Jaina Community a Social Survey

Author(s): Vilas Sangve
Publisher: Popular Book Depot Bombay

Page 80

Jaina Community-A Social Survey
practical view point) are not approved by the Digambaras in general as they consider that both the view points are of equal importance. However, the influence of Kanaji Svāmī is steadily increasing and Sonagadha town in Gujarat has become the central place of varied religious activities of Kānaji-panthis.22
Like Digambaras, the Svetambaras are also split up into following sub-sects :
(i) Pujerā or Mūrtipūjaka or Derāvāsi or Mandiramārgi.
(ii) Dhundiyā or Bistolā or Sthānakavāsi or Sadhumārgi. . (iii) Terapanthi.
The original stock is now known as Murtipujaka-Svetambaras as they are the thorough worshippers of idols. They offer fruits, flowers and saffron etc. to their idols and adorn them with rich clothes and ornaments. Their ascetics cover their mouth with strips of cloth while speaking, otherwise they keep them in their hands. Again their ascetics have no objection to wearing yellow clothes.
The Sthānakavasis do not believe in idol-worship at all. Their ascetics cover their mouths with strips of cloth for all the time and they do not use the cloth of yellow or any other colour (of course, except white ). The Sthānakavāsīs arose not directly from the Svetambaras but as reformers of an older reforming sect, viz., Lonkā sect. The Lonkā sect was founded in about 1474 A. D. by Lonkasaha, a rich and well-read merchant of Ahmedabad, and the main principle of this sect was not to practise idol-worship.23 Later on, some of the members of the Lorkā sect disapproved of the lives of their ascetics, declaring that they lived less strictly than Mahāvīra would have wished. A Lonkā sect layman, Viraji of Surat, received initiation as a Yati and won great admiration on account of the strictness of his life. Many pepole of the Lonkā sect joined this reformer and they took the name of Sthā nakavā si (i. e. those who do not live in temples but in Apăsara ) whilst their enemies called them Dhundhiyā (i. e. Searchers. This title has grown to be quite an honourable one )24. Except on the crucial point of idol worship, Sthānakavāsīs do not differ much from other Svetāmbara Jainas25 and nowadays they invariably call themselves as Svetambara Sthanakavāsis.26
It is interesting to note that the two non-idolatrous subsects -Taranapanthis among Digambaras and Sthanakavāsis among Śvetāṁbaras-came very late in the history of the Jaina Church