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HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
281 Time for Accepting and Eating Food :
The food was to be obtained in broad day light. It was not to be secured in twilight.399 Not only that but a monk who praised night meal (rāïbhoyaņa) or appreciated somebody else doing so, had 'to undergo a punishment for that.400
No preservation of food was encouraged, and the monk who ate food acquired in the early quarter of the day, later on in the day, had to face expiatory punishment.401 Thus, not only obtaining but eating of stale food by a monk was not allowed.402
If by ignorance, he happened to eat food before sunrise or after sunset, then no sooner he saw that the sun had arisen or had set than he stopped eating and cleaned his mouth and vessel (padiggaha). Then he was not declared to be guilty (nāïkkamai), but if after knowing full well the situation as being unfit for meals he continued to eat, then he had to undergo four months' unshortened penance (cāümmāsiyam parihāratthānam anugghāïyam).403
Regional Limits of Begging :
Carrying food beyond a distance of one half yojana (addhajoyanamerão),404 was not allowed. This means that the food which was obtained was consumed within that regional limit.
Places Unfit for Begging :
Newly occupied villages (gāma), settlements (sannivesa) and habitations (nivesa), or newly opened mines of iron, copper (tambāgara), lead (taü), gold (hiranna), diamonds (rayaņa), etc.405 granaries (kotthāgārasālā), treasuries (bhandāgāra), or water-places (pānasālā) or big kitchens (mahāṇasasālā) 406 were to be avoided in seeking food.
Accepting food and drink at the coronation celebrations of kings, as well as obtaining it when the kings were engaged in some work in the uttarasālā (recreation hall), or in the horse stable (hayasālā), or elephant stable (gayasālā), or counsel-hall (mantasāla), or secret places (gujjhasālā,
(paccogilamane)
399. Ibid., 1, 43. 400. Nis. 11, 72-73; (See also Appendix 1). 401. Ibid., 12, 30; 11, 78-9. Brh.kalp. 4, 11.
402. The Brh.kalp. does not allow monks and nuns to reswallow vomited (uggāle) food at night: 5, 10.
403. Ibid., 5, 6-9; See Appendix 1. 404. Nis. 12, 31; Brh.kalp. 4, 12. 405. Nis. 5, 34.
406. Ibid., 9, 7. BULE. DCRI.-36
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