________________
HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
477
Begging and Food:
Once a proper residence was obtained, the next important item in the life of a nun was the acquisition of pure food in a proper way.
Here also almost all the rules about begging food for the nun are common with those for the monks. In fact, the rules start with the phrase as seen before--"bhikkhu bhikkhuņi vā" or "niggantho nigganthi vā”. The time for begging, begging alms at all houses irrespective of the status or caste of the householder, going in a group, no talk while begging, asking the consent of the superior before going on the alms-round, the nonacceptance of food given in an improper way, the mode of walking while begging, not going to that place in a hurry to overtake others in need of food,--all these and such other details as given in the Ācārānga, Daśavaikālika, Bhagavati, Sthānanga and other texts, are identical for both of them.
The food accepted was to be devoid of any impurity and the forty-six faults of begging. The nuns could not accept food involving sinful activity (āhākamma), or food given by the owner of the place where the nun stayed (sejjāyarapiņda), or food specially prepared for them (uddesiya), or food containing raw things consisting of the six kinds of living beings.
Articles of food which were specially forbidden for the nuns were of the type of 'puläkabhatta' i.e. insipid, difficult to digest and tending to lead them astray under the influence of passion. The 'pulāka' was of three types: dhānya-p., consisting of grains difficult to digest; gandha-p., giving smell of garlic, etc.; and rasa-p., soup or essence of grapes or tamarind. If a nun ate the first type, then she suffered from gases; if she partook of the third then she got nature's calls frequently, and if she tasted the second one, then her mouth gave foul smell. Hence she was asked to avoid such regions where these articles were eaten. In cases of emergency like the famine, she was permitted to accept the first and the last, but not the 'gandhapulāka'. If she could get another type of food, then she accepted that and deposited the already obtained 'pulāka' on a pure place. Perchance she happened to obtain the 'gandhapulāka', then she was asked not to wander out till her mouth ceased to give out the foul smell.86
Differential treatment in the case of food articles is found in some rules. For instance, the nuns were disallowed to accept an unbroken ripe cocoanut, while the monks could accept such a one, whether broken or unbroken.87
86. Ibid., Vol. V, 6049-57. 87. Brh. kalp. 1, 1-5.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
