ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 451

and Punjab regions, but one comes across them on all the main roads. It is a unique monastic tradition in India as Hindu religious traditions have no female monasticism. There have been a few isolated cases of holy women leading an ascetical life, but not a monastic tradition. The Buddhist nuns began at a later period than the Jaina nuns; they quickly disappeared from India, and the original tradition was considerably modified according to time and place.
The Jaina woman ascetics are seen as articulate and vital representatives of the religious order; and the laity considers interaction with them a great honour. Recently MrgaVati (Swetambara murtipujak), crya Chandana (Swetambara shankavasi) and Aryika Gyna Mati (Digambaras) assume even more influential positions in their respective communities than male c ryas. This age old practice of sadhvis induces a significant bounding between themselves and those who feel privileged to be able to provide the rudiments of worldly sustenance to them in exchange of a consistent and continuous flow of spiritual sustenance.
The motivations for joining the ascetic life can be varied. In Jainism a high premium is given to the very idea of renunciation and the ascetic life as the path of salvation, especially in the upbringing of the female child. The woman ascetics, the sadhvis or the aryikas, who have renounced their personal materialistic, desires so as to achieve a common goal of lasting peace is worthy to be given a very special place. Because it is on her gentle yet energetic shoulders that rests the hope of humanizing a society that has forgotten to be self-reliant in the real spiritual sense, despite its economic and political power.
References
Hinduism and Women: Hindu view on the Woman. www.hinduwebsite.com
www.jainheritagecentres.com/census2001/censusindex.htm
Social engagements of Jains by Shugan C Jain ISJS Study Notes version 3.0
Jain women ascetics' tradition; PhD thesis by Dr K. Majumdar.
Suggested readings
Babb, Lawrence A. 1998. Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
Desai, Kumarpal. 1987. "Women in Jainism" in N. K. Singhi, Ideal, Ideology and Practice. Jaipur: Printwell Publisher.
Jaini, Padmanabh S. 1992. Gender and Salvation: Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal.
Ramaswamy, Vijaya. 1997. Walking Naked: Women, Society, Spirituality in South India. Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Study.
Shanta, N. 1997. The Unknown Pilgrims: The Voice of Sadhvis: The History, Spirituality and Life of the Jaina Women Ascetics. (Translated from French by Mary Rogers). Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications. (French title: La voice jaina, 1985).
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0