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## First Study: Gathapati Ananda]
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Sanvaran is to be done. This vow is very helpful in this practice. The excesses of the Poshadhopavas vow
55. After that, the Shramanopasaka should know the five excesses of the Poshadhopavas vow, he should not practice them. They are as follows:
Aapradilehi-Dushpradilehi-Shayasantharak, Appamargit-Dushpramargitshayasantharak, Aapradilehi-Dushpradilehi-Ucchaprastavnabhoomi, Appamargit-Dushpramargitucchaprastavnabhoomi, and Poshadhopavas Samyak Ananupalan Vivechan.
• In Poshadhopavas, there are two words: Poshad and Upavas. The meaning of Poshad is a special action that nourishes or strengthens Dharma. Upavas is made up of the prefix "up" and the word "vas". The meaning of "up" is near. The literal meaning of Upavas is the dwelling or state of being near the soul or the qualities of the soul. For some time, to achieve the proximity or closeness of the qualities of the soul, outwardness is negated. The most essential and important food in outwardness or body-mindedness is food. When the seeker is in self-absorption, he naturally becomes distant from external activities like food, etc. This is the theoretical explanation of Upavas. From a practical point of view, Upavas is the abandonment of food, drink, Khadim, and Swadim food for twenty-four hours, from sunrise to the next sunrise. The meaning of the combined practice of Poshad and Upavas is that the fasting devotee, for a limited time - twenty-four hours - breaks his connection with the house and lives in a certain place, almost like a Sadhu. He also fixes a place for sleeping, sitting, defecation, and urination. He keeps the necessary, limited equipment with care or caution, like a Sadhu, so that violence can be avoided.
One of the three aspirations of a Shravak or Upasaka is "Kya Naham Mude Bhavitta Pavvaissami" - When will the time come in my life when I will become a monk and be ordained? This vow is helpful in nourishing and developing this aspiration or high feeling. This is a practical form of the practice of Shraman-sadhana. Just as a Shraman is aware and careful in every tendency of his life, so too does the Upasaka in this vow.
Generally, these four things are the main things in the Poshadhopavas vow: