Aryika Aryika Aryika, also known as Sadhvi, is a female mendicant (nun) in Jainism. In the traditional Digambara tradition, a male human being is considered closest to the apex with the potential to achieve liberation, particularly through asceticism. Women must gain karmic merit, to be reborn as man, and only then can they achieve spiritual liberation in the Digambara sect of Jainism. This view is different from the Svetambara sect that believes that women too can achieve liberation from "Saṃsāra" by being mendicants and through ascetic practices. According to Svetambara Jain texts, from "Kalpasutras" onwards, Jainism has had more "sadhvis" than
Digambara texts such as the "Samayasāra" and the "Pravacanasāra". Other prominent "Acharyas" of this tradition were, Virasena (author of a commentary on the "Dhavala"), Samantabhadra and Siddhasena Divakara. The "Satkhandagama" and "Kasayapahuda" have major significance in the "Digambara" tradition. Relics found from Harrapan excavations such as seals depicting "Kayotsarga" posture, idols in "Padmasana" and a nude bust of red limestone, give insight into the antiquity of the "Digambara" tradition. The presence of gymnosophists (naked philosophers) in Greek records as early as the fourth century BC, supports the claim of the "Digambaras" that they have preserved the ancient "Śramaṇa" practice. Dundas talks