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ECONÔMIC, POLITICAL & RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS 487 tion to the Jainas, non-Jainas also were free to enter the order. It is found that the monastic order did not nurture any racial", class sex or age distinction in accepting persons into the ascetic fold. It was open for one and all who wanted to bring about their spiritual emancipation.
Movements and shelter :- Monks wandered from place to place giving religious discourses to the people (3.139;103.63;2.29). The organisation was called Samanasangha which consisted of monks and nuns and moved in groups headed by a guru (5.223.226;102.48-60). A guru could permit his monk disciple to wander alone (114.24). In the rainy season they sojourned at one place for four months (82.95;22.34) and in the month of Kārtika they resumed their wandering (22.37). The places of their sojourn and shelter were the gardens of the towns (5.224;6.137;29.37;75.27;82.5) or the trees outside the towns (5.106; 38.16) or sanctuary (kotthaga 89.14) or temples or shrimes (89.15; 29. 39) or forest (33.30) or the bank of a river (11.18) or the caves (37.70; 38.9;29.39 ) or the valleys of the hills (22.34;89.7) or the tops of the hills (82.95). The place of their sojourn was called Samaṇāsama (śramanaśrama 103.22).
Austerities:-Monks are referred to be performiug fasts of the duration of two days (5.59) to six months (22.28). Various types of Tapas performed by Muni Sukošala (22.24-27) are mentioned as Ratnāvali, Muktavali, Kanakávali, Kulićamadhya, Yavamadhyā, Jinagunasamprāpti, Vidhi, Sarvatobhadra, Trilokasāra, Mşdangamadhyā, Pipilikamadhyā, Sisankārayaladdhi (Śrīsatkāralabdhi), Darśanajñāna. labdhi, Pañcamandara, Keśarīkrīda, Caritralabdhi, Parişahajaya, Pravacanamāyā, Ādinnasukhanāmā, Pañcanamaskāravidhi, Tirthārthaśrutā, Sukhasamprāpti, and Dharmopāsanalabdhi. Monks exposed their bodies to the scorching heat of the summer sun and practised mortification (21.93;9.55,61). They remained absorbed in studies (sajjhāya 46.71) and practised meditation (22.3) in various postures (padimā) such as sitting posture (paliyanka), standing posture (117.4.6) (Virāsana posture (22.36) and Caukāņaņa pratimā (60.6) or Caurānana (82.2) postures. The austerities performed by Sīta were so severe that her body was reduced to a frame of bones only (105.7).
The references to ‘malavilittavvarigo' (22.1) and 'malakañcuyadháriņi' (105.5) indicate that monks and nuns were prohibited from taking bath.
1. 6.147, 152,9.46; 13.51:75.82. 2. 11.54;26.20; 30.67, 70; 41.58;103.106. 3. See History of Jaina Monachism, pp. 450-451, for the explanation of some of
these austerities. The canonical literature does not mention all of them.
