________________
CHAPTER-V
219
Further, you asked- “How is monk's religion destroyed?” Because in monk's religion such intense passion is not imaginable. Moreover, someone may not be having the desire of offering food but he entered his house and begged food; there the householder felt embarrassment and offered food under the fear of public-censure, if food was not offered. But this amounted to hurting the inner feelings of the householder and so the monk is deemed to have committed injury (Hinsa). Hadhe(the Shwetamber monk)not entered his house and the householder himself would have offered food of his own, then he would have felt pleasure by offering food. But this act materialised under pressure. Moreover, for fulfilling one's own desire, if he (the monk) utters words of begging then it amounts to be a sinful act; therefore, this is proved to be an act of false utterance also. And he (the householder) was not willing to offer food but he begged food, then he (the house-holder) offered food unwillingly under pressure. Therefore, this also amounted to accepting without being offered. Further, in the householder's home, ladies were sitting unmindfully and this monk went in; so this amounted to be the breach of fencing of celibacy too. And after collecting food he kept it for some time and for keeping the food he possessed the receptacle (bowls) etc. so this amounted to keeping possessions. Thus, due to breach of five great vows (Mahavratas) the monk's religion is destroyed. Hence, collecting food by begging is not proper for a monk.
Further, he argues- "In the twenty-two afflictions which are to be endured by a monk, there is one Yaachana-Parishaha (beggingaffliction); so how would the enduring of that affliction be possible without begging?"
Answer: Begging is not the begging affliction. Rather notbegging is the begging affliction. For example- the attitude of disliking is not the disliking affliction, but not having the feeling of disliking is disliking-affliction. If begging be treated as an affliction then the beggars, etc. indulge too much in begging, as such they will be called highly religious persons. And if you will say that because of reducing pride-passion this begging is termed as an affliction, then also one remains a sinner even on forsaking some kind of passion for the sake of cherishing some other kind of passional act. For examplc- if someone due to greed-passion does not mind even his
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
