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Lord Mahavira's Religious Contemporaries and Sects
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languages, customs, and usages of the people living in different parts of the world in which they themselves lived. In those early ages of civilization, when there was neither any printing press nor any easy means of communication between one country and another, elements of knowledge could be gathered, disseminated or utilised for scientific purpose by no better means than such travelling.
The Parivrājakas or the wanderers were the great teachers of the Brahmanic lore and were highly respected. In the Vasishtha Dharmasūtra, it is stated that a Parivrājaka should shave his head, clothe himself with one piece of cloth or skin, cover his body with grass pulled off by cows, and he should sleep on bare ground.1 The Parivrājakas maintained their regular monasteries (Avasaha) and wandered from place to place in order to propagate their teachings. From the Ovaira, we know that they were versed in the four Vedas, Itihāsa, Nigghantu, six Vedāngas, and six Upāngas. They preached the doctrine of charity (Danadhamma), purity (soadhamma), and that of bathing at holy places. According to them whatever was impure became pure by applying mud to it and by being washed with water. They believed that they were pure themselves and that by taking bath they would attain heaven. They never travelled in a cart or a litter, never entered a lake or a river for bathing, never rode a horse or an elephant, never visited the performance of a dancer or a bard, never trampled upon or rubbcd green vegetables, never indulged in talks regarding women, food, country, king, and thieves, never kept any costly pots except a bottle gourd, wooden, or an carihen pot, never put on garments of various colours except one pair dyed with red-clay, never wore any ornaments except one copper ring, never wore any garland cxccpt a pair of flower carings, never besmeared their body witli any fragrant substance except the clay of the Ganga, and they took only one Jagadho prasila (a incasure used in sagadha) filtered (Paribi; a) Water for drinking purposes.
From the Bhagaratisītra, we know abom one wandering
1. 1':5. Dh. S, 11-0. 11.
Bhag, 2. 1.
