Digambara

The famous idol of Shree Mahavir Swami at Shri Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra, Shri Mahavir Ji depicting Digambar Iconography.

Image depicting Acharya Kundakunda

Digambara (/dɪˈɡʌmbərə/; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being Śvetāmbara (white-clad). The Sanskrit word Digambara means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing nor wearing any clothes. Nakedness was the ideal practice of lord Mahavira and his immediate followers. Mahavira emphasized the importance of nakedness for monks. It symbolizes complete detachment and is an ideal form of conduct. Mahavira believed that renouncing clothes made the body immune to external influences like heat and cold, increasing resilience. Without clothes, a monk would avoid the distractions of acquiring, maintaining, and washing garments, allowing him to focus on spiritual growth and self-discipline.

Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions have had historical differences ranging from their dress code, their temples and iconography, attitude towards female monastics, their legends, and the texts they consider as important.

Digambara monks cherish the virtue of non-attachment and non-possession of any material goods. Monks carry a community-owned picchi, which is a broom made of fallen peacock feathers for removing and thus saving the life of insects in their path or before they sit.

The Digambara literature can be traced only to the first millennium, with its oldest surviving sacred text being the mid-second century Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama "Scripture in Six Parts" of Dharasena (the Moodabidri manuscripts). One of the most important scholar-monks of the Digambara tradition was Kundakunda.

Digambara Jain communities are currently found mainly in most parts of India in states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. According to Jeffery D. Long, a scholar of Hindu and Jain studies, less than one fifth of all Jains in India have a Digambara heritage.

Nomenclature

According to Heinrich Zimmer, the word Digambara is a combination of two Sanskrit words: dik (दिक्) (space, sky) and ambara (अम्बर) (garment), referring to those whose garments are of the element that fills the four quarters of space.

History and lineage

Digambara consider themselves to be the original followers of Mahavira as they closely resembles in their practice to the first tirthankara Rishabhanatha and last Tirthankara Mahavira who insisted on nakedness and Śvetāmbara branched off later under sthulabhadra leadership who became lax in conduct and loose in discipline and began to adopt such practices as wearing white clothes in the time of Bhadrabahu when their forecast twelve-year famine triggered their migration of 12,000 monks from central India. One group of Jain monks headed west and north towards Rajasthan, while the second group headed south towards Karnataka.

When the famine ended and normal conditions returned, some of the monks who had migrated with Bhadrabahu to the south and had remained faithful to the law of nudity insisted by Mahavira, came back to north India, They objected to the new modes, introduced by the monks who had stayed back in north under sthulabhadra came to be known as Ardhaphālakas, and later as the Śvetämbaras, Those who practiced and believed in complete detachment, which Mahavira considered an ideal practice and followed Nakedness himself,came to be known as the Digambaras.

Misinterpretation

According to Śvetāmbara, they are the original followers, and Digambaras arose 609 years after the death of Mahavira (about 1st century CE) because of an arrogant man named Sivabhuti who became a Jain monk in a fit of pique after a fight at home.

• However, according to Jinabhadra Gaṇi in his work Viśeṣāvaśyaka Bhāṣya, from which this account of the sect's creation is derived, he explicitly states that Sivabhuti was the eighth heretic who is regarded as the founder 'Bodiya ditthi' or Botika sect.

• Historians like M.A. Dhaky, Sagarmal Jain and Śvetāmbara scholar Dalsukh Dahyabhai Malvania in article "Propos of the Botika Sect" argue that the term Botika has been misinterpreted by modern Śvetāmbara writers as referring to the Digambara sect.
• This misinterpretation likely originated from late medieval Śvetāmbara texts and has continued to influence later interpretations.

• Walther Schubring, a noted scholar, was aware that the term did not originally mean what it was later thought to imply, Bodiya Sivabhuti neither founded the Digambara sect nor was originally associated with it.

• It was Śvetāmbara Muni Jambuvijaya who correctly identified that the term 'Bodiya ditthi' or Botika sect actually referred to the Yapaniya sect and not Digambara sect, also Haribhadra Sūri in "Botika-Pratiṣedha"
• In Viśeṣāvaśyaka Bhāṣya  Botikas have been depicted as adopting the Acaranga etc. canons. The Botikas unlike Digambaras neither prohibited women-liberation nor regarded Jaina canons as wholly extinct in fact Botikas fully recognize and followed the agamas.
• Botikas maintained that the references of clothes, utensiles, occurred among canons, are exceptions.  Botikas differed from Digambaras, who prohibited women liberation, intake of gross food by omni-scients (Kevali) and considered Acaranga etc. canons as extinct.

