Jain Journal 1977 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 32

JANUARY, 1977
103
of monastic rules and ascetic life might become adapted to socio-religious environmental changes in one way, 45 while other members became adapted in a different way46 so that two or more Sanghas, or ganas or gacchas might arise from a single original Sangha,47 e.g. there issued many branches or sub-gacchas from Kharataragaccha48 and Tapagaccha49 of the Svetambara Jainas, and from Mulasangha, 50 etc. of the Digambaras. There must be the geographical isolation to prevent commingling of Jaina Sanghas or ganas, gacchas, etc. to some extent. Really speaking, the evolution of Jaina Sangha took place by two processes mainly, viz. modifications of monastic rules and mutation of ascetic life and conduct in one or other:52 Variations of monastic rules and ascetic life resulting from some action of socio-religious environment on the developing embryonical Sangha called modifications are not inheritable and are not significated for evolution of Jaina Sangha, but variations arising from changes in the Jaina monastic order called mutations are raw materials for the evolution of Jaina Sangha.53
The evolution of Jaina Sangha took a new turn due to geographical isolation whereby groups of related Jaina Sanghas got separated in the process of history, e.g., Digambara and Svetambara Sanghas or Northern and Southern Jaina Sanghas got separated by some physical barriers, such as, mountain, river, desert, etc.54 But this geographical isolation
45 As for instance, the sub-divisions of Tapagaccha, such as, Vrddhaposalika Tapa
gaccha founded by Vijayacandra Suri, the pupil of Jagaccandra Suri, LaghuPosalika-Tapagaccha founded by Devendra Suri, etc. have become adapted to
socio-religious changes in one way. See Tapagaccha Pattavali. 46 As for instance the eleven branches of Kharataragaccha, viz. Madhakara Khara
tara gaccha, Rudrapalliya gaccha, Laghukharatara gaccha, Vegada Sakha and others, adapted socio-religious environmental changes in a different way. See
Kharataragaccha Pattavali. 47 There issued 13 sub-gacchas from Tapagaccha and 11 sub-gacchas from Khara
taragaccha. See Tapagaccha Pattavali and Kharataragaccha Pattavali for this purpose. See Kharataragaccha Pattavali. See Tapagaccha Pattavali. E.g., Mulasangha gave rise to Devagana, Senagana, etc. See Jain Silalekh Sangraha, Pt. III, p. 25. The local origin of some Jaina Sanghas with peculiar social environment of the place sometimes prevented them to mix up with other Jaina Sanghas outside their
arena. 52 Modifications of monastic rules and change in ascetic life and conduct sometimes
took place in Jaina Sanghas as historical necessity. There cannot take place any evolution in any institution without variation. The Missions of the Jaina Sangha or Sanghas spread gradually to the four quarters of India from the begining of the birth of Jaina-dharma upto the present day in different ages as evidenced from the literary and archaeological records.
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