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HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
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The Sūtrakrtānga lays down the following practices as unworthy of monkhood :
"Interpretation of the marks of women, men, elephants, cows, patridges, cocks, ducks, quails, of wheels, parasols, jewels; the art to make one happy or miserable, to make a woman pregnant, to deprive one of his wits; incantations, conjuring; oblations of substances; the martial acts; the course of the moon, sun, venus and jupiter; the falling of the meteors; great conflagration; divination from wild animals, the flight of crows, showers or dust, rain of blood, the vaitālī and ardhavaitālī arts, the art of casting people asleep, of opening doors, the art of Cāņņālas, Sabaras, Draviďas, Kalingas, Gaudas, Gāndhāras; the spells for making somebody fall down, rise, yawn, for making him immovable, or cling to something; for making him sick, or sound; for making somebody go forth, disappear (or come).304
The above view is supported by the Uttarādhyayana305 also when it forbids the use of spells, roots, fortune-telling and superstitious rites in monk life.
Inspite of this, however, it seems that in a society which was full of such practices, monks could hardly remain aloof from these. This may be proved from the references to the leśyās. The Bhagavatī refers to Gosāla who was well-versed in the science of omens and who could foretell the prosperity or otherwise of the people,306 That Mahāvira himself knew the tejoleśyā (power to burn others which is the result of penance), is evident from the incident in which he saved Gosāla when the latter teased a certain ascetic Vesiyāyaṇa who tried to burn him,
It was said that if one accepted the kummāsapinda for a period of six months, and practised during that period fasts upto the sixth meal and exerted himself by standing facing the sun with arms held aloft, then one could acquire tejoleśyā.307 The Sthānanga308 however, describes three ways of acquiring this power : by mortifying the body (āyāvanatāte), by restraint of anger (khantikhamāte), and by fasting without taking water (apāņagenam tayokammeņam).
Besides this, the threefold transformation of the physical body 'viüvvaņā),309 the jakkhāvesa310 (being possessed by the supernatural beings like
304. Stkr. 2, 2, 27 (p. 366). 305. 8, 13; 15, 7-8; 17, 18, 20, 45. 306. Chapt. 15, also Näyā. p. 1 'sankhittaviülateüllese'. 307. Bhag. p. 666b; Gosāla burnt Mahāvīra's two disciples, Ibid., pp. 678a, 687b. 308. p. 147b. 309. Ibid., p. 104b. 310. Ibid., p. 47b; Bhag. pp. 190a.
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