• Svetāmbara story of Sivabhūti, it is contradicted by their own texts, like the Uttarādhyayanasūtra where Kesin connects the practice of nudity with the system of Mahavira
• An eximination of early Śvetāmbara literature would seem to leave little room for doubt that Mahavira and his male followers were naked monks.
• The Ācārāngasūtra also refers to the going naked, the Brhatkalpasutrabhasya states that the first and the last Tirthankaras insisted on nudity the Buddhist text Anguttaranikā ya calls the niganthas ahırka or without the sense of shame implying that they remained naked.
• Thus it is clear that nudity as the symbol of complete detachment from the world, was regarded as the highest ideal of conduct from the time of Mahāvīra.The view that the practice of nudity originated with Sivabhuti in the first century A.D. does not carry conviction and cannot be believed true.

The stories explaining the origins of two deviant tendencies within Jainism are not genuinely ancient. The Śvetāmbara version dates to around the 5th century CE, while the oldest literary Digambara account appears only in the 10th century CE. These stories lack historical reliability and primarily reflect sectarian conflicts. However, the Digambara account of migration hints at the fact that Śvetāmbaras did not have significant long-term presence in the south of India. The actual historical situation, based on the earliest available evidence, appears to be more complex than these sectarian narratives suggest.

Archaeological and literary Evidence

• 
  The longest inscription at the site, and the earliest known Tamil-Brāhmī inscription. It records the gift by the Pandya king Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ of a monastery to the senior Jain monk Nanta-siri Kuvaṉ.

Oldest archeological evidence of digambara jain date back to mangalam jain inscriptions which mentions that workers of Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ I, a Pandyan king of Sangam period, (c. 270 BCE) made stone beds for digambara Jain monks. It further details the name of worker for whom he made stone bed. For example, an inscription shows that Kaṭalaṉ Vaḻuti, a worker (பணஅன்- accountant; he was also related family) of Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ, made a stone bed for the Jain monk Nanta-siri Kuvaṉ.

In 1943, Heinrich Zimmer proposed that the Greek records of 4th-century BCE mention gymnosophists (naked philosophers) which may have links to the tradition of "naked ascetics" or Digambara. In 2011, Patrick Olivelle stated that the context in which the Greek records mention gymnosophists include ritual suicide by cremation traceable to ancient Brahmanism, rather than the traditional Jain ritual of embracing death by starvation and taking samadhi by voluntarily sacrificing everything including food and water (sallekhana). Tirthankara statues found in Mathura and dated to 2nd-century CE or after are naked. The oldest Tirthankara statue wearing a cloth is dated in the 5th century CE. Digamabara statues of tirthankara belonging to Gupta period has half-closed eyes.

In 17th-century, adhyatma movement in Agra led to rise of terapanthi and bisapanthi sub-sects based on the differences over acceptance of authority of bhattarakas. King Jai Singh II (1688–1743) of Amer kingdom built separate temples for the two sub-sects in his newly established capital of Jaipur. Terapanthis, led by scholars like Pandit Todarmal and Banarasidas, rejected the authority of bhattarakas.

Early Jain images from Mathura depict Digambara iconography until late fifth century CE where Śvetāmbara iconography starts appearing.

Lineage

See also: Pattavali

Stela at Marhiaji, Jabalpur, showing the transmission of the oral tradition, erected on the 2500th anniversary of Mahavira's nirvana

According to Digambara texts, after liberation of Mahavira, three Anubaddha Kevalīs attained Kevalajñāna (omniscience) sequentially – Gautama Gaņadhara, Acharya Sudharma Swami, and Jambusvami in next 62 years. During the next hundred years, five Āchāryas had complete knowledge of the scriptures, as such, called Śruta Kevalīs, the last of them being Āchārya Bhadrabahu. Spiritual lineage of heads of monastic orders is known as Pattavali. Digambara tradition consider Dharasena to be the 33rd teacher in succession of Gautama, 683 years after the nirvana of Mahavira.

