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JAIN JOURNAL
Vol. XLI
No. 3 January
2007
HOW APPROPRIATE IS THE PROPOSITION OF NEO
DIGAMBARA SCHOOL ?
Prof. Sagarmal Jain
An anicle entitled "Neo-Digambara School by Dr. Hampa Nagarajaiah was published in the January, 2006 issue of Jain Journal. Generally, we all are acquainted with the Digumbara and Svetāmbaru sects of the Jainas. With the publication of some articles of respected Dr. Adinath Neminath Upadhye, Pt. Nathuramji Premi, etc. and the books -- Yūpnīva Paramparā Aur Uskā Sahitya by Dr. Pushpalata Jain and Jaina Dharma Kā Yapaniya Sampradāya by me the scholars and the knowledgeable sections of the Jainas are also well-acquainted with the Yāpaniya Sampradāvas as well. However, it resulted in the belief that most of the sacred works of the Digambara sect are now believed to be of the Yāpanīva tradition. As a result, a campaign seems to have started to prove these works to be of the Digambara tradition. Dr. Nagarajarah's article under review is also a link in the same chain. In this article, Dr. Hampa Nagarajaiah has proposed an imaginary Neo-Digambara sect and has tried to show that the works that are believed to be of the Yāpanīva tradition are actually of the NeoDigambara sect. Whether or not this imagination of his is based on any historical facts, is the subject-matter of this article.
As far as the Svetambara, Digambara and Yapaniva sects are concerned, there are ample literary and inscriptional proofs available from the Ancient and the Middle Ages. Much literary and inscriptional evidence regarding the Yapaniva sect dates back to the 5th to the 14th century A.D. My first question is, “Is there a single literary or inscriptional evidence available to support the existence of NeoDigambaras? If not, what is the basis of the truth of this imagination of Dr. Nagarajziah?” As far as I know, we also get the ancient
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