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THE AFFLICTIONS
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fasting and eating less than his fill on several occasions. He takes only tasteless food. The water he drinks is parched as the drops of water poured in a red-hot vessel. Even when the ascetic is extremely hungry, he feels that it is better not to obtain food rather than obtain food. Such an ascetic who ignores the torment of hunger conquers hunger. (1) • The ascetic has given up bathing, immersing himself in water and sprinkling his body with water. Like the birds he has no fixed abode. He may at times be tormented by parching thirst, owing to various reasons such as unsuitable food (too saltish, oily or astringent food), the heat of summer, bilious fever, fasting and so on. Even then he does not seek remedy, but extinguishes this flame of the fire of thirst by the cool and fragrant water of his meditation kept in the fresh, earthenware pot of fortitude. Such patient endurance of thirst is to be extolled. (2)
Without garments and habitation the ascetic lives on rocks and so on underneath trees like birds. And when he is beset by extremely cold wind or suffers from frost, he does not think of the remedies enjoyed by him formerly, but dwells in the inner apartment of the house of knowledge. This is proclaimed as endurance of cold. (3)
In summer there is no breeze, no abundance of water, and the leaves get dried up by the scorching heat of the summer sun and fall off from the trees. The ascetic enters such a wood and suffers from thirst because of internal causes such as fasting. And, owing to forest-conflagration, scorching wind and oppressive heat of the sun, his throat and palate become parched. Still he does not think of remedies experienced by him formerly on several occasions. He is keenly intent on avoiding injury to living beings and safeguarding his conduct. This is described as endurance of heat. (1)
The mention of flies and mosquitoes is a synecdoche. For instance, 'Let the ghee be safeguarded from crows.' Here 'crows'imply all those which damage the ghee. Similarly, 'flies and mosquitoes' imply all kinds of insects such as bees, gnats,
1 i, e. contemplation of knowledge.
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