In the Digambara tradition, the following lineage of teachers are revered: Mahavira, Gautama, Kundakunda, Bhadrabahu, Umaswami, Samantabhadra, Siddhasena Divakara, Pujyapada, Manatunga, Virasena, Jinasena, Nemichandra. Kundakunda is considered the most significant scholar monk of the Digambara tradition of Jainism. He authored Prakrit texts such as the Samayasāra and the Pravacanasāra. Other prominent Acharyas of this tradition were, Virasena (author of a commentary on the Dhavala), Samantabhadra and Siddhasena Divakara. The Satkhandagama and Kasayapahuda have major significance in the Digambara tradition.

There have been several Digambara monastic lineages that all trace their descent to Mahavira. The historical lineages included Mula Sangha (further divided into Nandi, Sena, Simha and Deva Sanghas) and now largely extinct Kashtha Sangha (which included Mathura sangha, ""Lat-Vagad" etc.), Dravida Sangh. The text Darshana-Sara of Devasena discusses the supposed differences among the orders. The Mula sangha orders include Deshiya Gana (Bhattarakas of Shravanabelgola etc.) and Balatkara Gana (Bhattarakas of Humcha, and numerous lineages of North/Central India) traditions. The Bhattarakas of Shravanabelagola and Mudbidri belong to Deshiya Gana and the Bhattaraka of Humbaj belongs to the Balatkara Gana.

Scripture and literature

The Digambara sect of Jainism rejects the texts and canonical literature of the Śvetāmbara sect. They believe that the words of Mahavira neither survive nor could be recorded. The original teachings went through a rapid period of decline, state the Digambaras, and Śvetāmbara claims of preserving the sacred knowledge and ancient angas is false.

According to the Digambaras, their 33rd achārya was Dharasena who knew portions 12th Anga, the Drṣṭivada,that contained material from the Purvas that dealt with karma theory. Dharasena (ca. 137 C.E.) taught what he remembered from this text to his disciples, Puspadanta and Bhutabali, who wrote the Satkhaṇḍāgama "Scripture in Six Parts. Dharasena's teachings that have survived are Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama (Scripture of Six Parts) and Kasayapahuda (Treatise on the Passions), which were written on palm leaves near a cave in Mount Girnar (Gujarat) and a copy of which with a 12th-century commentary came to Tulu Nadu (south Karnataka). This has survived as the Mudbidri manuscripts, which were used by regional Jains not for reading and study, but as an object of devotional worship for centuries. In the 19th century, the fragile and decaying manuscript was copied and portions of it leaked to scholars between 1896 and 1922 despite objections of Digambara monks. It is considered to be the oldest known Digambara text ultimately traceable to the 2nd-century.

These two oldest known Digambara tradition texts – Satkhandagama and Kasayapahuda – are predominantly a treatise about the soul and Karma theory, written in Prakrit language. Philologically, the text belongs to about the 2nd-century, and has nothing that suggests it is of "immemorial antiquity". In details, the text is quite similar in its teachings to those found in Prajnapana – the 4th upanga – of Śvetāmbaras. Between the two, the poetic meter of Satkhandagama suggests it was composed after the Śvetāmbara text.

Digambaras, unlike Śvetāmbaras, do not have a canon. They do have a quasi-canonical literature grouped into four literary categories called anuyoga (exposition) since the time of the Digambara scholar Rakshita. The prathmanuyoga (first exposition) contains the universal history, the karananuyoga (calculation exposition) contains works on cosmology, the charananuyoga (behaviour exposition) includes texts about proper behaviour for monks and lay people, while the dravyanuyoga (entity exposition) contains metaphysical discussions. In the Digambara tradition, it is not the oldest texts that have survived in its temples and monasteries that attract the most study or reverence, rather it is the late 9th-century Mahapurana (universal history) of Jinasena that is the most revered and cherished. The Mahapurana includes not only religious history, but also the sociological history of the Jaina people – including the Jain caste system and its origins as formulated by Rishabhanatha – from the Digambara Jaina perspective. The Digamabara tradition maintains a long list of revered teachers, and this list includes Kundakunda, Samantabhadra, Pujyapada, Jinasena, Akalanka, Vidyanandi, Somadeva and Asadhara.

The Digambara scriptures consist of post-canonical texts authored by various mendicant leaders, categorized into four sections known as Anuyogas ("Expositions"). These holy scriptures were written by great acharyas from 100 to 800 AD and are established on the original agam sutras.Notable works from each category are listed below.

