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NIRJARA.
capacity, to realise the great Ideal of Immortality and Bliss. What the others say or think of him does not worry him; he is indifferent to the vagaries of fortune and the inclemencies of seasons, and steadily pursues the course he has deliberately adopted for escaping from this Vale of Tears. While as a house-holder he had vowed only to spend a certain portion of his time daily in the reading of Scripture and meditation, he now devotes every moment of his life to these holy objects, and brings all his energies to bear on the attainment of pure, undisturbed dhyâna. The five great vows which he now takes are similar to those of the layman, but of unbending rigidity. (i) His first row relates to the observance of
ahimsă (non-injury) in the widest sense. The ascetic must try to avoid even injuring the one-sensed form of life to the best of his ability. He must walk along the trodden path, so as to be able to detect the presence of any insects ; use only the gentlest form of expression in speech ; be careful as to the food that is given him by others; avoid injuring the insects that might have got into his books, etc., and be circumspect in depositing refuse, excretions and the like, so as not
to injure any insect's life. (ii) The second vow enjoins avoidance of untruth,
which means not only the speaking of truth, but also the abstaining from unpleasant or rude speech. There are five special points to be observed in connection with speech. One
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