Jain Journal 1973 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 20

JANUARY, 1973
113
porting, accompanying, enriching, a veritable casket of jewels. Hence I have been protecting it from cold, heat, hunger, thirst, theft, lion, snake, giant fly, mosquito, multifarious diseases and dangers. Protected thus, this soul will, hereafter, be a source of welfare, happiness, goodness, perpetual bliss, and go with me. So desire I, oh beloved of the gods, to be initiated by thee, tonsured by thy hand, to be trained in spiritual practices by thee, to be taught the Sūtras and their implications by thee, to be directed by thee in conduct, alms-seeking, humility, conduct arising out of humility, purification of conduct and food, extent of food intake, etc., all in the practice of restraint.
Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira himself initiated Skandaka of the Katyayana line,... till guided him in religion thus :
-Oh beloved of the gods! Thus ye move, thus ye stand, thus ye sit, thus ye lie, thus ye eat, thus ye talk, thus ye behave with great care and great restraint towards all prāṇas, bhūtas, jīvas and sattas. There is no room for confusion.
Monk Skandaka of the Katyayana line duly embraced the spiritual prescriptions of Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira, and practised moving, standing, sitting, lying, eating and talking as prescribed, and behaved with great care and restraint towards prānas, bhūtas, jīvas, and sattas, and in these, he never allowed a lapse.
Shandaka of the Katyayana line thus became truly homeless. He duly practised the eight precautions regarding movement, speech, begging, regarding placing of articles, particularly live objects, regarding depositing of. excreta, etc., precautions regarding mind, word and body and restraint about mind, word and body. He became a complete master of self, and of organs of senses. He became sex-free with threefold restraints. He became a renouncer, restrained, embodiment of spiritualism, conqueror of sense organs, purifier of vows, devoid of possession, desire and haste, with mind never moving out of restraint, immersed in the most difficult vows of the monks and wholly restrained in his passions. Such monk Skandaka held the prescriptions of the Nirgrantha order to the fore and steadily progressed on the spiritual
path.
After this, Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira set out from the Chatrapalasaka caitya in the city of Krtangala and started wandering in the outside villages. Monk Skandaka learnt sāmāyika, etc. and all the eleven Angas from Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira and other senior monks.