ॥
75 Ibid, 89 84 76. Ibid, 89 83,
-AP 16 247, and compare
-Manu 3 13
-5
--MP 39-85
