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HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
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They were soft, fine, thick and smooth to touch (masrna), and were to be folded three, five or seven times so that the sun was not visible through them, and, probably, the light did not reach the food in the bowl.326
Rayattāna (rajastrāņa) :
This was another article to wipe the pot clean. It was moved round the pot in a slanting fashion, and it took away all the dust accumulated over the pot by mice, etc. It was also meant to wipe the rain-drops over the pot. In size, it varied according to the size of the pot.327
Besides the begging bowl and its accessories, there were other pots also.
Mattaya (mātraka) :
This was used only by the Sthavirakalpika monks, and the Jinakalpika monks used only the pāya.328 The size of this pot was explained in two ways. It was either of the capacity of the 'māgadhika prastha' (i.e. the prastha measure used in Magadha), or else it was of that size which could contain food sufficient for a monk who had travelled a distance of two gavyūtis.329 This pot was used mainly for the purpose of depositing the (rare) things for the ācārya both normally as well as in the rainy season. Besides this, articles fit for the ill, or for the guest, or very scarce articles like ghee, etc. were accepted in the mattaya.330
The use of a small mattaya was said to lead to the condemnation by the people, who, seeing the pot of the monk overflowing with eatables, took the monk to be a greedy fellow. More than that, the pot when overflowing, put off the cover over it, and dust easily got in, or the food trickled down on the ground, thus involving death of the living beings below it.331
Mallaya :
This pot was of use for depositing mucus or cough. So also, if, while taking food, a monk came across a thorn, etc. in the food, then that was thrown in the mallaya 332 From the rule which required the monk to bring
326. Ogha-N. 679-702. 327. Ibid., 703-04. 328. Ibid., 679. 329. Ibid., 714. 330. Ibid., 716. 331. Ibid., 715. 332. Ibid., 565.
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