________________
316
Caste or sub-caste
Visā Osavāla
Visā Srimāli
Chaturtha
Vaiśya ( Nāināra
Sex
Males
Females
Males
Females
Males
Females
Males Females
Jaina Community-A Social Survey
Some foreign language 10% 2%
20%
.5%
2%
Regional
language
90%
33%
80%
60
10
2 80%
10
0
nil
5%
nil
18. RELIGIOUS SANCTION TO CASTES
Caste system is a universal feature in the Jaina community. By this system the community has been divided and sub-divided into small sections and efforts are made to perpetuate these divisions and sub-divisions. When caste is rooted so much in the social organisation of Jainas, it is likely to give impression that the caste system as it exists at present might have been ordained by religion and it might have descended from very ancient times. With a view to ascertain the correctness of this impression, the question number 19 was asked and it will be observed from the replies that with eight exceptions all the rest maintain that there is no religious sanction to these castes. It is considered that the castes are purely social bodies which have come into existence due to the exigencies of time and due to close association with the Hindus. Jaina religion is essentially a religion for the individual's spiritual upliftment and as such it is argued that Jainism has nothing to do with social organisations like castes which are based on purely social rather than on spiritual or religious distinctions. As Jainism does not enjoin the caste system, naturally the latter did not exist in the ancient Jaina community. It has been very emphatically stated by eminent Jaina research scholars that the castes, which are found in the Jaina community at present, appear to have come into existence after the 10th century A. D. because the Jaina books prior to the 10th century A. D. do not at all refer to these castes. Thus in general it can be stated that these castes are not sanctioned by religion and they never existed in the ancient Jaina community in their present form. The few persons who do not agree with this general view do not quote authorities in support of their statements. Only three such authorities have been put forward and these are Jñati-Jayamālā, Jinasamhita and Trivarnika
