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10
ETHICAL DOCTRINES IN JAINISM
of another Samgha known as Yāpaniya Samgha, which was started by Srikalasa at Kalyāņa after 205 years of Vikrama era (148 A.D.) The saints of the Yāpaniya school practised nudity like the Digambaras and believed in the liberation of women in conformity with the Svetāmbaras. Thus they may be called the reconcilers of the two major sects. Nowa-days the followers of this Samgha are not visible. According to Dr. UPADHYE, they either dwindled into extinction or merged themselves into the Digambara fold. 5-6) In course of time the saints deviated from the prescribed path of ascetic discipline. They started such practices as were having no scriptural support. Such saints began to be called Bhattārakas. These Bhattārakas went astray to such an extent as to endanger the purity of the discipline prescribed by the Digambara tradition. Consequently, in the seventeenth century A.D., Pandita Banārsīdāsa of Agra stood in opposition to the degenerating tendencies of the Bhattārakas, and gave rise to a Pantha called Terāpantha. Those who continued to remain the votaries of the Bhattārakas were called Bisapanthis. How these names of Teräpantha and Bisapantha came into vogue is a puzzling question. The Terapanthis do not regard the Bhattārakas as their Gurus. The rise of this Pantha gave a death blow to the prevalent tendencies of the Bhattārakas. Both the Terāpanthis and the Bisapanthis are idolatrous Digambaras. 7) In the sixteenth century A.D. Tāraņasvāmi* founded Samaiyāpantha. The followers of this Pantha are nonidolatrous Digambaras, and worship the texts of the canon. 8) In the eighteenth century A.D. Gumānirāma, the son of Pt. TODARMAL of Jaipur, founded Gumānapantha with a view to emphasising the importance of the purity of conduct. It may be pointed out here that these sects could not create any sharp social differences, and the adherents of these Panthas live quite harmoniously. In spite of so many movements in the history of Digambara church, the unity of the church could not much be jeopardized.
SECTS OF THE SVETĀMBARAS: We now proceed to deal with the sects of the Svetāmbaras. Though a large number of Gacchas originated in the idolatrous Svetāmbaras, they exhibit only gross differences of discipline and not any fundamental philosophical distinctions. Of the tradi
1 Ibid. p. 38-39. 3 Ibid. 5 Ibid.
2 Jaina Sahitya aura Itihasa, p. 493. 4 H.J. M., p. 448.
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