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The Conduct of a Householder
germs are believed to be taking birth in it. Butter together with honey, wine and meat, is known as mahāvikṛti, as all of these have excessive fermentations.1
Asādhara has included the following abhaksya under eight mūlagunas (1) Abstinence from wine includes abstinence from rice-gruel that has fermented pickles and curds kept for more than two days. (2) Abstinence from meat includes abstinence from water or other liquids contained in leather, as afoetida in contact with leather and tainted food. (3) Abstinence from honey includes abstinence from honey as collyrium and flowers like mahuā. (4) Abstinence from udumbara includes abstinence from pods as rājamāşa, aubergines and unknown fruits. (5) Abstinence from taking food at night includes avoidance of food in the first and last muhurtas of the day and avoidance of taking of ghee or mango even as a medicine at night.2
Transgressions of the vow of non-violence:
When the householder takes a vow of non-violence, he has to know the acts which defile his vow, so that he can avoid them. The scope of non-violence is so wide that the traditional five aticāras (transgressions) of the vow can be hardly said to be comprehensive. Any intentional violation of the rule of non-violence is a defilement of the vow. A householder in initial stages may not be able to avoid violence of the immobile life but he should avoid violence of mobile life.3
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The traditional aticāras of non-violence are :
(1) tying up living beings tightly (2) beating them (3) mutilating them (4) overloading them (5) withholding their food and drink.4
All these five aticāras are condemnable if done under the pressure of passions. But a householder may adopt them for correcting a child or a servant.5 Similarly, food may be
1. Puruşarthasiddhyupaya, 71.
2. Sāgāradharmamṛta, 3.11-15.
3. Puruşarthasiddhyupaya, 75.
4. Upasakadaśänga, 1.45.
5. Ganiu Siddhasena on Tattvärthasutra, Surat, 1930, 7.20.
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