Acharya Hasti Mala
We cannot say unilaterally that, after the V.N.1000, the growing influence of material offerings based religious rituals over the spirituality based religion / congregation of Lord Mahāvīra was solely due to the laxity in the code of conduct of monks or the greed of these monks during that period to gain personal popularity / following or wielding power over masses and rulers alike. A careful analysis and study of the history of that time shows the emergence of a number of other factors which might have also influenced these changes to be introduced. Some of such factors are listed below:
- By emulating close relationship which Ācārya Suhastī had with Maurya emperor Samprati, the Jain monks of later period started also doing the same to preach and spread their religion
- To keep their congregation alive and influential; Jain monks started demonstrating miracles to attract commoners, rulers and rich people to their congregation and as their followers.
- To face the ill effects of natural calamities such as famine; changes in seeking and consuming food was introduced for being able to live and preach.
- Seeing the growing influence of other religions, Jains also started accepting and introducing the mass attraction techniques and rituals of other religions.
- They started to develop innovative and attractive religious rituals (and organize them periodically) which were enjoyable for the commoners so that they continue to stay in the congregation and invite others to join.
- To protect their own religious from jealousy and covert actions of other religions, the Jains started seeking royal patronage by using and offering instruments (Yantra), rituals (tantras) and mantras, actively participating in governance and political activities.
It is also a historical fact that Jainism continued to prosper as long as the famous kings were either Jains or they offered royal patronage to Jainism. Cakravartī of Kaliṃga Mahāmeghavāhana Khāravela invaded the last Maurya emperor Puṣya Mitra Śuṃga who was inflicting severe casualties on both Jains and Buddhist people. Similarly in the south, Kalabhroṃ defeated the kings of Pāṇdya, Colā and Cera and their lineage (who were Jains themselves but converted to other religious and later inflicted heavy casualties on Jains, Jain monks and started mass conversion of Jains into Śaiva and other traditions) and protected Jains and Jainism there.
Ārya Vajra, Ārya Samita and Ārya Brahamdīpakasiṃha and others used their extraordinary powers from time to time to influence the kings and enhanced the influence of Jainism on common people as well. In ancient times, Ācārya Siddha Sena Diwākara used his exceptional scholarship to influence the king of that time and significantly enhanced the influence of Jainism. Further the far sighted and influential Jains also helped in establishment of pro-Jainism dynasties of Hoyasala, Gaṃga Rāja etc. During these revolutionary times, the only objective of these ācāryas was to establish the powerful Jain dynasties and make non Jain dynasties as the protector of Jainism so that Jainism and Jain congregation can prosper and have all round progress. Keeping these objectives and the call of time in mind, these ācāryas even sacrificed their Śramaņa ideals. To keep their congregation and Jainism alive, they even indulged in some activities which are totally prohibited in the Jain doctrine.
A number of great Śramaṇas did indulge in flawed conduct during times of great difficulties over the Jain congregation and to protect Jainism from their ill effects. But when the difficulties were over, they repented and applied corrections to the flaws committed by them in their practice of the code of conduct for them. In very ancient time, a ācārya, who had attainments of highest orders, Viṣṇu Kumāra, demonstrated the effect of his attainments to protect the Śramaņa congregation. Ārya Kālaka to safeguard Satī Saraswatī from severe inflictions, (V.N. 335 to 376) with the connivance of Itara Empire, dethroned the cruel Gardabhilla. But he undertook repentance afterwards to absolve himself of these flaws. But the situation after the first millennia of V.N. became quite different.
In the period after the first millennia of V.N., a number of prominent Jain ācāryas did adopt exceptions (faults) in their code of conduct during the unfavourable period of great difficulties for Jainism and its followers and protected Jainism and their congregations. However, later on, they incorporated these changes in the original code of conduct as permanent features. In this way, these Jains made the original code of conduct depicted in scriptures as secondary and the new changed code of conduct as primary code of conduct everywhere. Tīrthaṃkaras have given due importance to flaws and repentance / correction alike; however they allowed faults only during times of distress and difficulties of the congregation followed by their corrections later on. Correction / repentance is a sacred duty while faulting, even in a situation of distress or extreme hardship or under the lethal influence of others, is a mile away from duty and is to be repented on later.
The fact of the matter is that, under the strong influence of inauspicious planets and Huṇḍāvasarpiņī araka; or due to incapacity of the monks to endure afflictions or the desire for self-praise, popularity and pride or the supreme desire to stop the downward march of Jainism or to make Jain religion more influential, these monks started following the pervert path and started introducing material offerings in their practice and conduct. Those ācāryas, śramaṇas and śramaṇīs supporting the material offerings in religious rituals, made fundamental changes in the code of conduct of monks and śramaṇas along with basic changes in the spirituality based Jainism.
In this way these propagators of pervert conduct like the temple dwellers etc introduced their tradition in the early part of the seventh century V.N. But due to the prevalence of the tradition of the fundamentalists of Lord Mahāvīra's spirituality based religion during the era of general knower of prior canons, such pervert traditions like temple dwelling etc stayed in the background. Due to the absence of such knower of prior canons after the death of Devārdhigaṇi Kṣamāśramaṇa, such pervert traditions like temple dwellers started flourishing.
However it can be inferred from the writings of ancient manuscripts that during the period V.N. 1000 to V.N. 1700, the small waves of ancient spirituality based śramaṇa traditions tried to rise but the flood like influence of the prevailing pervert traditions like temple dwellers and using material offerings suppressed such risings.
