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HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
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Kosambi, towards the west as far as Thūņā and towards the north as far as Kunāla.":98 Beyond this, the monks were not to go where anāryas and mlenchas lived.99
To this list the Brhatkalpabhāsya100 adds the Sindhu country. The commentator says,
"Sindhudeśaprabhịtiko yo asamyamvişayaḥ sa bhagavatā 'pratikęştah' na tatra vihartavyam."
In spite of this, the same commentator101 adds that “now-a-days monks follow the rule as formulated in the period of king Samprati which is, 'yatra yatra 'jñānadarśana-cāriträngupasarpanti tatra tatra vihartavyam?".
It seems, therefore, that the monks went to all regions wherever they found a congenial atmosphere for their faith.
Emergency Reasons :
Nobody was allowed to leave a good place simply out of pride. If he did so, then he had to undergo a prāyaścitta.
However, owing to calamities like the scarcity of alms, trouble from the king, constant illness, and famine, they were allowed to leave the place immediately.
The Bhāşyas102 constantly refer to the behaviour of monks under royal disfavour. In this calamity, the monks, if banished or starved by the king, were to leave that place immediately. If, however, he took away their requisites or intended to kill them, then the monks divided themselves in various batches and left the place.
Such calamities (aśiva) were said to be foreseen by the ācārya who interpreted various omens like the untimely blossoming of the trees, the shaking of the earth due to thunders, and cries of lamentations all around, as the fore-runners of these dangers.103
With all these calamities, however, the monks were allowed to travel through unfavourable regions on account of the following reasons :
(1) to visit an ācārya for important work,
98. Bsh, kalp. 1, 51. 99. Nis. 16, 26. 100. Vol. III, 2881, (p. 816). 101. Ibid. Vol. III, 3271, (p. 915). 102. Ibid. Vol. II, 1019-20; Ogha-N. bhā., vs. 15ff.
103. Byh. kalp. bha., Vol. IV, 4796-4800; The Ogha-N. bha. 25, gives different reasons of royal disfavour.
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