Jain Journal 1977 10

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

Page 33

Evolution of Jaina Sangha
J. C. SIKDAR
[from Vol. XI No. 3]
PART JI
The Living Evidences for Evolution of Jaina Sangha :
The fact that the characteristics of living Jaina Sanghas are such that they can be fitted into a hierarchical scheme of categories, such as, ganas, gacchas, kulas, sakhas, etc. can best be interpreted as indicating evolutionary relationship. If the categories or divisions of Jaina Sanghas, ganas or the classes of Jaina monks were not related by evolutionary descent, their monastic characters would be presented in a confused, random pattern and no such hierarchy of monastic forms could be established.
The basis of Jaina monastic unit is gana? or gaccha”, a community of closely similar individual monks who are alike in their ascetic life and monastic organic characters.
A community of Jaina monks spread over a wide territory may show local or regional difference which may be called sub-branches of Jaina Sangha. Many instances are known in which a gaccha is subdivided into a chain of sub-branches each of which has difference slightly from its neighbouring gacchas, but intercources with it, e.g. eleven
1 Since the antique past gana appears to be the first and foremost largest monastic
administrative unit of Jaina Sangha. See Samavayanga, p. 146 (Samanavacanakriya sadhusamudaya) and Sthananga comm. p. 516 a (Kulasamudaya) for the views of the commentators. Jaina Silalekha Samgraha, pt. III, Insc. No. 524, p. 371. It is found later on that the place of gana has gradually been taken by gaccha with the evolution of Jaina Sangha. Gaccha became more prominent than gana in the period of the Niryuktis (See Ogha-Niryukti, comm., p. 211a). According to the commentator gana was equated with gaccha in later days. (See Sthananga Sutra, comm., pp. 2415, 3316, etc.)