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The Concept of Pañcasila in Indian Thought
able channels is bound to have his downfall,"'I and “one who is not satisfied with his own wife and visits the prostitutes or the wife of another or prossesses the concubines is sure to have
ownfall."2 It can be noticed that in the contents of this vow Buddhism is similar to the Jaina vow of the householder of svadāra-santoșa, and paradāra-viramaņa.
The value of chastity has been recognised in many other places too. When in Unmadayanti Jätaka the husband of the enchanting woman, who happens to be one of the king's officers voluntarily offers his wife to the king. The king refuses the offer and admonishes the officer thus : “I shall dare throw myself on a sharp sword or into fire, with blazing flames, but I shall not be able to offend against righteousness, which I have always cherished, and to which I owe my royal bliss....If I should lack the power of ruling my own self, say into what conditions would I bring the people who long the protection from my side. Thus I would not allow myself to submit to my passion."
In Buddhism also, as in Jainism, emphasis is laid on the conduct of the layman, but all this holds good for the laywomen as well. In fact, Buddhism gives woman even a lower status than that given in Jainism. As it is known that Buddha himself was reluctant to admit women even in the Samgha, It was after the continued insistence by Prajāpati Gotami with the help of Ananda that she got admission to the Samgha but only on a lower rank. At places Buddha also condemns women as dangerous. However, it has no justification, it can only be said that as women are dangerous to men, men are to women, and the mixing of the two sexes demands both maturity as well as proper self-restraint among both men and women. 1. gftant grant 379nt a 9737, लद्धलद्ध विनासेति तं पराभवतो मुखं ।
-S. N., Parābhavasutta, 16. 2. सेहि दारेहि असन्तुट्टो वेसियासु पदिस्सति दिस्सति परदारेसु तं पराभव तो मुखं ।
-Ibid., 18. 3. अहं हि शस्त्रं निशितं विशेयं हुताशनं विस्फुरदचिषं वा न त्वेव धर्मादधिगम्य लक्ष्मों शक्ष्यामि तत्रैव पुनः प्रहर्तुम् ।
- Jātakamālā, Unmādayanti Jataka, Stanza 30.
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