Jaina System of Education

Author(s): Debendra Chandra Das Gupta
Publisher: Bharti Mahavidyalaya

Page 63

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to the extent of persuading the members of the softer sex to give up a life of luxury and ease in favour of a life of stern asceticism because the latter leads to emancipation Aggimitta was converted in the presence of Lord Mahāvīra in the Sahassambavana garden in the town of Polaspura
52
We do not have detailed account regarding the Jaina nunneries in the different parts of India Happily for us the Kalpasūtra has recorded statistical account of the activities of Brāhmīsundarī, Āryayaksını, Puspakŭlā and Candrabālā and Salasă Revati the five nuns under the leadership of Arhat Rsabha, Aristanemi, Parsva and Mahāvīra respectively Even making allowance for exaggeration if any, we can safely conclude from the statistical account given below that the nuns were very numerous numbering 378,000, and 12,170,00 female votaries and 45,000 female disciples who had reached perfection We give below the statistical table prepared from the pages of Kalpasūtra
3
(1)
(3)
(2) (1) The Arhat 300 0CO 554,000 female lay
uuns
Rsabha, the Kosalian had under him nun Brahmisundari as head of the community of
votaries with Subhadra at then head
(II) Arahat Aris- 40,000 tanemi had under him 111111 Arya
nuns
Yaksını as head
of the community
of
LECTURE V
336,000 female lay votaries with Mahäsuvrata at their head
(III) Arhat Parsva 38,000 327,000 female lay him nuns
had under
votaries with Su
nandā at their
head
nun Puspakula as
head of the com
munity of
52 Uvasagadasão, vol ini, p 140, para II
53 Kalpasütia, vol I, t by Heimann Jacobi, p 284
7
40,000 female disciples who had reached perfec
tion.
3,000 female disciples who had reached perfection.
2,00) female disciples who reached perfection.