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Chapter 5
The Preceptors
The Nirgrantha creed has its
political order, methodically
maintained in the canonical texts and in inscriptions. This traditionally preserved chronological list of the religious teachers, more or less, is in confirmity with the available historical data. Jaina preceptors are called as Śramaņas (Sanskrit), Samaņa or Savaņa (Prakrit), Yati, muni and rși. In hundreds of inscriptions, the term sși is invariably refers to a Jain saint. Some of these monks were rāja-gurus, royal teachers and mandalācāryas, the abbots of a greater diocese, in which case such ascetics would be introduced with the epithet mandalācārya of so and so.
These pontiffs had their individual and some times traditional titles, occasionally distinguishing prefixes or suffixes that speak of each preceptors monastic status, erudition and achievement. The bhattārakas had the title Jagadguru, teacher of the world [EC. Il (R) 476 (345) A.D. 1159. line: 38]. The word Jagadguru, as an epithet is men
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