The Filthy Fake Monk

The Laṭakamelaka (LM) or ‘The Assembly of Rogues’ is a twelfth-century Sanskrit drama authored by Śaṃkhadhara of Kannauj. In the LM, Śaṃkhadhara has focused his energies on satirically deriding religious figures of various sectarian traditions, among whom he attacks a Digambara monk Jaṭāsura for his nudity and despicable sexual misconduct. This paper analyses the narrative tropes and stereotypes used in the LM to satirize Digambara monasticism through the character of Jaṭāsura ̶ who is presented as filthy and despicable to the audience. In this process, I will also present the depictions of Digambara monks in the Āgamaḍambara of Jayantabhaṭṭa (ninth century CE) and Prabodhacandrodaya of Kṛṣṇamiśra (thirteenth century CE) to argue that the stereotypes used in the LM are a part of the wider depiction of Digambara Jains in medieval Sanskrit literature. Finally, this paper will also have a superficial look at the contrasting attitudes towards issues like nudity and bodily hygiene in Brahmanical and Digambara ascetic theologies which shaped the literary polemics against Digambara monasticism in Brahmanical literature.