Jainism and Democracy

Author(s): Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: I A S S Jain Conference New Delhi

Page 66

THE VOWS FOR A HOUSEHOLDER
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The five transgressions of this vow are as follows :
(i) to accept anything brought by a thief, (ii) to appoint thieves or decoits for material gains, (iii) to do anything illegal or prohibited by the
law of the Government, (iv) dishonesty in weighing or measuring the com
mercial commodities, (v) deceiving through immitation.
The above two vows iie. truth and non-stealing are significant in the field of social behaviour and business. Sexual Descipline
The fourth vow is related with sexual descipline. The householder is enjoined to be satisfied with his own wife and at the same time prohibited to have sexual relations with any married woman other than his own wife.
In ancient society women were divided into three categories :
(i) One's own wife (patent) (ii) The wife of some one else (Fontant) (iii) (ATARII) i.e. unassociated women-prostitutes
etc. The higher morality demanded that a person should .confine himself to the first category i.e. to his own wife only, but the lower morality did allow a relation with the common women. Though denounced in the field of religion it was not thought to be anti-social. Any sexual connection with the second category i.e. married woman other than one's own wife was considered immoral as well as anti-social. A Jain householder is not