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Although he is called a śrāvaka he, in fact, renounces household. He covers his body with just a lion cloth or at the most another small piece of cloth on shoulders. It is the transitional stage between a śrāvaka and an ascetic. As he practices vows suitable for ascetics he is called a sādhaka (a spiritual aspirant of higher order; accomplished). A śrāvaka and a śrāvikā (female) with two clothes is called kśullaka and kśullikā respectively, and one with just a lion cloth (if male) or a longer sādilike cloth (if female) is called elaka and āryikā respectively. They also carry a peacock feather broom and a gourd bowl, these being equipment of discipline and purity respectively. Besides these things they have no other possessions.
These levels are best explained with the help of a common mundane example. Pāksika śrāvaka is like a kindergarten student. In this class a child learns to go to school in time, attend classes, and general discipline. Besides this he also learns alphabet and numbers. Naisthika śrāvakas from the levels of the first to the tenth pratimās can be co
compared with students of first to tenth standards. In the school there is a progressive improvement of knowledge from first to tenth class and in the śrāvaka praxis there is a progressive improvement in conduct from fist to tenth pratimās. The eleventh class is neither school nor college but intermediate. This goes for the eleventh pratimā as well. Here the śrāvaka has a semblance of a dress therefore he is not called an ascetic but like an ascetic he also renounces household and carries ascetic-broom and gourd-bowl.
MINOR VOWS FOR A ŚRĀVAKA
There are five minor vows for a śrāvaka:
1. Ahimsāņuvrata (the minor vow of ahimsā), 2. Satyāņuvrata (the minor vow of truth), 3. Acauryāņuvrata (the minor vow of nonstealing), 4. Brahmacaryāņuvrata (the minor vow of celibacy), and 5. Parigraha-parimāņa aņuvrata (the minor vow of limiting possession). As far as possible a śrāvaka avoids any and all faults in observation of these vows.
THE MINOR VOW OF AHIMSĀ
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