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Jaina Community - A Social Survey
naire was sent to persons following different avocations and professions, the persons in specific occupations and professions only have sent their replies. Out of 154 persons who have sent their replies, 47 are from the legal profession including pleaders, solicitors, barristers and Judges, 28 are from teaching profession including school teachers, college professors, Šāstrīs and research scholars, 25 are businessmen, 21 are doctors, 19 are in different services, mainly Government and business service, 5 are editors, 5 are social workers, 2 are landlords and 2 are engineers. From this it is evident that the well--educated persons in various lines have cared more to send their replies than the business men who by far form the largest proportion of Jaina population. Besides, it appears that the Jainas seem to prefer the legal, teaching and medical professions to other professions.
4. SECTS AND SUB-SECTS The question No. 4 asked the information about sect and sub-sect of the person concerned. Among 154 persons who have replied to the questionnaire,84 and 46 belong to the main Digambara and Śvetāmbara sects of Jainism respectively, while 22 and 2 belong to the Sthānakavāsī and Terā panthi sub-sects of the main Svetāmbara sect respectively. The replies of the Digambaras are by a great majority from the South India, Karnataka, Mahārashtra and Central India, while those of the Svetāmbaras are from Gujarātha and Bombay and those of the Sthānakavāsis are from Rajasthāna; and this is quite in accordance with the concentration of the main sects and sub-sects of Jainas in the different parts of India.
5. GOTRA
The question No. 5 was concerned with the Gotra or any other division which is considered for marriage purposes. From the replies received it is abundantly clear that there is a great divergence in the observance of the gotra system among the Digambara and Svetām bara Jainas. The names of gotras mentioned by the Digambara Jainas from the different parts of India are as follows : Western India and Bombay City :
Lākki, Atreya, Vāmulla, Kāšava, Nāgara, Bhärilla, Koņdala, and Hadasola.
