Śvetāmbara
The Śvetāmbara is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. Śvetāmbara in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practice of wearing white clothes, which sets it apart from the Digambara or "sky-clad" Jains whose ascetic practitioners go nude. Śvetāmbaras do not believe that ascetics must practice nudity.
The Śvetāmbara and Digambara traditions have had historical differences ranging from their dress code, their temples and iconography, attitude towards Jain nuns, their legends and the texts they consider as important. Śvetāmbara Jain communities are currently found mainly in Gujarat, Rajasthan and coastal regions of Maharashtra. According to Jeffery D. Long, a scholar of Hindu and Jain studies, about four-fifths of all Jains in India are Śvetāmbaras.
History and lineage
Śvetāmbaras consider themselves to be the original followers of Mahavira and that the Digambara sect emerged in 82 AD as a result of a rebellion by a monk named Sivabhuti, who was the disciple of Arya Krishnasuri. This account is found in 5th century Śvetāmbara text Viśeśāvaśyaka Bhaśya written by Jinabhadra. This is also the earliest formal recognition of the schism between the two sects.Śvetāmbaras have several pattavalis that mention the historical lineage of their chief monks beginning with the 24th Tirthankara Mahavira. The most popular of the pattavalis is the one mentioned in the Kalpa Sūtra, a canonical scripture of the Śvetāmbaras. According to the lineage mentioned in the Kalpa Sūtra, Sthulabhadra was, unequivocally, the successor of Bhadrabāhu. Śvetāmbaras also believe that both of them were white-clad monks. These beliefs are completely rejected by the Digambara sect.
To manage the large following of the murtipujaka sect, Gacchas were created. Each gaccha has its own pattavali. One of the 84 gacchas was the Upkeśa Gaccha. While all other pattavalis trace their lineage to the 24th Tirthankara Mahavira, Upkesa Gacchas pattavali traces its lineage to the 23rd Tirthankara Parshvanatha. Kesiswami, one of Parshvanatha's chief disciples, Acharya Ratnaprabhasuri, the founder of the Oswal community as well as Acharya Swayamprabhasuri, the founder of the Porwal community belonged to this gaccha. It was in existence until 1930s when it went extinct.
A majority of the Śvetāmbaras are murtipujakas, that is they actively offer devotional puja in temples, worship before the images or idols of Tirthankaras and important Jain demi-gods and demi-goddesses. Historically, this is the oldest sub-tradition of the Śvetāmbaras and all other aniconic sects have emerged in and after the 14th century.
The Śvetāmbara murtipujaka sect is the largest of all sects and sub-sects of Jainism and has the most number of followers as well as monks. To manage the large following, gacchas were created. 84 gacchas have come into existence till date and most of them are extinct now. Only 4 survive today - Tapa Gaccha, Kharatara Gaccha, Parshvachandra Gaccha, and Achal Gaccha. Of these, Tapa Gaccha is the largest, with the most monks and followers.
The murtipujaka sect has had various eminent monks, including, but not limited to Vimalsuri, Hemachandra, Hiravijaya, Devardhigani Kshamashraman, Yashovijaya, Anandghan, Siddhasena, and Manatunga.
