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Epilogue
411
But the main question is whether the Jainas are in a position to preserve themselves as a separate social group. The conditions existing in the Jaina community at present are not helpful at all for prolonging the life of the community. In the first place it is a very small community. Its population according to 1971 census is about 26 lacs while the total population of India is more than 54 crores, which means that there are about 47 Jainas per 10,000 of the total population of India. This number is also gradually declining. The proportion of Jainas to the total popu. lation of India in 1881 was 48 to 10,000. Again, this small population is not concentrated in some place or area but is distributed over different parts of the country. The Jainas have permanentl settled in those parts for the last so many centuries and some migration of Jaina population for trade and other purposes did take place during the last days of the Mughal period and the early days of the British period. As the Jainas are permanent residents of all parts of the country, the problem of their common organisation becomes obviously difficult. The Jainas are not only split up into tiny sections geographically but also on religious and social grounds. The religious divisions of sects and sub-sects and the social divisions of castes and sub-castes are so much respected that these divisions have created virtual barriers and have considerably lessened the social intercourse among the Jainas. The worst effects of these divisions are witnessed in the field of marriage. While contracting marriages all the three types of divisions, viz., territory, sect or sub-sect and caste or sub-caste, are invariably taken into account. Among other things this system has resulted in checking the growth of population and has undermined the strength of the community as it gives rise to constant factions between the various divisions. It means that in the interest of preserving the existence of the community the present system of reducing the community into very small sections, which do not practically maintain any social relations among them, must be discarded without delay.
The question then arises as to what new type of social organisation should be evolved so that the growth of the community may be assured. For this prpose various measures have already been suggested. It has been specially pointed out that on religious grounds no restrictions should be put on the social relations of the
