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HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
267 The view that 'coating the pot is not permitted by the Jina' is refuted at the outset300 by the author of the Niryukti who seems to opine that this process is quite in keeping with the tenets of the Jina. This necessity of refuting all the objections raised perhaps suggests that the coating of the pot was then still looked upon as a new practise and that there might have been a class of monks who did not favour it. Anyway, we come across illustrations of those who had to face trouble as their pots were not coated.301 The Purpose of Coating :
Two reasons were put forth to uphold the coating of the pot. The first was that articles of food kept in a non-coated pot were likely to become unfit for eating, and the second was the fear of people condemning a monk with a bad, uncoated pot.302 The Pots to be Coated :
Both new and old pots were to be coated. Those that were old were to be shown to the guru and his opinion was sought regarding it. If he consented, then and only then were the pots to be coated. Similar was the process with regard to the new pots. Nobody was allowed to coat the pot for decorative purposes.303
The Coating Material :
The coating material consisted of the oil used for lubricating the wheels of a bullock-cart.304 If that was made of bitter oil (kadugandha), then that was not to be accepted as it did not properly get fixed to the pot. If, on the other hand, the leva consisted of mitthatilatella (sweet sesamum oil), then it was to be accepted.305 The bitterness or otherwise of that oil was to be tested by the monk by smelling it.306 The excellent coating material consisted of sesamum oil (tila), the medium one of atasi, and the oil of mustard (sarsapa) was ranked lowest in the list. The pot was never coated with butter, ghee, molasses, fat or salt. 307
300. Ibid., 372; bha. 192. 301. Ogha-N. 373-74. 302. Ibid., bha. 196-97. 303. Ogha-N. 377, 380; bhā. 202. 304. Called 'vangan' in Marathī. 305. Ogha-N. bha. pp. 140b-141a. 306. Ogha-N. 386. 307. Ibid., 406.
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