Jaina Religion Historical Journey of Evolution

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 76

62 Jaina Religion: Its Historical Journey of Evolution
exceptional circumstances. Infact, the normal path is only acelakatā.
The Acela tradition of Arya Śivabhūti in North India was described by Svetāmbaras as Botika (distorted). But later on this tradition came to be popularly known as the “Yāpanīya'. Because of its growth and spread in the region of cows it became known as Gopya-samgha. In the commentary (tikā) of : Saņdarśana-samuccaya Ācārya Gunaratna says that the terms Yāpyasargha and Yāpaniya-samgha are synonyms. The special features of Yāpaniya-samgha were (1) like the Svetāmbara tradition it recognized the Ardhamāgadhi Agamic literature like Sütrakrtānga, Acārānga, Uttarādhyayana, Daśavaikālika etc., which they got as inheritance (2) it accepted the liberation of sacelas (those with clothes), liberation of women, and even those who belonged to other faiths. It believed that the mention of clothes, bowls in the Agama literature was only in the context of sadhvis (nuns), and monks only in exceptional circumstances. On other hand, however, it laid emphasis on nakedness and disallowed clothes and bowls. Yāpanīya monks used to live naked and used to take meals only with hands (i.e. did not use begging bowls). Their ācāryas wrote many texts in Sauraseni Prakrit by taking stanzas from Agamas, which they got in