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Ascetic Life. The ascetic life as revealed in the Paumacariyam can be treated under two heads i. e. Jaina ascetic life and the non-Jaina ascetic life. 1. Vide Jasastilaka and Indian Culture-Handiqui, p. 262.

ECONOMIC, POLITICAL & RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS 485 Jaina Ascetics : The Jaina monastic organsisation consisted of monks and nuns. The monk has been variously called as Samana (4. 72), Sahu (14. 111; 13. 18), Nigganatha (2. 55; 32. 60), Jaivara (yativara 82. 12), Maharisi (4. 73; 14. 111) and Muni (6, 147) whereas the nun as Arya (2. 56; 103. 165) and Samani (105. 53). The act of getting initiated into the asceitc order called ordination is termed as Samanadikkha (21. 55), Niggantham (1.88), Jinadikkha (30.30), Jinavaradikkha (21.84), Jaina paramadikkham (3.136), Pavaradikkha (5.250), Pavvajjam (6. 147), Samanna (1. 36), and Samanatta (39. 62). It is also called as entering the Tapovana (111. 5). The organisational head of the nuns is called Sayalaganapali (39. 48) while the chief of the smaller unit of the organisation as Mayahariya (102. 49-mahattarika). There is a single reference to a Svetambara monk¹-i. e. the monk wearing white clothes but the naked monks i. e. the Digambaras are nowhere explicitly referred to. The nuns are referred to be putting on white garments (102. 60; 103. 165). Rajoharana (Rayaharana) i. e. the broom of woolen threads or peacock feathers was a necessary equipment of theirs (monks and nuns 114.15). Those who entered the ascestic order had to give up kingdom, wife, sons, money and wealth (5.163). They had to be free from all wordly pleasures (nivvinnakamabhoga 5.200) and had to restrain themselves from taking delight in any wordly object (paricayai visayasokkham 5.39). All the wordly possessions had no meaning for them and they had to give up all the injurious professions and activities (caiuna pariggaha arambha 13.40). They had to be free from all the attachments hence one who took ordination was called 'vosariyasavvasanga' (4.52; 5.241); 'nissanga (29.33); 'savvasangao mukkam' (6.98) and 'sangaparihinam' (9.43). Before entering the ascetic order one took due permission of his parents and other relatives (106.45). The ceremony either in case of a male or a female was performed by voluntry uprooting of five handfuls of hair from the head (3.136; 102.46). Causes of Renouncement:-The sole cause of accepting the life of an ascetic as depicted in the Paumacariya is the disgust with wordly miseries which affected wordly persons in various ways and thus prepared 1. The Paumacariya narrates that Sodasa, king of Ayodhya was dethroned and expelled from the state on account of being addicted to taking human flesh, He happened to meet a Svetambara monk (Siyambara) in the Daksinadesa. He listened to his religious discourse and then became a Sravaka. Further he is said to have become the king of Mahapura (22. 72-91).

486 A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM them for seeking spiritual emancipation. This disgust developed on accont of various kinds of wordly incidents. Some of the political reasons which led to asceticism were the defeat and humiliatlon in the battle(12.136;13.17; 37.64-65); preferring renouncement to submission. to other king (9.44-46); and disgust from the horror of huge massacre in the battlefield (4.52). The household incident which led to asceticism were the lust of wealth and then enmity between sons and their mother (55.43), personal weakness in observing chastity (105.108); lustful eye on the flesh of one's own sister (3996); desire for another's wife and then lamentation (12.24); being not chosen in 'svayammvara' (106.27); being kidnapped by another man (30.70); being forcibly raped (103.102); losing one's own beyond recovery (26.20); one's wife being forcibly kept by another king and the unbearable pains of separation (21.5; 105.98); parent's getting separated from their son and daughter-in-law (30.65-67); the death of husband in the battle and sons' renouncement (6.75,82-84), the death of sons (5.197), the death of relatives (75.76-77; 110.37); mother being separated from her son who had taken diksa (83.9-12); wife in separation of her husband who took diksa (21.73), one's brothers' renunciation (113.70), or by friendship and by association (6.98). Sita on account of being blamed by the public and due to her husnand's doubt in her character, developed disguest for worldly miseries and became a nun (102.46). Rama on being disgusted with various vicissitudes in worldly life (113.69) accepted asceticism. Kings are generally said to be renouncing the world at the time of their old age after transferring the crown to their sons (21.27: 5.250; 6.154). Some took diksa on having listened to the religious discourses from monks on the worldly miseries (5.164; 31.55; 32.21) or having heard the account of their miserable previous births (5.215: 6.147). Sometimes very trivial causes were responsible for renouncing the world such as on seeing the blue cloth (3.122) or a waning winter cloud (21.22) or the grabing of the sun by Rahu (21.81) or the bee dying in the lotus (5.218) or the sky overcast with clouds and devoid of the moon (108.23-24-47) or the withering lotuses (5.55). reveals Eligibility for becoming a Jaina monk:-The Paumacariyam that there was no age-limit¹ for entering the ascetic order. Any person at any period of his age could enter the Order. Women were freely admitted without any distinction of sex or age. 1. 21.72. 77; 22.21; 25.20; 39.47; 41.63; 80.26; 103.702; 106.46; 110.41. 2. 30.67.70;41.63; 103.102. In addi-