• Prathamanuyoga ("Primary Expositions"). Biographies of the Tirthankaras and famous mythological figures.

1. Padmapurāṇa of Ravisena (7th century).
2. Adipurāṇa of Jinasena (8th century).
3. Harivamsapurāna of Jinasena (8th century).
4. Uttarapurāna of Gunabhadra (9th century).
5. Darshansar of Devsen Acharya (9th century).
6. Jindutt Charitra of Gunbhadra Acharya (ca. 2nd century).
7. Aaradhana Katha Prabandham of Prabha Chandra Acharya
8. Chandraprabh Charitram of Veernandi Acharya
9. Dharm Pariksha of Amitgati Acharya
10. Dharma Ratnakar of Jaysen Acharya
11. Pandav Puran of Shubhchandra Acharya
12. Parshwabhyuday of Jinsen Acharya
13. Shantinath Puran of Acharya Sakalkirti
14. Shree Mahavir Puran of Acharya Sakalkirti
15. Shri Puranam of Jinsen Acharya
16. Varang Charit of Acharya Jatasingh Nandi

• Karaṇānuyoga ("Expositions on Technical Matters"). Texts on cosmology, astronomy, karma, and mathematics.

1. Trilokaprajñapti (Tiloyapaṇṇatti) of Yativṛşabha (ca. 6th- 7th centuries).
2. Dhavala and Mahādhavalā of Virasena, commentaries on the Şatkhaṇḍāgama (9th century).
3. Jayadhavala of Virasena and Jinasena, commentary on the Kaşayaprabhṛta (9th century).
4. Gommatasära and Trilokasära of Nemicandra-Siddhantacakravarti (11th century).
5. Bhav Sangrah of Devsen Acharya (9th century).
6. Bhoovalay of Kumudchandra Acharya (9th century).The work is unique in that it employs not letters, but is composed entirely in Kannada numerals.
7. Gommatsaar Jeevkand of Acharya Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti.(9th century).
8. Gommatsaar Karmkand of Acharya Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti.(9th century).
9. Jain Darshan Ganit of Acharya Dharm Bhushan Ji Maharaj
10. Jambudiva Pannatti Sangaho of Muni Padmanandi
11. Adhyatmik Chovisthana Tika of Shree Taaran Taran Swami
12. Ang Pannatti of Shubhchandra Acharya
13. Ganit Saar Sangrah of Mahaveer Acharya
14. Jain Darshan Ganit of Acharya Dharm Bhushan Ji Maharaj
15. Jambudiva Pannatti Sangaho of Muni Padmanandi
16. Karma Prakriti of Acharya Abhaychandra Siddhant Chakravarti
17. Karma Prakriti of Nemichandra Acharya

• Carananuyoga ("Expositions on Conduct"). Texts on mendicant and lay conduct.

1. Mülăcăra of Vaṭṭakera (ca. 2nd century).
2. Bhagavati Ārādhanā of Śivārya (ca. 2nd century).
3. Niyamasära of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
4. Pravacanasăra of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
5. Samayasara of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
6. Ratnakaranda-Śrāvakācāra of Samantabhadra (2th century).
7. Amitgati Shravakachar of Amitgati Acharya
8. Asht Pahud of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
9. Ashtapahud Bhasha Vachanika of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
10. Charitra Sar of Shree Chamundray Dev.
11. Mulachar Purvardh of Vaṭṭakera (ca. 2nd century).
12. Padmanandi Panchvinshati of Padmanandi Acharya.
13. Purusharth Siddhi Upay of Amrutchandra Acharya
14. Rayan Sar of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
15. Aaradhna Samucchyam of Raichandra Muni
16. Doha Pahud of Ramsingh Muni
17. Kartikeyanupreksha of Kartikeya Swami
18. Marankandika of Amitgati Acharya (Dwitiya)
19. Mool Aaradhana of Shivkoti Acharya
20. Mulachar Pradeep of Acharya Sakalkirti
21. Mulachar Uttarardh of Vattaker Acharya
22. Samadhi Shatak of Pujyapad Acharya
23. Sanyam Prakash Bhag of Surya Sagar Acharya
24. Shat Pahud Granth of Kundkund Acharya

• Dravyanuyoga ("Expositions on Substances"). Texts on philosophy and logic.

