________________
206
LIFE IN ANCIENT INDIA
Jain Texts describe some prominent wandering mendicants and nuns who seem to have exercised considerable influence on the public. We hear of Aijakhanda of Kaccăyana gotta, who was putting up in Săvatthi. Once he took his ritualistic paraphernalia viz., triple staves, water pot (kundi), rosary (kancaniyā), earthen bowl (karodiya), seat (bhısıya), sweeping duster (Kesariyd), t'eapoy (channāliya), hook (ankusaya), ring (pavittaya) and the forearm ornament (kalácıkā) and putting on an umbrella and wearing shoes and dyed robes proceeded to pay a visit to Mahāvīra." Suya was another wandering mendicant who was wellversed in the four Vedas, Satthitanta and the Samkhya system. He preached ten kinds of a mendicant's religion parivāyagadhamma) based on purity When Suya arrived in the company of one thousand mendicants in Sogandhiyā, people set out to pay him reverence with great enthusiasm 51 Then the Ovõiya describes the mendicant Ammada and his seven disciples. It is said that Ammada and his disciples did not pay respect to any other deity except the Arhat and they attained heaven after death Ammada sojourned in Kampillapura and he received alms from hundred houses (gharasaya). He observed the chatthamachattha fast with his alms stretched and his face turned towards the sun. He never accepted food which was prepared for him or brought for him or set aside for him or cooked for him ; neither he was allowed to eat food, meant for faminestricken persons, for rich persons, or roots, bulbs, fruits, seeds and green vegetables Once the seven disciples of Ammada were travelling from Kampillapura to Purimatāla in summer; they arrived in a dense forest and felt extremely thirsty They did not get water to drink and so sctting aside their ritualistic paraphernalia they went to the sand of the Ganges and by giving up food and drink submitted to pāovagamana. Puggala is mentioned as another mendicant who sojourned in 13 Alabhıya We have already referred to the nun Cokkhã who was wandering about in the company of other nuns in Mithilā
Besides, other parivrăjakas are mentioned 4.
Caraka96_ It is said that they begged alms while moving in company (dhātıvähaka) and they moved on while eating. They accepted cleansed (dhövita) alms and put on a lion-cloth (kaccho taka). It is said that these mendicants were the direct descendants (sūnu) of Kapılamuni. These mendicants got up in the morning and swept the shrines of Skanda and
90 Bhag 2.1. 01 Naya 5, p 73 ff 92 Sū. 39f Ambattha, a learned Brahmin is referred to in the Digha I, nr 87 ft 03 Bhag. 11 12 04 Ann Si 20, Niya Ti 15 06 Caraka u mentioned in the Bihadaranyala upant ad where it clenotce a wandlung
student (Vedic Index J, P 256). 06 Panpa Ti II, 20 p 406; also cf. Acā cū p. 205.
