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RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS
193
(1) THE SAMANA NIGGANTHAS
Monasticism Persons desiring to renounce the world and embrace the life of a monk or a nun were allowed to be admitted in the Jain congregation without any distinction of rank or caste Not only the world-sick ordinary people renounced the world but also warriors and bankers, who were members of the upper class and who were endowed with personal grace, learning, valour and splendour. They left their riches, corn, and the family, and considering sensual pleasures worthless and life transitory as the water bubbles and dew drops, exchanged the glitter and pomp of worldly life for the homeless condition of the ascetics.
People dissatisfied with the condition of society around them such as the political conflicts, resulting in tyranny and lawlessness, domination of one class over another, the ruthlessness of criminal laws, the system of usury etc, and disappointed in their cherished expectations, fled away from deceptive pleasures and wickedness of the world and sought quietude and peace of mind in solitude in a woodThe question is asked:
By what acts can I escape a sorrowful lot in this unstable internal samsära, which is full of misery?
The answer is -
Severing your former connections, place your affection on nothing; a monk who loves not even thosc who love him, will be freed from sin and hatred.'
This is the keynote of the whole pessimistic philosophy.
CAUSES OF RENUNCIATION Various causes are assigned to renunciation. The Thānanga mentions the following ten kinds of renunciation (pavvajja) :
..(1) Voluntary renunciation of the world, (2) renunciation due to sudden anger, (3) renunciation due to poverty, (4) renunciation on seeing a dream, (5) renunciation in fulfilment of a vow (padisuga), (6) renunciation because of recollecting previous birth, (7) renunciation due to sickness, (8) renunciation due to insult, (9) renunciation by being enlightened by gods and (10) renunciation out of affection for a son who had already taken to order. We come across instances when sentimental people escaped from the worldly state at the slightest provocation. We are honda
huo told that the queen of Devilāsatta of Ujjeni saw a grey hair on her hus
, banh band's head, which she took out coiling round her finger. The king said that an envoy of old age had come, and kecping it in a golden plate, covering it with a pair of sulken garment, took it around the city. The
6 Ova , 14, p 49 7 Uttara 8.1, 2. 8 10. 712.
trans. by Jacobi, p. 31
