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294
(xii) Udbhinna486 (ubbhinna):
Anything that was given after breaking the seal or lid covering it was not fit for the monks as it involved injury to living beings. It was either 'pihitodbhinna' i.e. given after breaking the lid, or 'kapātodbhinna' i.e. given after breaking the wall, etc. covering it.
S. B. DEO
It may be noted that the monks following the sthavirakalpa mode of life accepted such food as was kept in a storage jar, the lid of which was opened every day as there was less chance of injury to living beings in this case due to its being in use every day by the householder,487
(xiii) Mālāpahṛta
(malohada):
The monk was forbidden to accept anything given from a high place. It was either 'jaghanya' in which case the article kept on a high place could not be seen even when one raised the heels of one's feet, or 'utkṛṣṭa' in which case it had to be brought down by climbing a ladder and had to be taken down from the terrace.489
Besides the possibility of injury to the donor while taking out such food, it was likely that the donor falling down took the monk to be the cause of the whole affair and hence he or she was likely to get angry towards the monk.
In case of permanent wooden staircase or strong slab of stone, however, the monk was allowed to accept that which was given by the donor after climbing it. If the donor standing on a stool, etc. tried hard to drag out something and then gave it to the monk, then the latter did not accept it.
(xiv) Acchedya490 (acchejja):
Such food as was taken by force from others and offered as alms was not to be accepted by the monk. An illustrative story in this connection as told in the Pindaniryukti is that of Jinadāsa who took by force all the milk of the cowherd Vatsarāja and gave it to the monks. The cowherd became angry and intended to kill the monks, but was pacified by the latter with great difficulty.
486. Ibid., 347-356.
487. Ibid., 356.
488. Ibid., 357-65.
489. Story of Vasumati who was bitten by a snake when she tried to take out things hung up, in the case of 'jaghanya'; story of Vasundhara who fell down the ladder, illustrating 'utkṛṣṭa': Ibid., 359-60 and 362.
490. Ibid., 366-76.
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