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The Working Model
313. bara, Dasă Śrimāli Sthānakavāsi, Lāda Śrimāli,Visā Poravāda, Visā Nemā, Dasā Narasingapurā, Visā Mevādā, Bhāvasāra Bāva. nagāma, Jaisavāla, Bannore, Dhākada, Bagheravāla, Saitavāla, etc., it is not that all have served their purpose of helping their castemembers. From the replies it appears that the institutions which are said to have served their purpose mostly belong to the wealthy subcastes like Cutchi Visā Osavāla, Dasā Srimāli svetāmbara, Dasā. Śrimāli Sthānakavāsi and Visā Mevādā, while those which have hardly served their purpose seem invariably to have been managed by the small and comparatively very poor castes or subcastes like Lāda Srimāli, Dasā Narasingapurā, Bhāvasāra Bāvanagāma, Bannore, Dhākada, Bagheravāla and Saitavāla. The same can be said about the question whether such institutions create separatist tendencies in the community or not. The relatively well-off castes. assert that these institutions do not necessarily create separatist tendencies while the other castes state that they undoubtedly help to create separatism at least to some extent. In this connection it seems to be the general consensus of opinion that such institutions foster the already created separatist tendency in the Jaina community. This separatism has gone so deep that some persons wish to maintain that there is no harm if separatism is. perpetuated between the Digambaras and the Svetāmbaras.
Regarding the proposal of removing the reserved character of these institutions it appears from the replies that in general the persons approve the idea of throwing the institutions open to all Jainas if thereby its aims and objects are not lost sight of. Even though this is desirable, still it is vehemently argued that it is not a practical proposition for various reasons. In the first place, it is stated that the funds at the disposal of these institutions put together are not sufficient to meet the needs of all Jainas. Secondly, it is not practicable so long as the caste structure remains unchanged. In small endogamous castes people are related to one another in a distinct manner and there is a natural tendency to help one's relatives. That is why the rich people do not wish to give donations to members outside the caste. Thirdly, it is maintained that this can be done on the basis of reciprocity. The reciprocal relations are difficult to achieve because there are many castes which are not financially well. Fourthly, it is asserted that it is a matter for all Jainas to come together and to take a common
