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Avoidance of Intoxicants and Non-Possession
of the householder a prescription for the limitation of his worldly possessions is made which restricts the number of possessions to nine types1. These are: farm and houses (kşetra-vastu), gold and silver (hiranya-suvarna), bipeds and quadrupeds (dvipada and catuspada) and other requisites such as utensils etc., and other necessary equipment of the household (kupya dhātu). The aforesaid list includes almost everything a householder needs for his own maintenance, for the maintenance of his family and for a normal living in society. The duty of the householder lies in limiting all his possessions and consequently controlling his limitless desire to possess more and more. It is in this sense of limitation of possessions that it is called the vow of partial limitation of possessions or abstention from major possessions which are endless as the desires are endless.
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Further, the householder is enjoined to abstain himself through mind, speech and body from possessions beyond the prescribed limitation but he is not at the same time enjoined to abstain from asking others for keeping possession, as the Śrāvakapratikramaṇa Sūtra suggests that he abstains from major possessions only with one karana and three yogas and not with two karanas and three yogas like the other precepts of the householder. Strangely enough, in the Upāsakadaśānga this point is missing altogether, it only discusses the limitations of possessions of cows etc. by Upasaka Ananda.
This is the Svetambara version of this vow, the Digambara version is almost the same in essence. According to the Ratnakaraṇḍaśrävakācāra parigraha-parimāṇavrata prescribes 1. पंचम अणुव्वयं थूलाओ परिग्गाहाओ वेरमणं । खेत्त वत्थुणं जहा परिमाणे हिरण्णसुवण्णाण जहा परिमाणं, घण घण्णाणं जहा परिमाणं, दुप्पय चउप्पयाणं जहापरिमाणं कुप्पस्स जहापरिमाणं । एवमए जहा परिमाणं कयं तओ अयरितस्स परिग्गहस्स पच्चक्खाणं ।
-Śra, Prati. Upāsaka. 1.17-20.
2. जावजीवाए, एकविहं तिविहेणं न करेमि मणसा वयसा कायसा ।
-Śrā. Prati.
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