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## **Prāśama Uddesaka**
**The Atonement of the Veda-Mohoday**
1. **The monk who engages in manual labor or approves of those who do (incurs the Guru-Māsika atonement).**
**Discussion:**
Upon reading this sūtra, a curious student of the scriptures will naturally wonder why this sūtra appears at the very beginning of this Āgama. Shouldn't there be a mangalācaraṇa (auspicious invocation) or an utthānikā (introduction) at the start? This sūtra could have been placed elsewhere.
The answer lies in the compilation style of the Āgamas. They are structured to contain the desired topics from "ath" (beginning) to "iti" (end). For example, consider the Ācārāṅga, Sūtrakṛtāṅga, Sthānāṅga, Samvāyāṅga, and the Br̥hatkalpa, Vyavahāra, etc. sūtras. These do not have mangalācaraṇa sūtras or utthānikās. This is because the Śruta Dharma (scriptural teachings) and Cāritra Dharma (ethical conduct) expounded in the Āgamas are themselves auspicious. Therefore, the Āgamas and each of their sūtras are auspicious in nature. Why then is there a need for an additional mangalācaraṇa?
Alternatively, atonement is a form of tapas (austerity). According to the Daśavaikālika sūtra, tapas is auspicious. Therefore, the Pūrṇa Niśītha sūtra, which outlines atonement, is itself auspicious. Hence, an additional mangalācaraṇa is unnecessary.
In this regard, thoughtful students of the Āgamas believe that the mangalācaraṇa sūtras or utthānikās found at the beginning or end of some Āgamas were added later by a devout follower of the Āgamas during the period of scriptural transcription or some other unknown time.
As evidence, consider the "Namo Bamṁbīe Livīe" invocation found at the beginning of the Bhagavati sūtra. This mangalācaraṇa in the form of a salutation originated during the period of scriptural transcription. Why would there be a need to salute the script as long as the scriptures were memorized and passed down orally?