1. Tattvärthädhigama Sutra/Tattvärtha Sutra of Umǎsvāmī (ca. 2nd century).
2. Pañcāstikāyasāra of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
3. Nyāyāvatāra and Sanmatisūtra of Siddhasena Divakara (5th century).
4. Aptamimāmsā of Samantabhadra (5th century).
5. Various works by later authors, such as Akalanka (8th centu- ry) and Vidyananda (9th century).
6. Aalap Paddhati of Devsen Acharya (9th century).
7. Aapt Pariksha of Vidhyanandi Acharya
8. Aaradhana Sar of Devsen Acharya (9th century).
9. Aatmanushasan of Acharya (ca. 2nd century).
10. Baras Anuvekkha of Kundakunda (ca. 2nd or 3rd century).
11. Bhav Sangrah of Vamdev Acharya.
12. Brihad & Laghu Dravya Sangrah of Acharya Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti.
13. Adhyatma Kamal Martand of Pandey Rajmal Ji
14. Aklank Granth Trayam of Akalank Acharya
15. Amrutashiti of Yogindu Dev Acharya
16. Asht Sahastri Bhag - 1,2,3 of Vidhyanandi Acharya
17. Brihad Dravya Sangrah of Acharya Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti
18. Devagam AaptMimansa of Samantbhadra Acharya
19. Dharm Pariksha of Amitgati Acharya (Dwitiya)
20. Dhyan Sutrani of Maaghnandi Acharya
21. Gyanarnav of Shubhchandra Acharya
22. Ishtopdesh of Pujyapad Acharya
23. Kartikey Anupreksha of Kartikeya Swami
24. Laghu Tattva Sphot of Amrutchandra Acharya
25. Moksha Shastra of Umaswami Acharya

Practices

Monasticism

Main article: Digambara monk

The lifestyle and behavioral conduct of a Digambara monk is guided by a code called mulacara (mulachara). This includes 28 mūla guņas (primary attributes) for the monk. The oldest text containing these norms is the 2nd-century Mulachara attributed to Vattekara, that probably originated in the Mathura region.

These are: 5 mahāvratas (great vows); 5 samitis (restraints); 5 indriya nirodha (control of the five senses); 6 āvaśyakas (essential observations); and 7 niyamas (rules).

No.	Guna (attribute)	Remarks
Mahavratas- Five Great Vows	1. Ahimsa	Neither injure, nor ask, nor encourage another to injure any living being through actions, words or thoughts. This includes injury caused by cooking, starting a fire to cook, plucking a fruit, or any conduct that harms living beings
	2. Satya	To speak the truth, to remain silent if his speaking the truth will lead to injury to living beings
	3. Asteya	Not to take anything unless given, and not accepting anything more than what is necessary and needed
	4. Brahmacharya	No sex, no natural or unnatural sexual gratification through action (viewing, participating, encouraging), words (hearing, reciting, reading, writing), or thoughts
	5. Aparigraha	Renunciation of all worldly things, property, want, and all possessions external to soul
Samiti- Regulations	6. irya	Walk carefully on much trodden paths, after viewing land to the extent of four cubits (2 yards). Do not walk in the dark or on the grass to avoid accidental injury to other living beings. He should not run to save himself if charged by a wild animal or if a violent person is about to injure him, as running can cause injury to other living beings.
	7. bhasha	Avoid slander, back-biting, false speech. He must avoid intentionally long or short statements that mislead or help create misunderstanding, doubts, misinformation, hypocrisy, bad blood or conceit in his audience.
	8. esana	To never accept objectionable food nor eat more palatable items from those received.
	9. adana-nikshepana	Carefulness in the handling the pichchi (feather bundle to remove insects in his path) and kamandalu (hollow vegetable gourd to filter water)
	10. pratishṭapan	To excrete body waste after carefully brushing aside insects and other living beings.
Indrinirodha	11–15. Control of the five senses	Shedding all attachment and aversion towards the sense objects pertaining to touch (sparśana), taste (rasana), smell (ghrāṇa), sight (cakśu), and hearing (śrotra). The sadhu (monk) must eradicate all desires and activities that please the mind through his senses. He must end all ties, relationships and entanglements with his family and friends before he renounced.
Avasyakas – Essential observations	16. Sāmāyika	Practice equanimous dispassion towards everything for eighteen ghari a day (1 ghari = about 24 minutes)
	17. stuti	Salute the divine (Tirthankaras)
	18. vandana	Medidate upon and adore acharyas, gurus, idols and images of gods
	19. Pratikramana	Confession, repentance and self-censure for having violated any vows and rules of conduct; dissociate one's soul from any virtuous or evil karmas, in the current or past lives.
	20. Pratikhayan	Recite mantra that lists and promises future renunciation of food, drink and comforts and to forfend future faults
	21. Kayotsarga	Giving up attachment to the body for a limited period of time. Typically, this is a standing naked and motionless posture of a form common in Bahubali iconography.
Niyama- Rules	22. adantdhavan	Never clean teeth
	23. bhushayan	Sleep on hard ground
	24. asnāna	Never bathe
	25. stithi-bhojan	Eat food in standing posture, accept food in open palms (no utensils)
	26. ahara	Eat food once a day, drink water only when eating meal
	27. keśa-lonch	To periodically pluck all hair on his body by his own hand.
	28. nudity	Remain completely nude all the time (digambara)

