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of the state of bondage, but certainly they have not been unrealistic about the ability of the common man to put the principles to practice. Extremely strict observance of the five principles of ahiṁsā, satya, asteya, brahmacarya and aparigraha is referred to as observance of the great vows (mahāvratas) and it is more often than not forgotten that there are five lesser vows (aņuvrutas) accepted in the Jaina tradition. The aņuyratas are prescribed for the house-holder who has not yet renounced the world, who, however should start practising the virtues in spirit.
Accordingly, the aņuvratas do not differ in kind from the mahāvratas, but laxity is allowed in their observance, keeping in view the limitations of the house-holder. It is obvious that the prescription of aņuvratas for observance by the house-holder is based on the psychological insight of the Jaina philosophers that with the various obligations that a house-holder owes to others in society--both within and outside his house-hold-it is not possible to observe the vratas scrupulously.
The Aņuvrata movement as the prescription of the aņuvråtas is also based on the necessity to re-orient the thought and behaviour of the common man towards the ideal of non-violence and nonpossession. Whereas a distinction is drawn between the householder and the ascetic by prescribing the aṇuvratas to the householder and mahāvratas to the ascetic in the traditional Jaina thought, in the Aņuvrata movement the distinction is drawn between the beginner, the middling and the advanced types of anuvratis, respectively referred to as praveśaka aṇuvrati, uņuvrati and visista aņuvrati.
In the traditional Jaina thought non-violence prescribed is considered purely in the context of spiritual evolution and from the point of view of reverence for life in whichever form it is manifest in the universe. In the Aņuvrata movement emphasis on spiritual evolution is not replaced by social considerations, but the beneficial results for society are clearly envisaged. The movement was born when the situation in the world characterized by extreme violence, greed and hatred was pondered over. Though the social conditions were analysed, the solution given was not purely in terms of ordering about the reconstitution of social relations or introducing legislative changes in the institutions. The Ācārya's standpoint is clear from his words. He writes : "Man has become
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