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they cannot get their work done smoothly without giving bribes."
The issue of bribery
is dealt with detail in the following chapter. The spectrum and scope of business in the
present time has changed. I would think that advertising would also be a concern for
businessmen jewelers, for instance, wants women to desire jewels, and so advertise that
they make women look beautiful and show that they are loved and desirable.
Advertisements support consumerism in all areas (cars, houses, jewelry, etc). However,
they are also part of “just doing business." How can a businessman live and still keep the
spirit of the vows? In addition to these issues, concerns arising from the growing number
of industries and the issues of unfair treatment of laborers also need to be addressed by
the Anuvrati. Such questions imply that the vows are not sufficiently targeted to the
present problems.
Vow Seven: I will set limits to the Practice of Continence and Acquisition.
The seventh vow is similar to the sixth, but it addresses more directly aparigraha
(non-possession) and is also the only vow that addresses the category of brahmacharya
(celibacy) or limiting sexual behavior. Therefore, accepting of the seventh vow entails
much more than just non-attachment and limiting one's external material possession. It
also means one must overcome internal emotions like anger, ego, greed and deceit.
Acharya Tulsi taught that the symptoms of violence emerge out of these detracting
passions. The vow sets limits on passions, not totally overcoming, but restraining the
negative emotions, so that they do not control one's actions.
I received some interesting and somewhat contrasting viewpoints on this vow
from my informants. Most of the women respondents commented that they never faced
101 Sadhvi Shri, interview by Shivani Bothra, trans. Shivani Bothra, July 19, 2012.
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