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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
of the pamcaggi penance. Pārvatí also practised severe penances like the parcaggi penance in order to please Śiva.
(iv) Pańcagavvā saniya? — They were the Tavasas who lived upon the five products of cow, viz. milk, curd, clarified butter, urine and cowdung.: According to the ancient Brāhmanic texts, the pañcagavya prepared from the five products of cow and mixed with water in which the kuća blades have been placed, was taken for the purification of many lapses.* In the commentary of the BỊhatkal pa Bhāşya we find a Brăhmana being given the pascagavya prāyaścitta for atoning the sin of eating the flesh of dog to keep himself alive in a desert.
These penances undertaken by the Tăvasas being that of an opponent faith have been termed by our author as 'false penances. ( kutava ) or ‘false vows' ( kuvvaya ).• Yet their popularity among the Tāvasa Samaņas may be fairly attested to from the contemporary Brāhmaṇical sources.
(v) Parivvāyaga"-Parivvāyagas or Parivrājakas or the wandering ascetics were to be found in a large number. They were the masters of the sacred Brāhmaṇic lore. They were also called 'Geruā-ascetics' since they wore the clothes dyed with red-clay (dhatumattiya-ratta ). Bāna also describes the Parivrājakas of the Pāśupata sect as clad in red clothing,
1. शुचौ चतुर्णा ज्वलतां हविर्भुजां शुचिस्मिता मध्यगता सुमध्यमा। विजित्य नेत्रप्रति
graait a ralafe: Afer 11-Kumārasambhava, 5. 20. 2. NO. 3, p. 195. 3. qai eft af at 91FZİ FER THAT 7-SED., p. 308. 4. गोमूत्रं गोमयं क्षीरं दधि सर्पि: कुशोदकम् । निर्दिष्टं पंचगव्यं तु पवित्रं पापनाशनम् ।।
----Pārāśara Samhitā, X. 1. 28–33. See also---Yājūavalkyasintti, III.
314; Kane, op. cit., Vol. II, Pt. III, p. 773. 5. Brh. Vr. 2, p. 319. 6. NC. 3, pp. 179, 195. 7. NC. 2, P, 207, 332; NC. 3, pp. 414, 420. 8. According to the Ovõiya Sūtra ( 38, p. 172 ), the Parivváyagas were
usually versed in the four Vedasa, Itihās, Nighamtu, six Vedāngas and six Upāngas,
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