________________
238
The Unknown Pilgrims
rigorous asceticism and her learning. She is also a poetess and knows and describes most beautifully the region through which they pass. She shows no hesitation in setting out on the journey and all along the way proves an immense help to Kovalan and Kannaki, knowing as she does how to act wisely and take timely decisions, being always guided by her concern for ahimsă. 295 Finally, she, a woman, is daring 1 enough to reply to a brāhmaṇa in a few brief and direct words, expressing her own belief clearly, moderately and without hesitation.
b) The Kuratti Ațigals, teacher-ascetics
Numerous epigraphs of the IXth-XIth centuries make mention of the kuratti atigals or kurattigals, sometimes also called kurattiyārs, the feminine honorific form (plural) of kuravar derived from the Sanskrit guruvaḥ; sometimes also we come across the word bhatáriga!, for bhattārikā, the feminine of bhaltāraka.296 Despite the brevity of the inscriptions it is not difficult to grasp that these adigals were teachers who had grouped around them quite a large number of women ascetic disciples and other pupils, these last named being probably young candidates for the monastic life who received a general education. Some atigals had śrāvakas as their disciples. Certain ones were themselves disciples of an Acārya or Bhattāraka, while others were themselves guruņis, ācāryas of a certain sort themselves as their title indicates, and thus they enjoyed some independence and exercised authority over their own disciples.
This phenomenon, unique in the history of Jainism, is only found in Tamil Nādu.297 If we are not to base our conclusions simply on
295 We observe, however, that she has no scruple in crossing two rivers in a boat, which normally is only done in a case of absolute necessity - this, of course, being out of consideration for ahimsā; cf. AS II, 3, 1, 13-21; 2, 1-13; cf. also P 533.
296 Cf. Chakravarti, 1974, App. of Ramesh. pp. 192-193.
297 Cf. Desai, 1957, p. 77: "The Kurattiyārs of the Tamil country constitute a surprisingly unique class by themselves."
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
