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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ DECEMBER, 1922
From the Dharmaídstras and Gyhyasutras it appears that brahmavddini was understood in the sense of kumara-brahmacárini. Harita says (21, 23): "Women are of two kinds—brahmavadini and sadyobadkú. For the former (are enjoined) upanayanam, agnindhanam #keeping the sacred fire alive), the reading of the Vedas, and bhikshâcaryyd (begging) in one's own home. The latter are to be invested with sacrificial thread (upanayanam) at the time of marriage."
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata abound in instances of women who remained unmarried, and without entering the world took a life-long vow of brahmacarya and begging. Take the instance of the Sramani Savari. Pandit V. Såstri has pointed out that she did not belong to the caste of the Savaras (as Mr. Rao holds), her name only was Savari (Sramani śavari nama-Aranya kandam sarga, 73, 26). The daughter of Sandilya was kau. mdra-brahmacarini (Mbh., Salya, 55–6, 7); so also was the daughter of Maharshi Gârgya (Mbh. Salva, 56-7, 9). Then is oited the conversation of the bhikshuki-SulabhA with king Janaka (Mb., Santi, 325). She was a Kshatriya and wandered about the world singly, (mahin anucacáraikd Sulabhd nama bhikshuka).
It is clear from what has been said of the cases at least of Gärgi of the B hadaranyaka and Sulabha of the Mahabharata, that certainly amongst the Vedapantnia, females became ascetics from early youth (kumára-brahmacâriņi) and wandered about from country to country. This point has been very clearly put forth in the Harita Dharmasastra.
The words bhikkhu and bhikkhuni have been expressly reserved for Buddhist monks and nung. Parivrdjaka and parivrăjika signify monks and nuns of other Orders (aññatitthiyd). That bhikkhus and parivrâjakas were not the same, but were distinguished appears from the Cullavagga (5. 23. 2) where a Buddhist lay Updsaka says, "Sir, theee are not bhikkhus but paribbajakas", and from the Bhikkhupâtimokkham (Pacittiya, 41). The Sutta Vibhanga lays down-Paribbajika nama bhikkhunim ca sikkhamanam ca sâmanerim ca thapetva ya kâci paribbájika samd pannd, i.e., paribbdjikå means any female who has taken pabbaijd excepting bhikkhunis, sikkhamands and sdmaneris.
Pandit Vidhusekhara Sastri has moreover shown that at the time when Buddhism was preached and when the Suttas and Vinaya were composed, the existing religious sects, such as djivakas, acelakas, nigan hus, ja pilas, etc., were so named (salta ca ja tilâ, satta ca nigan. tha, satta ca aceld, satta ca ekandjakd, satta ca paribbájakd-Samyutta 3. 2. 13, vol. I, p. 74). The word bhikkhu was applied solely to Buddhist monks. The Mahavagga (2. 1. 1) says, añña Litthiya paribbdjald. Thus the paribbájakas were monks other than Buddhist, and, according to Pandit V. Sastri, were none but the Vedapanthi Sanyasis.
From the above it is evident that there were sanyasinis of other orders even before the sakya-bhikkhuņi order was founded. This is suggested from the Bhikkhunipatimokkham Samghadisesa, 10 :--kimnu bhdva samaniyo yd samaņiyo sakyadhitaro santañña pi samaniyo. Thus Buddha was not the first to create bhiklohunis, nor does it appear that the order of the female ascetics was altogether a new thing. It further appears from Suttaviðhaiga and the Bhikkhupdtimokkham that the paribbdjikás dined together. So they had an order of a sort, though perhaps not properly organ sed. There were sanyasinis amongst the Jains. Candana, daughter of Râjâ Cetaka was a disciple of Mahâvîra. She was unmarried and took annyisa. She was ganini (head) of 36 thousand dryds (S.B.E., Kalpasútra).
Very reluctantly did Buddha accord permission to ordain females, saying in that case brahmacarya would not last long. Perhaps he expressed himself thus after considering the evil effects of the many existing orders of sanydsinis at the time.
