Cultural Study of Nisitha Curni

Author(s): Madhu Sen
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

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INTRODUCTORY
13.
punishment, i.e. the various transgressions leading to a specific punishment have been mentioned together. As such the Nišitha Sutra as well as its Cūrni may be divided under three sections : uddešakas 2-5 and 12-16 deal with Ugghaiya or mitigated punishment, uddeśakas 1 and 6 to 11 with Anugghaiya puni-. shment, udde.'aka 20 deals with Ārovan i punishment and mode of inflicting the various punishments.'
Though the treatment meted out to the subject-matter is exhaustive, yet it lacks a systematic form. The system of punishment being based upon a specific form of punishment led to a lot of repetition, as all the rules regarding one aspect of life could not be mentioned at a single place. The observer thus has to go through the entire encyclopaedic text in order to be acquainted with any particular aspect of life. To illustrate it further, the rules regarding food and clothing are given in almost all the uddeśakas; rules regarding utensils in udde-- śakas 1, 2, 5, 11, 14 and 16; rules which restrict a monk from anointing his body in uddeśakas 2, 3, 6, 7, 11 and 15; rules: regarding sayya and samstæraka in udde/akas 2 and 16 and those regarding maithuna have been described in the Pithika as well as in 1, 6 and 7 uddeśakas of the NC. This system misst have been convenient to those who had to award these punishments. However, to the students of cultural history it appears as a. medley of rules' mentioned in a haphazard way without any inter-connecting links. Quite rightly Prof. Schubring has observed, "in this disorderly contents of Niśitha the author has drawn attention to bring an order by introducing the system of threefold expiations or punishments”.2 However, the author has indeed succeeded in his aim of prescribing punishments for the specific faults and is regarded amongst the most authoritative theologians in the history of Jainism.
Apart from its religious significance, the NC. is invaluable due to its contribution to the field of Indian culture. A study of the following pages will clearly reveal that with a popular royal support the Jaina lawgivers gradually came in 1. NC. 2, pp. 67, 371; NC.3, p. 315. Also see—Kapadia, op. cit., pp. 149-50. 2. Schubring W., Drei Chedasūtras des Jaina-K anons-A yāradasão,
Vavahāra, Nisiha (1960).