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because the Svetāmbaras had always enjoyed good and affectionate relations with the Yäpanīyas.
Moreover, Dr. Nagarajaiah has tried to show that the author of Harivansapurāņa, Punnāta Jinasena was also from the NeoDigambara tradition. Though he has agrees that the stories of Harivanśapurāņa are different in many ways from Digambara accounts of the stories, even then he is not ready to accept him (Punnāța Jinasena) belonging to the Yāpanīya tradition and ascribes him to the Neo-Digambara tradition. In support of his view he says that Harivansapurāņa has neither mention of woman-liberation (stri-mukti) nor intake of foods by Kevalins (kevali-bhukti). Therefore, his views are different from those held by the Śvetāmbara and the Yāpaniya traditions, and seem to be of Neo-Digambara. The 65th sarga of Harivansapurāņa, referred by Dr. Nagarajaiah mentions liberation of the followers of other faiths. This concept of liberation was accepted by the Svetāmbaras and the Yāpanīyas and not by Digambaras. Thus clear mention of liberation of Nārada, ordained as a Tāpasa by Harivanśapurāņa proves itself as a work of Yāpaniya tradition. If Dr. Nagarajaiah accepts the fact that the liberation of the Tāpasas was acceptable to the Neo-Digambaras, he will have to invariably accept the liberation of the clothed ascetics as well as the householders and the women also. In that case there would be no difference between the Yāpanīyas and the Neo-Digambaras. Actually, those whom he wishes to call by the name of Neo-Digambaras are Yāpanīyas only. Yāpaniyas do not belong to the Svetāmbara tradition but to Digambaras, because they support the unclothed monasticism. Yāpanīya branch of the Digambaras, being not different from the Digambaras, the origin, development and merger of this sect is related to the Digambara tradition only. Today, their literature, temples, and icons, etc. have been inherited the Digambara sect and it is surprising that why are they so reluctant to the Yāpanīyas and unnecessarily coining terms like Neo-Digambaras for them. Is it correct to call the
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