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PRABUDDHJEEVAN
MAY 2017
appropriate to a woman, a man, and a hermaphrodite feminine microbiology that is, so far as I can tell, unique respectively. However, they argued, these feelings in world literature. need not in all cases correspond to the biological According to the unanimous jaina view certain gender of the person who entertains them. Thus a portions of a woman's body, particularly orifices and person can, for example, be biologically and indentations such, as the genitals, the space between anatomically male (dravyapurusa) while at the same the breasts, the armpits, and the navel, give rise-to time emotionally or psychologically female (bhavastri). vast numbers of minute and subtle living organisms, The most elaborate formulation of this theory of sexuality known as aparyaptas. These creatures, sometimes independent of biology is given by Meghavijaya seen as arising specifically from menstrual and other (Chapter VI; #1-8), but it is addressed by most of the bodily fluids are, the argument goes, destroyed in vast writers either (for the Digambaras) as part of their numbers by, the ordinary activities of the woman whose demonstration of the impossibility of moksa for women body is their host and so she is seen as inevitably the or (for the Svetambaras) as part of the argument of agent of massive involuntary himsa, or injury to living their opponents. In both cases the issue is the beings. Moreover, it is thought that the activities of Digambara attempt to argue that where scripture these microscopic beings in the genitals are perceived appears to permit spiritual liberation for women is in by women as a sort of "itching" that can be relieved fact using the word "woman" in a secondary sense to only through intercourse. As a result of this, Digambara mean a biological male with the sexual orientation of a authors such as Kundakunda argue that a woman is, female, that is, a male homosexual. Nonetheless, the by virtue of her very anatomy, incapable of fully argumentation is intrinsically interesting and sheds adopting the-great vows incumbent on an aspirant to significant new light on the construction of human liberation for, as a consequence of her inevitable sexuality; in premodern socities.
infestation with these aparyaptas, she is, on the one But beyond even the elaborate and learned hand constantly violating the-cardinal Jaina precept of disputations summarized above, a reading of the Jaina ahimsa, or no injury to living beings, and, on the other, texts translated by jaini shows clearly that the never free from the sexual desires that block spiritual Digambaras principal argument against the liberation progress. of women rests on their perception of and profound Finally, the Digambaras attitudes concerning anxieties about the anatomy of the human female in women's reproductive physiology and alleged general and her reproductive systemic particular. As deficiencies in morality and self-discipline, must be one might expect, a good deal of the negative attitude seen as focused, upon the critical and defining feature. towards the female body in this strictly patriarchal of their monastic praxis nudity. For it is the Digambara system is focused upon the phenomenon of requirement that a true mendicant must abandon menstruation. Thus Meghavijaya, representing the clothing hat, with this doctrinal question of women's Digambara position, remarks that she has an impure capacity for spiritual liberation, most clearly and bitterly body as is evident from the flow of menstrual blood divides the two major sectarian traditions of Jainism. each month." He goes on to reinforce the sense of Both sects agree that there can be no question of women disgust this causes him by quoting Kundakunda and adopting nudity for a variety of reasons ranging from the Bhatrhari verse cited above. This sort of negative the supposed revulsion the - sight of naked (and focus or taboo on menstruation has been widely possibly - menstruating) women would arouse to the observed in many traditional cultures both in India and inevitability of their provoking and living with a constant elsewhere. The Jaina texts, however, take patrjarchal fear of sexual attack that would, in any case, be inimical anxiey and phobic representation of the female body to the peace of mind necessary for the true "spiritual and its natural processes to heights almost unknown path". Moreover, the Digambaras argue, women are elsewhere. For in additional to their revulsion for the more given to feelings of shame and modesty than are actual reproductive organs and processes of women, men and could never overcome them sufficiently to the Jaina authors have created an entirely imaginary wander publicly in the nude.
