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country of Barbara, where she was enticed and tempted 10 accept the profession of a prostitute But she rejected the offer vehemently and remained steadfast in carrying out her pursuit
According to Jaina tradition, Rsabhadeva, first Tirthankara, is said to have been the first to create an institute of marriage, so that the patriarch was able to maintain the continuity of race It has been stated that when Aristanemi, the twenty-second Tirthankara was going to relinquish the world, he was cited the example of Rsabha and other Tirthankaras, who enjoyed the married life, raised childern, gave charity to poor, ruled over the carth for the welfare of people, and then at the end, joined the ascetic order
Women are condemned in all ascetic religions and Jainism is no exception In the Agadadatta story narrated in the Vasudevahindi after listening to the condemnation of women by a Jina monk, Dhamila questioned the monk, "O reverved onc, all women are not of the same nature, there must have been women of character and integrity "Thcrcon the monk narrated the story of Dhanasri, a woman of strong character, who remained virtuous for a long period of twelve years without her husband
It appears that as Mahavira did not make any distinction in his preaching to man and woman, the later Jaina writers could not reconcile with the view of women's condemnation with his tcachings The commentator Bhadrabahu while commenting on the Suyagadanga-Nijjutti has noted that as far as the violation of rules of chastity is concerned, men and women both are to be blamed cqually The reason of the fall of men from moral virtue depends on their moral strength and not on women As a man, on account of infirmity of moral virtuc, falters by coming into contact with women, so is the case with women who slip from their virtuc by coming into contact with men Such a failure is duc to the weakness of mind and not due to women Acarya Sivakoti, the author of the Bhagavati Aradhana, has affirmed, "The faults which are indicated in women are also noticed in vicious men, or in larger quantity in those who are more powerful As women are condemned by virtuous men, so men are equally condemned by women of virtuc As meritorious women are well-renowned in the world, so is the case with meritorious men The women, who have generated the personalities like a Tirthanhara, a Vasudeva, a Baladeva and a Ganadhara are highly adorned by divine beings and excellent people A s a matter of fact, one gets debased by one's own delusion (Moha) which is common to both men and women ”
It is interesting to note that the Yapanıya sect of Jainas originated in the soil of South India, which is regarded as the stronghold of women The sect came into being more or less at the time of bifurcation of the Digambara and the Svetambara sects towards the end of the Ist century of Christian era The renowned grammarian Sakatayana, the head of the Yapanıya sangha of his time, in his treatise entitled Strimukti-Kevalıbhukti-prakarana, has maintained the view of
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