________________
CHAPTER X THE JAINA LAYMAN AND HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE
The Twelve Lay Vows. The Jaina, though they do not know of any dynamic power such as would give a man strength to keep his promises, nevertheless firmly believe in the helpfulness of taking vows. Through these, they say, a man is aided towards keeping the third jewel, that of Right Conduct, and by failing to take them he acquires karma from which they might have saved him.
We have seen that it is only after he has made some progress in the upward path that a man wishes to take these vows, 2 though after a certain time he is able to keep the spirit of the vows without needing to renew the vows themselves. Not only must the candidate have reached the fifth step, but he must also have attained to firm faith in a true Tirthankara, true guru, and true religion.
Further, he cannot take any vow unless he has first re- Pañca nounced five faults (Pasca Atičāra) and so has no doubts Atičāra. (Sankā); no desire to belong to another faith (Kānkha); no questioning about the reality of the fruits of karma (Vitigiċċhā); undertakes not to praise hypocrites (Parapā. khanda parašaisā); and not to associate with them (Parapākhanda santhana). If all these conditions be fulfilled, the man may take the The five
Anufirst vow (Prāṇātipāta viramana vrata), promising never
vrata. intentionally to destroy a jiva that has more than one prona sense. This vow would not prevent a king leading an army tipāta
vira1 Other Indians also believe strongly in the virtue of the Jaina vows, mana It is said, for instance, that the mother of Mr. Gāndhi, the South African vrata. leader, though herself a Vaisnava, persuaded her son before he left Rājkot for England to vow in front of Pūjya Bećaraji, a famous Jaina sādhu, that he would abstain from wine, flesh and women.
See p. 187.
