Outlines of Jainism

Author(s): S Gopalan
Publisher: Wiley Eastern Private Limited New Delhi

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JAINISM
teacher's taking care not to hurt anybody before his initiation. The Digambaras maintain that even during his parents' life-time and much against their wishes Mahāvīra took to renunciation.
In regard to source-books :
The Svetāmbaras maintain that the fourteen Purvas were lost and that the first eleven Angas are not extinct. The Digambaras believe that the Purvas as well as the Angas were lost. They refused to accept the achievements of the first Council which met under the leadership of Sthūlabhadra and, consequently the recasting of the Angas.
The lists of non-canonical works of the two sects differ considerably.
The Svetāmbaras did not allow laymen to read their scriptures, whereas the Digambaras permitted even the common man to have access to the sacred scriptures.
In regard to women :
The Svetāmbaras believed that a woman could become a Tīrthankara and so they allowed women into the ascetic order. The Digambaras did not allow women to join the Sangha and maintained that women could attain the Tīrthankara-status only after being born as men.
In regard to sub-divisions :
The Svetāmbaras were divided into the non-idol-worshipping (sthānakavāsi) and the idol-worshipping (deravāsi) groups. There were four main sub-divisions among the Digambaras: the kästhâsamgha, mūlasaṁgha, mathurasaṁgha and gopyasamgha. There were only minor differences. The fourth sub-division agreed with the Svetāmbaras in most respects.
In regard to ascetics :
The Svetāmbara ascetic is allowed to have fourteen possessions including his loin-cloth, shoulder-cloth, etc. He was allowed to