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The Followers of the Ever Growing One
157
All this places us in a setting where certain characteristics proper to Jainism begin to become clear, taking shape from traces engraved or sculptured in stone and having, moreover, a direct bearing on the sādhyis. We shall take for our consideration three closely-linked characteristics; the notion of caturvidhasamgha, the offering of āyāgapatas and the contents of certain inscriptions.
Caturvidhasangha
This word refers to the samgha composed of munis, sādhvis, śrāvakas and śrāvikās, all being subject in differing degrees to the same spiritual demands and also being mutually interdependent.57 From the most ancient Agamas, the Acārānga-sūtra I and the Sūtrakstanga-sūtra I it would seem that the only path is that of asceticism. These Sūtras give the ascetics rules which will help them towards a direct attainment of mokşa; the grhastas, those who lead a family life and occupy themselves with worldly pursuits, are negelected.58 There is no mention of any monastic family incorporating grhastas, at the very most these grhapatis (householders) must practise almsgiving to the śramaņas, who furthermore are warned against the dangers of all kinds to which grhapatis may expose them.59 It would appear that little by little there came about a certain drawing together, which resulted in this idea of different elements being organised into one community held together by very close ties. Certain later Agamas speak of śramaņa-upāsakas and śramaņa- 1 upäsikās, the lay men and women disciples of the śramaņas, śrăvakas are also mentioned. 60 The Upāsakadašāḥ-sūtra contains, as its name
57 Cf. P 426 ff.
58 "The canonical texts belonging to the earliest age exhibit no acquaintance with the problem of a pious householder's duties, their chief pre-occupation being what a monk has or has not to do. Even Sūtrakstanga II contains no v systematic exposition of a pious householder's duties, but in two contexts it comes out with assertions which definitely prove that by the time of its composition the concept of a pious householder has emerged on the thoughthorizon of the Jaina theoreticians." Dixit, 1978, p.34.
59 Cf. e.g. AS I, 7, 2.
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