ECONOMIC, POLITICAL & RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS 487 tion to the Jainas, non-Jainas also were free to enter the order. It is found that the monastic order did not nurture any racial, class² sex or age distinction in accepting persons into the ascetic fold. It was open for one and all who wanted to bring about their spiritual emancipation. Movements and shelter:-Monks wandered from place to place giving religious discourses to the people (3.139;103.63;2.29). The organisation was called Samanasangha which consisted of monks and nuns and moved in groups headed by a guru (5.223.226;102.48-60). A guru could permit his monk disciple to wander alone (114.24). In the rainy season they sojourned at one place for four months (82.95;22.34) and in the month of Kartika they resumed their wandering (22.37). The places of their sojourn and shelter were the gardens of the towns (5.224;6.137;29.37;75.27;82.5) or the trees outside the towns (5.106; 38.16) or sanctuary (kotthaga 89.14) or temples or shrimes (89.15; 39) or forest (33.30) or the bank of a river (11.18) or the caves (37.70; 38.9;29.39) or the valleys of the hills (22.34;89.7) or the tops of the hills (82.95). The place of their sojourn was called Samanasama (Sramanasrama 103.22). 29. Austerities:-Monks are referred to be performiug fasts of the duration of two days (5.59) to six months (22.28). Various types of Tapas performed by Muni Sukosala (22.24-27) are mentioned as Ratnavali, Muktavali, Kanakavali, Kulisamadhya, Yavamadhya, Jinagunasamprapti, Vidhi, Sarvatobhadra, Trilokasara, Mrdangamadhya, Pipilikamadhya, Sisankarayaladdhi (Srisatkaralabdhi), Darsanajnanalabdhi, Pancamandara, Kesarikrida, Caritralabdhi, Parisahajaya, Pravacanamaya, Adinnasukhanama, Pancanamaskaravidhi, Tirthartha- sruta, Sukhasamprapti, and Dharmopasanalabdhi. Monks exposed their bodies to the scorching heat of the summer sun and practised mortification (21.93;9.55,61). They remained absorbed in studies (sajjhaya 46.71) and practised meditation (22.3) in various postures (padima) such as sitting posture (paliyanka), standing posture (117.4.6) (Virasana posture (22.36) and Caukanana pratima (60.6) or Cauranana (82.2) posture. The austerities performed by Sita were so severe that her body was reduced to a frame of bones only (105.7). The references to 'malavilittavvango' (22.1) and 'malakancuyadharini (105.5) indicate that monks and nuns were prohibited from taking bath. 1. 6.147, 152;9.46; 13.51;75.82. 2. 3. 11.54,26.20; 30.67, 70; 41.58;103.106. See History of Jaina Monachism, pp. 450-451, for the explanation of some of these austerities. The canonical literature does not mention all of them.

488 A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM Alms: Begging of food was done at the mid-day with due consideration of place and time (majjhanhadesayale 4.3;22.1). That time is called as 'goyaravela=gocaravela' (116.10). They entered the populated settlements at the proper time and used to beg at every successive house by and by (gharapantie bhamanto 4.3, gharaparivadie 88.12). But if any body invited them for food they did not go to his house, because food prepared for them¹ or purchased for them (kiyagaduddesnipphanno 4.71) was prohibited and thus the invitation for taking alms was not acceptable to them. Samlekhana-Monks (39.80) and nuns (105.8) in the last days of their life practised 'samlekhana' (giving up food and drink and limiting the movements of body) and thus without having any attachment for the physical body ended their life in complete equanimity. It is also called as Panditamaranam (85.7) i.e. the death of the wise.