________________
S. B. DEO
robbers176 and parivrājakas1?? troubled them, and either raped them or stole away their clothes.
490
Numerous instances of the use of spells and magic are alluded to. A certain parivrājaka named Pedhäla caused impregnation to a nun Sujyeṣṭhā, daughter of king Cetaka.178 Fake monks also caused impregnation and abortions.
Under these circumstances the monks were expected to guard the nuns. A young monk well-versed in the art of fighting was allowed to punish an intruder by disguising as a nun.179 In certain cases even brother-monks had to protect their sister-nun with the permission of the ācārya and the pravartini 180
The nuns, therefore, had to be extremely careful regarding their resi dence, the society around them and their clothes. Regarding the last, they were asked to put on all their garments while going out. We have the story of the king Murunda of Kusumapura whose sister wanted to renounce the world. She asked her brother as to what order of nuns she should adopt. The king wanted to test the behaviour of Jaina nuns. So he asked one of his elephant-drivers to attack the modesty of a Jaina nun who was going on the begging tour. But as she was well-dressed and had put on all the required garments, the man could not violate her. Seeing this, the king was pleased and was convinced about the precautions the nuns took for the preservation of celibacy. He, therefore, asked the man not to trouble her and allowed gladly his sister to embrace the order of Jaina nuns.181
Inspite of these precautions, if a nun was raped, then she informed. about it to her superior without letting other nuns know about it. She was not to be driven out of the order but was to be handed over for care to the guru or to the 'sejjāyara' (the person who lent them lodging). The latter was told all the facts of the case, and was requested to take care of the unfortunate nun. In case, however, the people at large knew about it, then the raped nun was kept in the monastery (upliśraya) and was not allowed to go out for begging, etc. Other monks and nuns were to bring food for her. When she was advanced in pregnancy she was handed over to a devoted layman and her duties as a nun were suspended so long as her child sucked her. Those who teased her or condemned her on account of rape were to undergo
176. Nis-C. piīṭhikā, p. 90.
177. Than. comm. p. 457b.
178. Avasyaka-C. II, p. 175ff.
179. Brh. kalp. bha. Vol. IV, 4106ff.
180. Ibid., Vol. V, 5255-59.
181. Ibid., Vol. IV, 4123-26.
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