Stories by Arpit

The land where the first Chaturvidh  (Four-fold) Jain Sangh was installed! The land where the first Tirthankar Lord Adinath attained Enlightenment! The land where Mata Marudevi became the first person of this cosmic cycle to attain Moksh ! The land where the first Samavasaran was created! The land where Gandhar Shri Pundarik Swami took Diksha ! The land where Lord Adinath gave his first sermon ! The land where the first “ Dwadshangi ” was created (scriptures created by the Gandhar’s based on the teachings of the lord)  The land where Lord Mahavir’s Samavasaran was also created 2500 years ago! The land where demi-gods Gomukh Yaksh and Chakreshwari Devi were manifested! The land where 3 holy rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati merge to form a divine “ Triveni-Sangam ” The land with so many attributes must be a revered pilgrimage like Shatrunjay, Shankheshwar, Girnar and Shikharji…Right? Perhaps no . We must’ve visited or atleast heard the n

While I have always been fascinated by history, some intricacies of Jain antiquity have never failed to amaze me. One such instance where such historicity is debated is that the two major sects of Jainism – the Shwetambar’s and Digambar’s disagree on the matter whether the 19th Tirthankar, Shri Mallinath Bhagwan was a male or female. While the Shwetambar’s believe that Lord Mallinath was a female, the Digambar’s disagree on the same as they perceive that a true mendicant must renounce all property or possessions including clothes to attain Moksh (Liberation). This injunction effectively bars women from ever renouncing all "possessions" and, accordingly, from attaining Moksh. On the other hand, the Shwetambar’s have put forward various Shastras (scriptures) to claim that a female can attain Moksh and further state that a female (Lord Mallinath) becoming a Tirthankar is an Acchera / Asharya (exception/ extraordinary event) of this cosmic age. Further, even though