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THE ESSENCE OF JAINA SCRIPTURES
a proper adjustment of conduct must be effected.
Now he teaches a misadjustment of conduct through conflict (virodha) between main rule and exception:
III.31. If a shramana with awareness of time and place, his tiredness (i.e. capacity for physical labour] forbearance and of upadhi [i.e. bodily condition), acts in regard to food and wandering, then he incurs a minor shortcoming (lepa).145 (231)
Here the cause of exhaustion and sickness is fasting (upavasa); the upadhi is the body, the abode of youth and old age. Therefore the boy, the old man, the tired and sick are here brought in
One who, though aware of place and time, proceeds in regard to food and wandering in accordance with his state of boyhood, old age, fatigue or sickness, does by acting on the line of mild conduct commit a minor shortcoming; therefore the main rule is preferable.
He who, though aware of place and time, proceeds in regard to food and wandering in accordance with his state of boyhood, old age, fatigue or sickness, commits by acting on the line of full-grown (vrddha) conduct only a minor shortcoming; therefore the exception is preferable.
He who, though aware of place and time, through fear of minor shortcoming does not proceed in regard to food and wandering in accordance with his state of boyhood, old age, fatigue or sickness and, by his adherence to very hard (atikarkasha) conduct, causes his body out of due course to fail (read patayatah), and then reaches heaven with his whole accumulation of the nectar of self-restraint lost, because his auserity has no opportunity, incurs an irreparable major shortcoming. For this reason the main rule, applied without regard to the exception, is far from superior.
He who, though aware of place and time, in disregard of a minor short-coming proceeds arbitrarily in food and wandering out of regard for his state of boyhood, old age, fatigue or sickness, and by his adherence to mild conduct destroys his self-restraint, and becomes on a level with persons lacking self-restraint, because at the moment his austerity has no opportunity, incurs an irreparable major shortcoming. For this reason the exception, applied without regard to the main rule, is far from superior.
Therefore in every way a misadjustment in conduct through clashing of the main rule and the exception must be rejected, and for
