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Jaina Community - A Social Survey
view to avoid eternal damnation in hell after his death. . According to Hindus, there is an intimate connection between marriage and the ultimate object in life, viz., Moksha. As marriage has something to do with the emancipation of soul, marriage and religion are very closely connected with one another in Hindu society. Thus, the institution of marriage among Hindus loses its entirely social character, gets mixed up with religious behaviour of the people and becomes a religious act as such.
In the Jaina religion, on the contrary, marriage is not treated as a religious duty but is considered as a purely social act. It is regarded more in the nature of a civil contract than of a religious ceremony. Its object is to maintain the continuity of human race and not to obtain salvation by securing male offspring. Marriages are entered into for purely practical reasons and religion has nothing to order in this respect. It is not ordained in Jaina religion to marry for emancipation of soul. Marriage is not concerned with life hereafter. When no offerings are to be made to the forefathers, the question of discharging obligations due to departed ancestors does not arise. Jaina-scriptures do not lay down elaborate rules and regulations regarding marriage. Marriage is completely based on customs of people designed to adjust the life of persons in this world as it is not concerned with the happiness of persons hereafter. If marriage among Jainas would have been based on their Āgamas (i. e., basic religious books ), it would have been practically the same throughout many centuries and there would not have been a great diversity of customs regarding various aspects of marriage throughout the country. Since marriage practices of Jainas differ to a considerable extent, it is clear that the institution of marriage is based on local customs and not on holy scriptures. 10 From this it need not be inferred that the Jaina holy books do not refer to marriage at all. They do discuss the subject of marriage but in this respect their basic stand is that a lawful wife is necessary for a man for the successful completion of his house-holder's life. They do not prescribe any rules regarding the matters like her age, qualifications, gotra, caste, race, etc., as these are based on local customs. There is practically little relation between marriage customs and Jaina scriptures. It is true that sometimes we notice that in Jaina books while narrating particular events, references are made and opinions
