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268
S. B. DEO
Securing the Coating Material :
Permission of the owner of the cart was to be asked before taking the oil from the cart-wheels.308 Oil from a cart which was standing on grass or seeds, which was ready for the journey, which was yoked, which was moving on, to which a calf was tied or near which a calf was grazing, under which a dog was tied, or which was kept in water, was not to be taken. Considerations based on commonsense were at the back of these rules, as for instance, going near the calf or dog tied to the cart was likely to make them wild, while oil from a cart placed in water or on living beings offered a ground for injury to living beings while taking the oil.309 Time for Bringing the Coat:
The coating material was not to be brought at night, or when there was a great stormy wind blowing, or when a great mist prevailed.310 Proper Time for Coating the Pot:
Before undertaking the coating of the pot, the monk had to do a caüttha fast, and then taking the permission of the guru, the pots were coated early morning so that they might get dry during the rest of the day.311 Krttikā and Viśākhā were deemed the proper nakṣatras for coating the pot.312 The Process of Coating :
Taking the cart-oil in a pan (mallaga), covering it with ash and closing it with a piece of cloth, the monk came back to the monastery. Then asking pardon before the guru for transgressions, if any, committed during the walk (iryāpathika), he inquired whether anybody else wanted the coating. If nobody else was in need of it, then he poured the oil on a piece of cloth and strained it. Then taking a piece of cotton (rüya), he applied the paint to the pots he wanted to coat, and rubbed the material well over the pot by means of a polishing stone called 'ghattaka."313 Drying the Pot:
When the pot was coated, it was spread over with a spray of ash (chāra) so that no insects stuck to it, and covering it with a piece of cloth,
308. Ibid., 376; bhā. 198-99. 309. Ogha-N. 387. 310. Ibid. 311. Ogha-N. 379; bhā. 203. 312. Ganividyaprakirnaka 36-37.
313. Ogha-N. 381-94. Such stones, most suitable for the purpose, were said to be amply available at Bhogapur, a town situated in between Pāvā and Vesālī: Pinda-N.v. 15; comm. p. 9b.
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