In this presentation I intend to explore selected aspects of the relationship and interaction between monks and laypeople in the Jaina community. These relationships have already been understood by anthropologists and sociologists as being contradictory and complementary at the same time, and as including an exchange that is both material and symbolic. To weigh some concrete implications of this state of affair, I will focus on the anxieties and demands of young Jainas, especially those of university age. In terms of methodology, I follow a qualitative description that I cross-analyse with patterns observed in quantitative data. By interviewing monks, nuns and devotees from different streams of the Jain tradition, in the cities of Pune and Mumbai, in the years of 2023-2024, some interesting questions arose: What is a “dharmic” family? How important are the examples of renunciation for one’s behaviour in the domestic environment? To what extent are young people attracted by, or moving away, from the doctrine and the community? Which motivators allow us to explain such proximity and distance? And how the answers to these questions help us in order describe the contemporary spectrum of interactions between monks and householders?

How do relationships between Jain laypeople and mendicants reflect the evolving dynamics of religious practice and social hierarchy? This question lies at the heart of the talk, which examines Jain lay-mendicant relations through both historical texts and ethnographic observations. The Jain community is organized as a fourfold order (caturvidha sangha), comprising monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. This structure not only emphasizes the spiritual interdependence among these groups but also embodies a hierarchical framework shaped by historical social norms. By juxtaposing textual ideals with everyday practices, I explore where these two groups converge in shared ethical commitments and spiritual goals and where they diverge due to differing roles, expectations, and interpretations of Jain teachings.