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Sec. 4. HISTORICAL POSITION OF THE T. S.
mouth-piece, thus he finally left his guru by establis bing bis own party of naked monks. This nihnava is called the Botika (Digambara) issue. The cardinal claims of the Digimbiras are three, 79 that nudity alone leads to mokşa, that women are thereby not eligible to attain mokşa, and ibat a kevali does not eat food tbrough his mouib. T1232 points are accounter in the Servārıhasiddhi, therefore Pūjyapāda was a Digambara, before whom the "chism must have occurred. Pujya pada and Jinabbabra belong to the 6th century A. D., therefore both traditions agree in asserting that the schism took place sometime before their time.
The aforementioned copper-plate inscriptions of Mrgeśavarman (c. 475-490 A. D.) register land grants made to 1) the Sveta pațas and Nirgranthas (c. 478 A. D.), and Yapanïyas, Nirgranthas and Kūrcakas (c. 482 A. D.). This vindicates that among the migrated ascetics 10 the South by the end of the 5th century, there were at least four different conmunities, i. e., the Svetapata, Nirgrantha, Yapaniya and Kūrcaka. The designation of Svetainbara-Digambara seems to be of a later origin, and they were likely calling themselves the Svetapatas and the Nirgranthas at the beginning period in the South. Pujyapă la also describes Umāsvāti as Nirgrantha Ācāry in the Survarthasiddhi. Since these four sanghas were called by those distinct names, the schism must have occurred before c. 478 A. D. The Yāpatiyas practised nudity but maintained the Agamic tradition by admitting strimukti and kevalibhukti. Numerous inscriptions referring to the Yapaniya sarigha exist from the 5th century up to the 14th century, which was however absorbed later into the Digambara fold.80 Not much is known yet about the Kūrcaka sangba which does not have many inscriptions, nor bas left us so far any literary works.Si
Hariş gives the earliest Digambara explanation of the schism account in his Brhukuhakos 2, Sec. 131 called B'adrabahukathānaka. According to him, Bhadrabäbu in the reign of Candragupta at Ujjain predicted a famine lastiog for twelve years. Upon hearing this, Candragupta received dikşā from Bhadrabahu, who soon became the head of all sanghas and called by name Višakba Ācārya. By the order of Bhadrabāhu, Visakha led the sangha to Punnata kingdom in the South, while Bhadrabāhu and the others led their sanghas to Sindbu. In the course of time when they returned to Ujjain, the famine was still persisting though less severe, wherein monks were allowed to use a piece of garment for alms collection. After the famine was over, these monk; did not stop this robe wearing practice even though advised by the elders. The schis n started thenc: onwards. A prevalent belief of the later day Digambaras is that the schism occurred at the time of Bhadrabāhu I who led the sangha along with Candragupta Maurya to Sravanabe!go!a due to the twelve years' famine in the North. Upon their return to the North after the end of the famine they fuond that the monks who had remained there slackened in discipline by wearing
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