________________
S. B. DEO
The reasons for the prohibition on the use of full and valuable clothes. were based on commonsense. Such clothes were said to have the following drawbacks:
402
(1) They were generally heavy,
(2) There was always a likelihood of thieves attacking the monk wearing such garments,
(3) They required lot of water for washing which went against the rules of monastic behaviour,
(4) It was likely that there would be trouble from the guards. Here a story is told of an acārya who had to face the attack of thieves for a valuable kambala given to him by the king.
(5) The people condemned the monk wearing such garments.
Exceptions:
The monks were, however, given a wide latitude to conform to local habits and manners. For instance, it was said that the people of Thūņā (mod. Thaneshwar) 144 used clothes after cutting the ends (daśikā), and the monks were also asked to do so. On the other hand, in the Indus region the people did not cut the ends of the garments, hence the monks also were forbidden to do so.
In the city of Tamalitti145 in the country of Nemāli (mod. Nepal),146 and in the region called Sindhu-Sovīra, monks were allowed to use complete pieces of clothes as was the custom there.
In the country of Maharastra, monks were allowed to use complete pieces of 'nilakambalas' as was said to be the custom there in the winter.
Kings and royal persons who had taken to monklife, were allowed to use soft garments till they got used to coarse ones.
In cases of calamities and hard life, the monks sold their valuable clothes and provided for the maintenance of the gaccha,147
In the country of Golla148 the month of Caitra was very cold and the monks residing there were allowed to wear necessary garments to protect themselves from cold.149
144. CAGI., p. xliii, f.n. 2; for 'sadasa vastra' see Ogha-N. bhd. 13.
145. Identified with mod. Tamluk, CAGI., p. 732; See Brh. kalp. bha. Vol. IV, 3912. 146. Imp. Gaz., Vol. X, p. 274.
147. Brh. kalp. bha. Vol. IV, 3900-17.
148. Identified with Goli in Guntur Distt., by JAIN J. C., Life in Ancient India,
p. 286.
149. Avasyaka-c. p. 274.
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