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There are four types of Shramanas who consume the four types of faults: Atikrama, Vyatikrama, Atichar and Anachar, which are both manifest and concealed.
1. Some Shramanas consume these faults openly, i.e., they do not conceal them.
2. Some Shramanas consume these faults in a concealed manner, i.e., they do not reveal them.
3. Some Shramanas consume these faults both openly and in a concealed manner.
4. Some Shramanas do not consume these faults either openly or in a concealed manner.
Those who fall into the first category are not disciplined, are undisciplined, free-willed, deceitful and shameless, and they are not afraid of sin, therefore they consume faults openly.
Those who fall into the second category are of two types:
* Those with a clear understanding, if they consume these faults occasionally, they conceal them because they themselves consume faults due to weakness of the soul, therefore they think that other Shramanas should not consume faults by seeing them consume faults, therefore they conceal the consumption of faults.
* Those with an unclear understanding, who are deceitful Shramanas, do not consume these faults openly out of fear of public shame or with the intention that the faith of the devotees should remain on them, but they do so in secret.
Those who fall into the third category are of a deceitful nature, they consume ordinary faults openly but conceal powerful faults. If someone sees them consuming ordinary faults, they say, "Ordinary faults are common to all in this five-fold time. Therefore, it is impossible to avoid these faults."
Those who fall into the fourth category are truly detached, are seekers of liberation and are devoted to self-study, therefore they do not consume these faults either openly or in a concealed manner.
The practice of atonement as prescribed in the Vyavahar Sutra is for the purification of the faults consumed by the first three categories of Shramanas. The last, fourth category of Shramanas are the keepers of the Niratichar character, therefore there is no provision for any kind of atonement for them.
The purification of conduct is both difficult and easy. In the Dharma-shastra of the first Tirthankara, Bhagwan Rishabhdev Adinath, the Shramanas were mostly righteous and simple, but they were dull (those with low intellectual development). Therefore, they were not able to fully understand and follow the principles of the Sutra. This was the only reason why their conduct was difficult to purify.