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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAN
Alms : --Begging of food was done at the mid-day with due consideration of place and time (majjhanhadesayāle 4.3;22.1). That time is called as 'goyaravelā=gocaravela' (1 16.10). They entered the populated settlements at the proper time and used to beg at every successive house by and by (gharapantie bhamanto 4.3, gharaparivādie 88.12). But if any body invited them for food they did not go to his house, because food prepared for them or purchased for them (kīyagaduddesnipphanno 4.71) was prohibited and thus the invitation for taking alms was not acceptable to them.
Samlekhana :-Monks (39.80) and nuns (105.8) in the last days of their life practised 'samlekhana' (giving up food and drink and limiting the movements of body) and thus without having any attachment for the physical body ended their life in complete equanimity. It is also called as Panditamaranam (85.7) i.e. the death of the wise.
Non-Faina Ascetics: Non-Jaina ascetics are referred to as Pasandina (wrong-faithed 4.85;22.9) and Lingiņa (22.32 bearers of some signs). This class of ascetics included Tāpasas and Paribrājakas of whom the latter are referred to (Parivvão 41.27) once only. Both these types of ascetics belonged to the Brahmanical faith as it will be clear in the concluding lines of this topic.
The origin of the Tāpasas is referred to not less than four times in the Paumacariya. At 3. 140-143 it relates that some of the disciples of Rşabhadeva, the first Tirthankara, could not bear the hardships of the Jaina ascetic-life and also could not dare to revert to the householder's life due to the fear of Cakravartin Bharata, the then emperor of India, hence they renounced the Jaina order and started observing new practices. They came to be known as Tāpasas. This account is repeated on the occasion of the destruction of the animal sacrificce of king Marutta by Rāvana, and here it is added that they composed Kuśāstras and deluded the people (11.96). It is once more stated on the occasion of narrating the previous births of Bharata and the Bhuvanālaukāra elephant (82.23).
Then on the occasion of narrating the origin of the Brahmanas (Māhanas) the account of the origin of the Tāpasas is given. There Bhrgu and Argirasa are mentioned as Tāpasa descendants of the Brahmanas who composed Kušāstras namely, the Vedas and preached the immolation of animals in the sacrifices (4.80-86).
1. Sce Dasavai, 5.45 (Uddesiyan kiagadai puikammatica āh adan...vivajjae).