Digambara monks do not wear any clothes as it is considered to be parigraha (possession), which ultimately leads to attachment. The monks carry picchi, a broom made up of fallen peacock feathers for removing small insects to avoid causing injury and Kamandalu (the gourd for carrying pure, sterilized water). The head of all monastics is called Āchārya, while the saintly preceptor of saints is the upādhyāya. The Āchārya has 36 primary attributes (mūla guņa) in addition to the 28 mentioned above.

The monks perform kayotsarga daily, in a rigid and immobile posture, with the arms held stiffly down, knees straight, and toes directed forward.

Nuns

Female monastics in Digambara tradition are known as aryikas. Digambara nuns, unlike the monks in their tradition, wear clothes. Given their beliefs such as non-attachment and non-possession, the Digambara tradition has held that women cannot achieve salvation (moksha) as men can, and the best a nun can achieve is to be reborn as a man in the next rebirth. The monks are held to be of higher status than nuns in Digambara monasteries, states Jeffery Long. From the Digambara monk's perspective, both Digambara nuns and Śvetāmbara monastic community are simply more pious Jain laypeople, who do not or are unable to fully practice the Jain monastic vows.

Digambara nuns are relatively rare in comparison to the nuns found in Śvetāmbara traditions. According to a 1970s and 1980s survey of Jain subtraditions, there were about 125 Digambara monks in India and 50 Digambara nuns. This compared to 3,400 nuns and 1,200 monks in the Śvetāmbara tradition.

Digambar akhara

The Digambar Akhara, which along with other akharas, also participates in various inter-sectarian (sampradaya) religious activities including Kumbh Melas, is completely unrelated to Digambar Jain tradition, even though they also practice nudity.

Worship

Adinatha image (Badami caves)

The Digambara Jains worship completely nude idols of tirthankaras (omniscient beings) and siddha (liberated souls). The tirthankara is represented either seated in yoga posture or standing in the Kayotsarga posture.

The truly "sky-clad" (digambara) Jaina statue expresses the perfect isolation of the one who has stripped off every bond. His is an absolute "abiding in itself," a strange but perfect aloofness, a nudity of chilling majesty, in its stony simplicity, rigid contours, and abstraction.

— Heinrich Zimmer

• 
  Kizhavalavu (Keelavalavu) Sculptures
• 
  The 57 feet (17 m) high Gommateshwara statue, Shravanabelagola
• 
  Tirthankara statues at Siddhachal Caves inside Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh
• 
  Tirthankara Parshvanatha statue, Rajasthan

Sub-sects

Jain Digambara Sects

• Jain Sangh
  • Digambara
    • Mula Sangh
      • Great Schools
        • Nandi Gana
          • Balatkara Gana
          • Desiya Gana
        • Sena Gana
        • Simha Gana
        • Deva Gana
      • Other Mula Sangh branches (extinct)
      • Kashtha Sangh (exists)
    • Present Sects
      • Taran Panth
      • Bispanthi
      • Digambar Terapanth
      • Other
        • Kanji Swami Panth established by ex-Sthanakvasi monk.
        • Gumanpanth
        • Totapanth

