Book Title: Studies in Jainism
Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
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STUDIES IN JAINISM Tirthankaras made it clearly- known that there was only one class of men25 and that there was no difference between man and man.26 The divisions into Brāhmana, Ksatriya, Vaisya and Śūdra were simply to facilitate the earning of livelihood.
Marriage afterwards But in later times the circumstances changed and with that the custom of marriage also changed. The next earliest law-giver is Śri Jinasenācārya. He enjoined upon the Jainas to follow the marriage rule in the Anuloma form, i. e., a Brāhmaṇa may marry in all the four vamas, but the Ksatriya, Vaisya, and Śūdra in their own and in that which is lower than theirs.27 This shows that, even in the early centuries of the Christian era, the field of marriage was not so limited, 28 and the girls of Sūdras and Dāsas were accepted by the men of higher classes, as is evident from the Jaina Law books on Partition etc.29 But it seems that the things were changed when the Muhammadan conquests began. The Śūdras and Dāsas were discarded. Only the upper three classes - Brāhmaṇa, Ksatriya and Vaiśya were allowed to marry between themselves.
Later on the field of marriage was further restricted. With the advent of the Muhammadans, it was almost impossible to stick to the old customs. The people were influenced by circumstances. Accordingly, we find that many a small sect came into existence among the Jainas during this period. These sects simply denote that they are different groups of the Jainas of certain districts and towns. The marriage was limited to each of the sects only. Although a few examples of inter-marriages in these different sects may
25. Mahāpurāna, parva 38, 45. 26. Uttarapurāņa 24, 491. 492. 27. Rājā Kakkuka Prathāra of Mārwäda was a Jaina and one of
his ancestors married a Ksatriya lady. Thus he was a
Brāhmana Ksatriya (See Prächinalipimālā, p. 65). 28. Jaina Law (Madras), pp. 61-64. 29. See Dharmasamgrahasrāvakācāra.
