________________
HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE
217
never to go outside the Apăsaro or the village, and only to have one meal, or to drink nothing but water. At the same time he promises that he will spend longer in meditation. He must guard against infringing the vow by extending the number of things used; borrowing some one else's things; sending a servant to fetch things or asking some one he meets in the road to do so; or by making signs and so asking even without words; or by throwing stones to attract people's attention and then getting them to fetch it.
Poṣadha
We have seen how Mahāvīra realized the importance of xi. connecting the laity closely with the ascetics, and how this vrata. close connexion saved Jainism when Buddhism was swept out of India. The eleventh vow, Posadha vrata, is one of the links that bind the two sections of the Jaina community together, for the taking of it compels a layman to spend some of his time as a monk. He promises that for twenty-four hours he will touch neither food, water, fruit, betel-nut, ornaments, scents, nor any sort of weapon, and will commit no sort of sin, but observe celibacy. He further promises that by day he will only wear three cloths (a cloth over his legs, one over his body, and a mouth-cloth), and that at night he will use two cloths only (one spread above him and one below him).
Devout laymen usually perform Poşadha four times a month, but those who hope eventually to become sadhus observe it six times a month at least.
The Digambara keep this vow more strictly than any other Jaina, for they begin to observe it the night before the twenty-four hours fixed (i. e. they keep it for two nights and the intervening day), and during all that time they never even touch water. Neither do they go to an Apăsaro, but choosing some lonely place they read the scriptures and meditate there.
The other Jaina go to their Apăsaro, read the scriptures, sing the praises of the Tirthankara, and ask questions of
