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Celibacy and Chastity
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tent, and are much lax. No rigidity is found that a Kștriya should marry a Kșatriya and a Brāhmaṇa should marry a Brāhmaṇa only. Gajasukumāra (Kșşņa's younger brother) was married to a Somil's (Brāhmaṇa) daughter, and Mahăvira's daughter Darsana was married to his own nephew named Jamāli. All this discription, however, should not be understood as a positive assertion of the institution of marriage as a religious institution; this simply intends to show that marriage as a lower code of conduct does have its due place in the Jaina system.
The notable difference in the Brāhmaṇical systems on the one hand, and Jaina system on the other, lies in the contrary bases of marriage in the two trends. In Jainism the basis of the institution of marriage does not lie in giving birth to a male child or in the propagation of race or in the establishment of an ideal type of household as suggested by the Brāhmanical systems. As has been seen, the valuable achievement for all could only be nivștti and not pravrtti. It means giving up of all desires-instinctive desires such as sex, as well as attachment to the race and the family. The aim of the householder should be not to commit himslf to any of these desires. and to have the least sense pleasure and the least family attachment. The basis of marriage is simply the incapability of ordinary people of observing complete celibacy like monks. Here a significant example of a married couple) can be cited, who observed complete celibacy like that of the monks, ever since the two were married till their death. This remains an ideal for every Jaina householder. Before marriage both the boy called Vijaya and the girl called Vijayā happened to visit a well known monk who had come in their town. On listening to his exhortation, the girl took the vow of observing celibacy for every fortnight after the full moon; accidently, the boy, after being impressed by the teachings of the monk,
1. Vairāgya Mañjari-Story of Vijay and Vijayā.
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