________________
472
S. B. DEO
It was not in the hands of either an individual nun or a group of them to punish the transgressor. They were not expected to severe all connections with the offender of their own accord, but they were to inform the ācārya about it, and prescribe a certain period to that nun for improvement. If she improved, well and good; but if she did not, then they told her about it beforehand and then severed all contact with her.47
The BỊhatkalpasūtra gives several rules and prescribes punishments of varied magnitudes both to the monks and nuns. A single instance may not be out of place here which goes to prove the increasing severity of punishment with the higher position of the transgressor in the church hierarchy.
Standing near the shore of water involved a fault. For this, if a nun were seen by somebody doing it, she had to undergo 'gurupañcaka'; if she stood there for a porisi and was seen by somebody then 'laghudaśaka'; if unseen, then 'gurupañcaka'; if she lay down near water, then she had to undergo prāyaścittas varying between 'laghurātrindiva' and 'laghuvimsatirātrindiya'; if she slept there, then 'guruvimsatirātrindiva'; if she ate food there, then a prāyaścitta upto 'gurupañcavimśatirātrindiva'; if she eased herself there, then 'laghumāsa'; if she studied there, then 'māsaguru'; if she kept a night vigil (dharmajāgarika) there, then 'caturlaghuka'; and if she performed 'kāyotsarga' there, then 'caturguru'.
This was only in the case of the kşullikā, i.e. a junior nun. The punishment increased with the position of authority. The sthavirā had to undergo for the same offence prāyaścittas varying between 'gurupañcaka' and 'sadlaghu'; for the bhikṣuņi: 'laghudasaka' upto 'şadguruka'; for the abhişekā: ‘gurudaśaka' upto 'cheda'; and for the pravartini: 'laghupañcadaśaka' upto 'müla'.48
The 'caturguru' consisted of a fast of one day, the 'caturlaghu' of a day's fast with 'āyambila'; the 'māsalaghu' consisted in taking meals when half the day is gone, and the 'pañcarātrindiva' consisted of:
(a) not taking food in the first 'prahara' of the day, (b) not eating food in the first one and a half praharas of the day, (c) the same with regard to the first two praharas,
(d) taking food once (ekāśana) and (e) āyambila.49
47. Ibid., 7, 3. 48. Brh, kalp. bha., III, 2409, (comm. pp. 684-85).
49. I am indebted to Muni KEVALAVIJAYAJI for this information. He was kind enough to explain some of the Chedasūtras to me and spared no efforts to solve my difficulties.
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