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JAIN DIGEST .. May 2011
monks drink ash-filtered water. Digamber responsibility of practicing and propagating monks also use filtered water.
adhyatmic life and uplifting society through religion 10) Jain monks after initiation do not cut their hair and education. Bhattarakas are expected to follow
or shave their heads; nor do they get these the full Nirgranth sadhu stage at the terminal stage things done by a barber. However, twice a of his life. year or at least once a year, they pluck off
Any change or reform in religious traditions is their hair or they get the hair plucked by
bound to attract criticism and the Bhattarak others. This is called Keshlochan or Loch. This movement has also received its fair share of way they are not dependent on others to carry
criticism. Regardless of these censures, one
criticism Regardless of these censure out their needs. It is also considered as one
cannot deny that the Bhattarakas have not only kind of austerity where one bares the pain of served the cause of Jain dharma immensely but plucking of the hair calmly.
they have saved dharma from sinking down during 11) Sadhus do not touch any females, while
the pre-patta period of Digamberism, i.e. roughly sadhavis do not touch any males.
during the two centuries before the Turkish 12) In addition a monk is required daily practice of: conquest of Northern India. Bhattarakas • Samayika - a compulsory 48 minute self- Sakalakirti Shubhachandra, Prabhachandra and study, meditation, chanting, etc.
Gyanabhushana have also been named as great Pratikraman - a prayer for atoning for sins Jain scholars. Sri Charukeerthi Bhattarak committed knowingly or unknowingly and Pattacharyavarya Swamiji, the present pontiff of confessing them before the preceptors and Shravanabelagola stands as the main propagator of asking for forgiveness from them. This is of religion since assuming the peetha in 1969. normally performed twice a day.
Upadhyayas The Bhattarak tradition
This title is given to those sadhus who have The Bhattarak tradition mainly found among the acquired a special knowledge of the Jain canons Bispanthi sub-sect of Digambers, most likely and philosophical systems. They teach Jain started around 1100 AD. Its primary purpose was scriptures to sadhus and sadhvis. While to take cognizance of Shravaks to lead them understanding the scripture an Upadhyay needs to through right path of Dharma. The term Bhattarak continue to meditate and concentrate upon the is used to imply - the most honored. Bhattarakas nature of the self soul) and understand the true are mainly responsible for the religious preaching meaning of the shastras. This tradition and propagation. The early, Bhattarak followed the Upadhyavas is rigorously followed in the practice of nudity and possessed only a Morpichhi Digamber tradition, but not that much prevalent in (peacock feathers broom) and a Kamandal (small the Shwetamber tradition. wooden pot for water). It was during the 14th century, the reign of Firoz
Tribute to the Acharyas Shah Tughlug, that the tradition of Bhattarak was The survival of Jains, though as a minority formally defined. It was also during this period that community, for the last so many centuries in IndiaBhattarak gave up the practice of nudity out of the can be safely attributed to a great extent to the necessity to interact extensively in King's courts. glorious and continuous tradition of Jain saints. The role of Bhattarak was to lead the life pattern of They never attempted to lead a solitary life in a Rajaguru with all the paraphernalia: royal honors isolation from others. On the contrary, these saints and privileges. They personify sacrifice, learning led by their Acharyas have always tried to capacity, literary interest and exhibit great
preserve contacts with the general masses so as organizational abilities. The organization of
to encourage them to lead a religious life. Their religious conferences, collecting and publishing contribution goes a lot beyond the day-to-day religious works, protecting classic works of the religious activities. They have contributed to logic, religion, and maintaining important temples and mathematics, language, literature, architecture, holy places are the duties rested with them. They ethics, culture, metaphysics, and propounding evince keen interest in the development of art spiritualism that extends traditional religious literature, architecture and sculpture and also the boundaries. At the core of all Acharya's thinking is performing arts such as music, dance or drama. the message of the Tirthankar and secret of their However, the primary purpose of Bhattarak is the strength is their own soul taking inspiration their
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