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Jaina Acara: Siddhanta aura Swarupa
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in collecting necessary implements and in lending a helping hand. He must be known as a person of blameless character. He must have a clear understanding of at least Sthananga and Samavāyānga.
The experience required for an Acarya is of five years but three years for an Upadhyaya. No experience is required for 'ganadhara'. Those who are appointed to these posts are brilliant, imposing and impressive. Vyavahārasūtra says that in special circumstances the condition of experience as an initiated ascetic may be waived altogether. This however,applies to one who has had long experience but was expelled for some reason and later reinitiated. Such a one may hold the highest office provided he has the confidence of the Order. He must be from a decent family. Then alone he will be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility that must thus devolve on him.
If some hermit should have studied Acaranga and Nisitha even partially but expresses his determination to read them and other scriptures in full, he may be offered such post provided he otherwise eminently good. None can be appointed to high posts without his being pure-hearted. He who violates the fourth vow will be a disgrace to the Order. So also he who interprets holy texts in a perverted manner. Vyavaharasutra says that because of being involved in administrative duties, if some mendicant has neglected his study, he may be released for a period to enable him to devote whole time to studies. Health and patience have been considered necessary. for such fresh beginning.
The Acarya and Upadhyāya are necessarily busy attending to religious sermons, satisfying the curiosity of the laity from time to time, inspecting the collected alms, listening to confessions and prescribing expiations therefore, meeting the challenge of disputants for the glory of the Order, treating different kinds of hermits, some of them old, some others sick and leaving little time to study ninth and tenth parvas for example. To improve things even high dignitaries with a couple of hermits should move out to a secluded corner to make up for the lost studies.
All these posts were not created at one go. There have been additions and alterations with the ever-widening expansion of the Order.For want of some appointments a single person had to do the job of many.
There used to be some specialists and dedicated souls in their unsullied state. They were called Ratnika ever willing to do all work. They were observers of vows, attentive in listening to the exposition of holy books having long experience given to penance, speaking little and the like. The Acarya and Upadhyaya looked after nuns as well through some senior nuns. Such references are there. The most important status was that of a Pravartini who used to be respected as much as the head himself. She must have had eight years' unblemished record. A pure-hearted nun, expert in
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