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Āryikās: The Digambara Sãdhvis
633
teaching of Mātāji, as also her writings, is always grounded in the Scriptures and in tradition. In this chapter, therefore, we refer to her as a competent authority and as a contemporary aryikā who transmits to us her own fully orthodox tradition.
The number of äryikās is very limited, Mătāji for some years now for health reasons hardly ever goes out of Hastināpura, but nevertheless she is not only remarkably well-versed in the doctrine, but herself writes and translates with untiring zeal. These are all factors facilitating a direct contact on the spot with this tradition, whereas, to have a thorough knowledge of the sadhvis, one must take into the reckoning not only the different sampradāyas, gacchas and other institutions, but also a large number of groups scattered up and down the country. One must meet them, stay close to them in order to succeed in discovering in what the life of a sādhvi consists and the special features proper to cach grouping. It is also necessary to establish contact with certain learned gurunis and sādhvis and with others who are in the vanguard of progress, in order to have a general view of the whole and neglect none; now this nécessitates regular meetings and frequent travelling as well as the exchange of letters.
Keeping in mind, then, that we are already familiar with the basic tenets common to the two traditions, such as vairāgya, the vow of sāmāyika and the mahāvratas, we can procecd now to explore the milieu of the āryikās.
A - They are recognisable by these three signs:
the śvetavastra: a white garment the piccikā: a small broom made of peacock-feathers the kamandalu: a gourd
The aryikās whom one may sometimes encounter on the roads or in the street of a large city can easily be recognised by these three signs.
i) Svetavastra: The white garment
The garment is all of one piece: a sādi (sāri) of fairly thick white cotton, about eight metres in length. The āryikās wrap themselves in
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