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Jaina Acara: Siddhanta aura Svarupa
175
(4) Longing for light-While studying a monk should be confident of light irradiating his soul.
(5) The place for studying should be clean, noiseless and lonely. These days people generally read cheap, sensational books which just titillate their senses but from which they derive no lasting sustenance. Only such books as instil the need for self- restraint, non-violence etc. should be studied to the exclusion of immoral books.
Kalika scriptures are those which are studied during the first or last three hours but 'Utkalika'ones can be studied any time. There are fixed hours for studying particular scriptures and also the time when some of them should not be studied. He who does not study at the time set for it is foregetful of his duty. None should study at an unsuitable place and none should neglect studies at a suitable place.
The prohibition of self-study is of two kinds : Atmasamuttha and Parasumuttha. The first is caused by blood and the like from one's own boil and the second by others wound. Sthānanga has given its thirty-two kinds. We shall discuss them one by one:
(1) Ulkāpāta-It is the falling of a meteor or of a star from the sky. No text should be studied for three hours from the falling of a meteor.
(2) Digdaha-In a particular direction a big city is engulfed in fire. Such is the light visible in the sky and the earth also is darkened. One should wait for three hours after such a calamity.
(3) Garjita-One should not study when clouds thunder. One must wait for six hours after thundering should cease.
(4) Vidyuta-When lightning flashes, studies must wait for three hours. But this rule is not applicable in the rainy season which is the time for such occurrences.
(5) Nirghata-In a cloudless sky the thundering sound produced by 'Vyantaras' is 'Nirghata'. In such case studies must wait for day and night.
(6) Yupaka-In the bright half of a month the first day of the lunas fortnight as also second and third days lights of the evening and those of the moon mingle. The first three hours of the night during the period are not for studies.
(7) Dhumika-From Kārtika to Magha months clouds remain concealed. Very thin smoke-coloured dew-drops fall during this period. At times it falls in some other months too. Dewdrops are watery and so they wet the cloths of monks. During the fall of dewdrops studies should stop.
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