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44
Some Aspects of Indian Culture
Costhā-Māhila was Heretic No 7. He differed from the principle, laid down in the Agamas, that the Karmic particle gets intertwined with every pradeśa of the soul as well as from the rule that the pratyākhyāna was to be observed till the end of the life of a Muktātmā and not affer as he had nothing to atone for due to his final release. He openly preached that the Karmic particle stuck to the upper surface of the soul exactly in the manner of the skin of the serpent and the pratyakhyana should be practised irrespective of any timelimit whatsoever whether one is a Mukta or not. The Acārya produced many proofs and pramānas to wean him from his views. But it was of no avail. He was so intelligently cunning that he interpreted Mahāviras uiterences and pronouncements so as to suit and validate his own beliefs. Therefore, the arbitration through a goddess was sought of Simandhara Swāmi who gave a verdict completely against Gosthā Mahila. When the latter knew this, went to the length of declaring that he was not bound by it and decided more firmly to have his own way. This forfeited his membership of the Gaccha. He remained a heretic throughout his life.
These were the seven Heretics. The first two of them sprang up during the life-time of Mahavira himself and the remaining five after his Nirvāna They differed in one or two principles only and therefore they were called Desa- visaṁvādı. But they were "Heretics" no doubt. Boţika Nihpava 9 which gave rise to the Digambara Sect was Sarva-Visamvādi and a type by itself, The seven Heretics were so to say the leaders of the Opposition Parties with varying denominations under one and the same Government while the Botika Nihnava was a different Government altogether and hence I have excluded it from my survey.
Note
1 Thătanga, Agamodaya Samiti, thara, 7. Ogha Niryukti Bhāşya, Aga modaya Samiti, Ghāthá-40
Vi'seşavasyaka Bhāşya, gāthi -2299. 2 Schubring's Die Lehre der Jainas, English rendering by Wolfgang Beurlen. Ist Edition, 1962,
page-33. 3 Bhagavati Sūtra, Agamodaya Samiti, 1; 1; 1. For details also see Khanda 1; Sataka 9; uddesaka
33 of the same Sūtra. 4 Viseşāvasyaka Bhāşya, gātha 2301. 5 Sanmati Tarka, Eng. trans. by Gopani and Athavale, Pub. Shri Jain Śwetāmbera Education
Board, Bombay-3, 1939; page 8. 6 Viseşāvasyaka Bhāşya, gātha 2388. 7 Sanmati Tarka, Eng trans. by Gopani aud Athavale, pp. 6-7 8 Schubring op. cit, p. 15. 9 Schubring op. cit., page 50
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