Mumukshu Who Attended Samavasaran of 24Tirthankars
By Dr. C. Devakumar
This is based on SripuraNam written in MaNipravALa style prose in 16 AD. It is an abridged version of MahapuraNa. It is said that the innumerable inhabitants from heaven and numerable rational animals too attended each samavasaran but I focus only on human beings.
This statistics give some idea of the population of true mumukshu at any given time. The total number of mumukshu who attended the samavasaran of 24 Tirthankar as evident from their attendance in samavasaran was 22,009,097 excluding 24 Tirthankars themselves. The maximum number of this figure (1, 556,110) reached at the time of 6th Tirthankar. The one million mark was seen up to 10th Tirthankar Sri Sital Nath. Thereafter, this figure gradually diminished. The number of Ganadhars crossing 100 was witnessed during the Tirtha period of 3rd to 6th Tirthankars. During the period of Shri Padmaprabha, the 6th Tirthankar, 53 percent mumukshu men were ascetic 46 per cent mumukshu women were aryikas (nuns). The proportion of renounced to laity within gender was less at other times with a sole exception. On an average, one third from each gender graduated to the highest stage viz. asceticism.
This statistics does not include the mumukshus in the interim period between any two Tirthankars. One is not sure as to whether a mumukshu living during the samavasaran period would have missed out the rare opportunity of his/her visit to this divine place.
But what is important is that it is indeed very rare to be blessed with the opportunity of reaching salvation. Only a very few would be benefited underlying the Bodhi durlabha bhavana.
It is said that at any given time there are 8 99 99 997 ascetics in the entire manushya lok. During the period of second Tirthankar, it is said that all the 170 Dharma kshetra were blessed with the divine presence of Tirthankars. In other words assuming a uniform distribution, each kshetra should have had about 529000 ascetics ignoring the unequal areas of the lands. Only about one lakh Jain ascetics were present in Shri Ajit Nath time. So, the majority of the Jain ascetics were present elsewhere. Given the pausity of true Jain ascetics in our time in Bharat kshetra, almost the entire number is being filled in elsewhere. Our salutations to them! A true Jain ascetic is one who has renounced every internal and external possession including the fear of staying in forests and hills alone if necessary and who focuses on gyan, dhyan and tapa all the times.
An interesting observation was the dominance of women folk in Dharma. Consistently, women were more in number at all Tirthankar times. This figure was consistently over 70 per cent in the period of 19th Tirthankar onwards up to Shri Parsva. Of course, we see this high ratio at another single instance i.e. at the time of 10th Tirthankar. It was another matter that Dharma lost its course after His period and had to be revived all over again by the 11th Tirthankar.
The need of teaching faculty among the ascetics has been clearly stressed. The most important role of ascetic has been one to one education. There were over 170 Sikshaka or Upadhyay per 1000 mumukshu at the period of 5th to 7th Tirthankars. This number was the least at the beginning and at the end. This probably was the reason for the foundation of Palli (schools) in south India till the last millennia in the bedrocks of hills, the residence-places of ascetics.
This exercise reveals that the true mumukshus were less in number in the entire history of Bharata kshetra of the present Tirtha cycle. The overzealous effort to proselytize the entire citizens as true Jains obviously boomeranged in the last millennia. Majority of population was tolerant of Jain dharma but only a fraction preferred to strict adherence at any time.
The lesson is that we need not be unduly worried about the real number of true followers of this great eternal religion. Instead, we should focus on quality of followers and support such mumukshus, be they in ascetic path or in households. The recent census merely gives the number of Jains by birth and no way reflects their religious practice. We should focus our energy and resources in preserving the spirit of true followers.
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Dr. C. Devakumar, E-Mail : cdevakumar@yahoo.com
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Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
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