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The Digambara/Svetambara Dispute over the Nature of the Kevalin
The most noticeable difference between the Digambara and Svetambara sects of Jainism is expressed by the very names of these ancient traditions. Svetambara means 'white-clad' and refers to the fact that the ascetics of this tradition wear white garments. Digambara means 'sky-' or 'space-clad' and refers to the fact that the ascetics of this tradition go naked, that is, they wear nothing but the sky. This is considered by both sects to be a critical difference and one that justifies the split between the two. There are other differences between them, including the resistance of the Digambara sect to the idea that women can achieve moksha.1 Moreover, the Digambara reject many of the scriptures of the Svetambara as apocryphal. The reason for this has its basis in perhaps the least known difference between the two sects and the difference that is the concern of this essay. Dividing the two is a debate over the nature of the kevalin.2
The ultimate goal for the Jain is to achieve moksha or release from the endless cycle of rebirth. This is, of course, part of the common Indic worldview and is shared with various versions of Hinduism and Buddhism. But the unique contribution of the Jain tradition is its claim that the state of liberation consists of the jiva (the jiva being the true self of a person) residing in a state of blissful isolation and self-sufficiency. Achieving such a state of moksha is rather difficult, and few ever accomplish it. It takes innumerable lives to reach a state where this becomes even remotely plausible. At some stage during the final rebirth prior to liberation, the jiva achieves a state of kevalajñana or omniscience, and becomes a kevalin. This is what happened, for example, to Mahavira, who is recognized as the founder of Jainism by most historians, and who is understood by Jains as the latest of the tirthan' kara or 'ford-makers,' those who build a ford across the river of sa?sara. According to the Svetambara sect, after achieving the level of a kevalin, Mahavira continued to travel, eat, preach, and everything else that characterizes the life of the average human, up until his death and final release from...