Schools and Sects in Jaina Literature

Author(s): Amulyachandra Sen
Publisher: Vishwa Bharati Calcutta

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SCHOOLS AND SECTS IN JAINA LITERATURE
Bhikkhondas. They would eat nothing except what has been obtained as alms and would not take milk unless it had been milked by another.
Hamsas. They lived in mountain caves, roads, hermitages, temples and gardens and entered a village only for begging alms.
Paramahamsas. They lived on river banks, the confluence of streams and wore discarded clothes and rags.
Besides these there are mentions of mendicants who worshipped Nārāyaṇa ; of eight Brahmanical mendicants named Kanha, Karakanda, Ambada, Parāsara, Kaņha, Dīvāyana Devagutta and Nāraya ; of eight Ksatriya mendicants named Silai, Sasihāra, Naggai, Bhaggai, Vidcha, Rāyarāya, Rāyarāma and Bala ; of Samkhas (Samkhyas), Jois (Yogins), Kavilas, Bhiuccas (disciples of Kapila and Bhțgu) ; of those who practised penances in the sun or surrounded by fire ; of ascetics who practised austerities with an arm uplifted 21 ; of mendicants in Vajjabhūmi who ate rough food and carried a staff with them"22 ; of the six Disāyāras named Sāņa, Kalanda Kaniyāra, AcchiddaAggivesayaņa, Ajjuna and Gomāyuputta123
The texts mention only the names of these sects of ascetics but give no other details. The little information which is collected here is from the remarks of commentators. It is apparent that the information supplied by the latter is not full, but nothing more is available.
II. THE SECT OF PARSVA. The sect of Pārśva came to be amalgamated with the Nirgranthas. A discussion once took place between Goyama, the chief disciple of Mahāvīra and Udaka, a follower of Pārsva, on whether a movable being is to be called a movable being or beings which are for the time being movable. Udaka went on to argue that one who took the vow of abstention from killing one class of animals abstained in fact from killing all classes of animals, for the same being who was now born in one class may be born in other classes as well, and beings which are outside the class now may come later on into the class. To this Goyama replied at length pointing out its incorrectness on the ground that as the vow of not killing an ascetic is not broken by one who kills a man who used to be an ascetic but is no longer so, in the same way all classes cannot be brought within one class124.
131 Bhag. 15.543 122 Acar. S.1.8.3.5. 128 Bhag. 15.539 124 Sūt. s. II. vii. 14.