Acharya Vidyasagar, a prominent Digambara monk

Modern Digambara community is divided into various sub-sects viz. Terapanthi, Bispanthi, Taranpanthi (or Samayiapanthi), Gumanapanthi, Totapanthi and Kanjipanthi. Both the terapanthis and bisapanthis worship with ashta-dravya which includes jal (water), chandan (sandal), akshata (sacred rice), pushp (yellow rice), deep (yellow dry coconut), dhup (kapoor or cloves) and phal (almonds). Bisapanthi religious practices include aarti and offerings of flowers, fruits and prasad whereas terapanthis don't use them. Bispanthis worship minor gods and goddesses like Yaksha and Yakshini like Bhairava and Kshetrapala whereas terapanthis do not. Bisapanthis accept bhattarakas as their religious leaders but terapanthis do not. Terapanthis occur in large numbers in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Bisapanthis are concentrated in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharastra and South India.

Criticism of Digambara sect

Padmanabh Jaini

Padmanabh Jaini, a renowned Jain scholar, after researching the scriptures of the Digambara sect described several points of critique: -

1. Rituals and ascetic practices: Jaini points out that an emphasis on extreme ascetic practices such as public nudity and rejection of all possessions leads to a diminished focus on spiritual growth and a greater focus on the less important ritualistic practices.
2. Layperson-ascetic dichotomy: Jaini critiques the sharp distinction between the ascetics and laypeople which leads to a lack of spiritual agency among people.
3. Scriptural authority: Jaini questions the Digambara reliance on a highly limited set of scriptures that do not fully represent Jain principles and teachings as followed by the Svetambara sect. Jaini questions the Digambara rejection of the Śvētāmbara canonical scriptures. He argues that this rejection leads to a lack of unity and a fragmentation within Jainism. He also points out that the Digambaras' reliance on later texts as authentic scriptures might lack historical and textual rigor.
4. Gender and nudity: Jaini strongly argues that the practice of public nudity may reinforce patriarchal attitude and limit female spiritual agency. Digambaras hold that women must be reborn as men to attain salvation, which Jaini criticizes for its gender exclusivity and inequality. He argues that female nudity is not equally valued or allowed in the Digambara tradition which greatly limits female spiritual agency as Digambara belief states that moksha cannot be attained without nudity. Further, he states that male nudity leads to masculinization of spirituality. Jaini also mentions that the Digambara sect has historically been male-dominated with women facing several barriers in the path to spirituality and its evolution. His views are seconded by Paul Dundas who states that Digambara rejection of clothing could also signify their rejection of female bodily experience, as clothing is often associated with female modesty and domesticity.
5. Historical development: Jaini also deliberates that the Digambara tradition may have arisen in response to Hinduism, Ājīvikas, and Buddhism, rather than purely from within Jainism.

Nalini Balbir

Nalini Balbir, another renowned scholar of Jainism, has criticised the Digambara views on liberation of women and advocates for a more inclusive and gender-equal interpretation of the scriptures. She lists her criticism in the following manner: -

1. Gender bias: Balbir sees the Digambara belief of women not being capable of attaining liberation in their current birth as gender discrimination.
2. Biological determinism: Digambara scriptures attribute spiritual limitations of women to their biology and consider them as unholy. Balbir criticizes this view as narrow and outdated perspective.
3. Lack of scriptural basis: Balbir argues that the narrative describing women not being able to attain liberation is not supported by ancient Jain scriptures (Śvetāmbara canon) and is based on later commentaries.
4. Contradiction with Jain principles: Balbir points out that this view is in contradiction to the fundamental Jain principle of equality and the potential for all living beings to attain liberation.

Balbir states that:

The Digambara sect's view that women cannot achieve liberation in their present birth is a 'biological determinism' that is not supported by Jain scriptures. This view is a 'patriarchal interpretation' that has been 'superimposed' on the original teachings of Mahavira.

