| But the
Digambars believe in Diganibar Mukti and they do not admit that because of certain
deformities peculiar to their sex, women call attain Mukti in the present life, but can do
so in a future birth. However, they can, at the same time, observe the great vows and lead
a true Jain life. The Digambar Jains does not recognize Sabastra Guru. They hold that Mahavira Swami was a Bal Brahmachari and he had never
married, nor did he have any raj. They do not believe that in the Kaivalya condition
Mahavira Swami had any illness. They hold that the 19th Tirthankara was a male and his
name was Mallinath. The two sects also differ as to the birth-place of Mahavira Swami.
According to the Swetambars,Kundaligram in Monghyr district
is the birth-place of Mahavira. According to the Digambars, Kundalipur near Nalanda is his
birth-place. There is a third school of Jains who now claim Vaishali in Muzaffarpur
district as the birth-place of Mahavira Swami. It appears that certain sections of both
theSwetambar and the Digambar sects accept Vaishali to he the birth-place of Mahavira
Swami. Incidentally, all these three places that are taken to be the birth-place of
Mahavira, are in Bihar. |