Scriptures and literature
Śvetāmbara literature can be classified into two major categories canonical and non-canonical. Canonical scriptures state the Jain cosmology and the Jain philosophy as well as the foundational aspects of understanding Jainism. They also govern the conduct of monks, nuns, as well as the laity. Non-canonical scriptures include, but are not limited to commentaries on canonical scriptures, biographies of the Śalākāpuruṣas, Jain mythology, treatise and extensions of the canonical scriptures, lists of rare and uncommon words and knowledge base and dictionaries for Ardhamagadhi Prakrit, Maharashtri Prakrit, and Sanskrit, devotional hymns, and miscellaneous scriptures.''Āgamas'' or Canonical Literature
The Śvetāmbara canon consists of 45 scriptures, mostly written in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit. They are considered to be what is left of Mahavira's teachings. Historically, the knowledge of these scriptures was passed down orally in a preceptor-disciple system. However, the memory of the monks weakened in the 12-year long famine as described in the Kalpa Sūtra. As a result, most of the knowledge of the canonical scriptures was lost. The remaining canon was codified at the Great Council of Vallabhi under leadership of Devardhigani Kshamashramana, which was held at Vallabhi in 454 CE resulting in the 45 scriptures that govern the Śvetāmbara sect's religious practices till date.From a linguistic point of view, Śvetāmbara canonical scriptures are the oldest of all Jain literature. The Ācārāṅga Sūtra, Uttaradhyayana Sutra, and the Sthananga Sutra of the Śvetāmbara canon are considered to have been created in 5th-4th century BC. Following is a list of the 45 canonical scriptures followed by the Śvetāmbaras: -
- Twelve Angās
- * Āyāraṃga
- * Sūyagaḍa
- * Ṭhāṇaṃga
- * Samavāyaṃga
- * Viyāha-pannatti / Bhagavaī
- * Nāyā-dhamma-kahāo
- * Uvāsaga-dasāo
- * Aṇuttarovavāiya-dasāo
- * Anuttaraupapātikadaśāh
- * Paṇha-vāgaraṇa
- * Vivāga-suya
- * Drstivada
- Twelve Upāṅgas
- * Uvavāiya-sutta
- * Rāya-paseṇaijja or Rāyapaseṇiya
- * Jīvājīvābhigama
- * Pannavaṇā
- * Sūriya-pannatti
- * Jambūdvīpa-pannatti
- * Canda-pannatti
- * Nirayāvaliyāo or Kappiya
- * Kappāvaḍaṃsiāo
- * Pupphiāo
- * Puppha-cūliāo
- * Vaṇhi-dasāo
- Six Chedasūtras
- * Āyāra-dasāo
- * Bihā Kappa
- * Vavahāra
- * Nisīha
- * Jīya-kappa, only accepted as canonical by Mūrti-pūjakas
- * Mahā-nisīha, only accepted as canonical by Mūrti-pūjakas
- Four Mūlasūtras
- * Dasaveyāliya-sutta, this is memorized by all new Jain mendicants
- * Uttarajjhayaṇa-sutta
- * Āvassaya-sutta
- * Piṇḍa-nijjutti and Ogha-nijjutti, only accepted as canonical by Mūrti-pūjakas
- Two Cūlikasūtras
- * Nandī-sūtra – discusses the five types of knowledge
- * Anuyogadvāra-sūtra – a technical treatise on analytical methods, discusses Anekantavada
- Ten Paiṇṇayasūtras
- * Cau-saraṇa
- * Āura-paccakkhāṇa
- * Bhatta-parinnā
- * Saṃthāraga
- * Tandula-veyāliya
- * Canda-vejjhaya
- * Devinda-tthaya
- * Gaṇi-vijjā
- * Mahā-paccakkhāṇa
- * Vīra-tthava
Non-Canonical Literature
All texts or pieces of literature written by Śvetāmbara monks, except the ones stated above are considered to be non-canonical in nature. Following are some popular examples. However, the complete list is inexhaustive as the Śvetāmbara sect has always had more monks than the Digambara sect: -- Commentaries on canonical scriptures:
- * Hemachandra's Yogaśāstra
- * Haribhadra's Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya
- * Yashovijaya's Gyānsār
- * Jinabhadra's Viśeśāvaśyaka Bhaśya
- Biographies of Śalākāpuruṣas and other monks
- * Hemachandra's Trīṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacharitra
- * Hemachandra's Pariśiṣṭaparvan
- * Vimalsuri's Paumachariyam
- Devotional hymns
- * Manatunga's Bhaktāmara Stotra
- * Siddhasena's Kalyān Mandir Stotra
- * Siddhasena's Vardhamān Śakrastav Stotra
- * Hemachandra's Sakalārhat Stotra
- Treatise on languages and grammar
- * Rajendrasuri's 7-part Abhidhānarājaindrakōśa
- * Hemachandra's Siddha-Hema-Śabdanuśāśana
- * Hemachandra's Tattvaprakāśikā prakāś
- * Hemachandra's Abhidhāna-cintāmaṇi-kośa
- * Hemachandra's Anekarth Kośa
- * Hemachandra's ''Deśi-Śabda-Sangraho''
Religious practices