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throughout the city at night by saying "simhakesara" (type of a modaka) instead of "dharmalābha" (may you obtain the Law!).502 (xi) Samstva (santhava):
Praising a person for getting food was not allowed to a monk. Praising was either 'pūrva' or 'paścāt. The former consisted in praising a lady by pointing out her resemblance to one's own mother, so that getting pleased she gave food to the monk.
The latter was the praising of the lady after getting food by saying, "O! You look like my mother-in-law".
Thus the words 'pūrva' and 'paścāt' denoted relations before and after the marriage of a person and pointing out resemblances in either of these two categories in order to please the person for the purpose of getting food.
In many cases, however, there was a likelihood of the donor getting angry due to the pointing out of such resemblances by the monk. Hence the monk was forbidden to do this.503
(xii-xiii) Vidyā and Mantra (vijjā and manta):
Obtaining food with the help of spells or magic was disallowed to monks.504 The distinction between 'vidyā' and 'mantra' was that the former was presided over by a female deity (strirūpadevatādhişthitā), while the latter by a male deity.
Many stories of different monks who adopted these methods are to be found in the Pindaniryukti.505
The basis behind the prohibition of these practices was that spell and magic could be used both ways, either for good or for bad purposes, and there was always a likelihood of the king or the people punishing the monks when their magic powers were exposed.
(xiv) Cúrna (cunna):
The use of powders so as to endow supernatural powers to the user was not allowed to the monks. In this connection the Niryukti refers to
502. Ibid., 481-83. 503. Ibid., 484-93. 504. Ibid., 494-99.
505. Story of a monk who managed to acquire lot of ghee, etc. for the monks through magic: 495-96; story of Padaliptasūri who cured the headache of king Murunda of Pratişthana by spells: 498.
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