Jain Legend Vol 3

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

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proclamations. They further realized that the growth, longevity and prosperity of Jain religion are directly proportional to the attraction, involvement and practice of the religion by female devotees. They thus firmly concluded that the women can be more helpful and instrumental than men in making the very foundations of the religion stronger and preaching the same. After cognizing this truth, they adopted the vet mbara tenet 'Str m tadbhave mok h' i.e. women can attain liberation in the same life. Hence they vigorously started preaching this in all their discourses in cities and villages across the country.
They said, 'Women are not non living beings. Nor they are desolate (abhavya). Nor do they oppose philosophy. They are also not born from a different womb than men. They are thus an integral part of humanity. They are also not a product of alien. They are neither also of limited life duration nor with low intellect. They are also not of the nature of not being able to suppress the delusion. Or they are also not the one who cannot practice right conduct. They also do not use impure language nor are they incapable of practicing a profession. Women are not opposed to ap rvakara a and devoid of nine stages of spiritual purification. Similarly women are capable of attaining supreme powers. Further they do not promote ill of others. Endowed with the basic necessities for attaining liberation, why can't women practice the true path and attain liberation? That is, they can attain liberation. Definitely like men, they can also attain liberation in the same life.'
Such proclamations, by Y pan ya congregation in southern India, resulted in mass attraction of devotees towards them and they became a very powerful and popular Jain congregation there. The disinterest and distress amongst women devotees of Jainism caused by Digambara c ryas was totally eliminated by the Y pan ya congregation's proclamations 'Str m tadbhave mok ah'. Enthused by such proclamations, the women devotees henceforth started vigorously participating religious practices, organizations and rituals as proclaimed by cryas, monks (male and female) of Y pan ya congregation. They started not only participating actively but contributing their time, money and knowledge for the reestablishment and improvisation of pilgrimage places, temples and even building new ones.
Further Y pan ya congregation assigned the task of administering the female fold of their congregation to scholarly and influential rama s
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