— Nalini Balbir, Women in Jainism (2005)

Kristi L. Wiley

Kristi L. Wiley, a scholar of Jainism, has also criticized the Digambara sect's views on liberation of women. Specifically, she highlights the following points of critique:

1. Exclusionary practices and patriarchal interpretations: Women are excluded from the highest spiritual status in Jainism (achieving liberation) by Digambara sect's scriptures. Wiley sees Digambara interpretations of Jain scriptures as patriarchal and biased against women.
2. Lack of agency: Digambaras deny the fundamental agency of achieving liberation (the highest status in Jain spirituality) through their own efforts, instead requiring them to rely on male intermediaries.
3. Inconsistencies with Jain principles: Wiley points out that these views are inconsistent with the fundamental principle of 'equal potential of all living beings to achieve liberation'. She adds that such views may constitute to 'symbolic violence' against women.
4. Textual manipulation: She alleges that the male-dominated Digambara sect has selectively interpreted and manipulated existing and ancient Jain texts to support their views by ignoring passages that highlight women's spiritual potential.

Other religions

Scriptures of other religions and schools of thought such as Buddhism, Islam, and Sikhism also criticize and condemn public nudity followed by Digambara monks.

Differences with Śvetāmbara sect

Other than rejecting or accepting different ancient Jain texts, Digambaras and Śvetāmbara differ in other significant ways such as:

• Śvetāmbaras believe that Parshvanatha, the 23rd tirthankara, taught only Four restraints (a claim, scholars say is confirmed by the ancient Buddhist texts that discuss Jain monastic life).

These are as follows 1. Ahimsa - nonviolence, non-injury, and absence of desire to harm any life forms. 2. Satya - truthful in one's thoughts, speech and action. 3. Asteya - non-stealing". One must not steal, nor have the intent to steal, another's property through action, speech, and thoughts. 4. Aparigraha - the virtue of non-possessiveness or non-greediness.

Mahavira inserted 5th vow ie Brahmacharya - sexual restraint or practice of celibacy. Renunciation of sex and marriage. This was thought to be understood to within 4th vow of Aparigraha, but was more specified as 5th vow of Brahmacharya.

Mahāvīra taught Five vows. The Digambara sect disagrees with the Śvetāmbara interpretations, and reject the theory of difference in Parshvanatha and Mahāvīra's teachings. However, Digambaras as well as Śvetāmbaras follow Five vows as taught by Mahavira. The difference is only that Śvetāmbaras believe Parshvanatha taught one vow less (the Four vows except Brahmacharya) than Mahavira. However, monks of Śvetāmbara sect also follow all 5 vows as stated in the Ācārāṅga Sūtra.

• Digambaras believe that both Parshvanatha and Mahāvīra remained unmarried, whereas Śvetāmbara believe the 23rd and 24th tirthankar did indeed marry. According to the Śvetāmbara version, Parshvanāth married Prabhavati, and Mahāvīraswāmi married Yashoda who bore him a daughter named Priyadarshana. The two sects also differ on the origin of Trishala, Mahāvīra's mother, as well as the details of Tirthankara's biographies such as how many auspicious dreams their mothers had when they were in the wombs.
• Digambara believe Rishabha, Vasupujya and Neminatha were the three tirthankaras who reached omniscience while in sitting posture and other tirthankaras were in standing ascetic posture. In contrast, Śvetāmbaras believe it was Rishabha, Nemi and Mahāvīra who were the three in sitting posture.
• According to Śvetāmbara Jain texts, from Kalpasūtras onwards, its monastic community has had more sadhvis than sadhus (female than male mendicants). In Tapa Gacch of the modern era, the ratio of sadhvis to sadhus (nuns to monks) is about 3.5 to 1. In contrast to Śvetāmbara, the Digambara sect monastic community has been predominantly male.
• In the Digambara tradition, a male human being is considered closest to the apex with the potential to achieve his soul's liberation from rebirths through asceticism. Women must gain karmic merit, to be reborn as man, and only then can they achieve spiritual liberation in the Digambara sect of Jainism. The Śvetāmbaras disagree with the Digambaras, believing that women can also achieve liberation from saṃsāra through ascetic practices.
• The Śvetāmbaras state the 19th Tirthankara Māllīnātha was female. However, Digambara reject this, and worship Mallinatha as a male.
• According to Digambara texts, after attaining Kevala Jnana (omniscience), arihant (omniscient beings) are free from human needs like hunger, thirst, and sleep. In contrast, Śvetāmbara texts preach that it is not so.

See also

• Nudity in religion
• God in Jainism
• Kshullak
• Jain philosophy
• Timeline of Jainism
• Digambar Jain Mahasabha

Notes

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External links

• Media related to Digambara at Wikimedia Commons