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ETHICS: THE PRATIMĀS
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2. Vrutu (vow).—He must observe the five minor vows (anu-iratas), the three gund-vratas, and four śikshā-vratas. To give details: he must not destroy any kind of life, must not tell a lie, must not make use of another person's property without the owner's consent, must be chaste, must limit his necessities of life and avoid the use of food which involves unnecessary killing of living beings. The three guna-vratas are special vows relating to the limitation and determination of his daily work, food, and enjoyment. The remaining four rows relate to his worship in the morning, noon, and evening, to his keeping fast on certain days, and to his duty of daily giving charity in the form of knowledge, medicine, comfort, and food.
3. Sāmāyiku (worship).—He must worship regularly, in general for forty-two minutes, three times daily. Worship means self-contemplation and purifying one's ideas and emotions.
4. Poshadhoparāsu (fortnightly fast). — He fasts regularly, as a rule, twice a fortnight each lunar month.
5. Sachittu-tyūga (abstinence from the flesh of conscious creatures).—He refrains from taking fresh vegetables, because they are living, and to hurt any living thing is in Jainism a deadly sin.
6. Rūtri-bhukt-tyāgu (abstinence from eating at: night).—He must not take food at night. There are minute living beings which no amount of light can reveal or disperse, and which must be consumed with meals after sunset.
7. Brahmu-charyú.-Celibacy.
