Essay name: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
Author: A. D. Pusalker
This book studies Bhasa, the author of thirteen plays ascribed found in the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series. These works largely adhere to the rules of traditional Indian theatrics known as Natya-Shastra.
Page 385 of: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
385 (of 564)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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365
It appears that these mendicants donned red
garments. The institution of the red garmented
mendicants, however, is not taken over from Buddhism
but is of Hindu origin. The fact that P膩峁噄ni (7th
century B. C.) mentions Bhik峁-s眉tras signifies that
the order existed even earlier. At the period we are
dealing with, there were quite a number of people who
embraced asceticism simply to fill up their bellies. This
shows a degeneration of the order inasmuch as the red
garb was put on to cloak beggary and thus to earn
livelihood in an apparently honourable fashion. Such
degenerate monks were found among the Buddhists also.
1 Svapna, 1. 9 Cf. also Avi, p. 85.
