Sambodhi 1978 Vol 07

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 10

Ram Prakash Poddar
giving food, the same becomes unacceptable. The food expressly prepared for a pregnant woman is unacceptable-its acceptance may frustrate her longing for a particular food. The remnant when she has taken her fill may be accepted. In general any activity injuring or causing pain to living being performed in course of giving food or just before or after it rendets the food unacceptable. For example, a monk appears before a man while he is dining. He gets up washes his hands with cold water and than serves the monk—this food is unacceptable on account of prior activity. Similarly a man is about to dine and the monk appears. He offers food, washes his hands with cold water and then sets to eating--the offer is unacceptable on ccount of posterior activity. In this circumstance the best way is to offer from the dish served before the person in question and than to resume or set to eating as the case may be.
Ayaracūla contains a very exhaustive treatise on a monk's. begging tour. Here the discourse proceeds in a meandering way. All rules are discussed threadbare and their scope and application are well-defined. Supplementaries are added to it and at places they are resumed after some interval..
In course of dealing with the food prepared expressly for some monk, guest, beggar, or any such individual, it has been added by way of elucidation that such food should not be taken even when the intended person has taken his fill out of it. But as an exception to the rule it has been added that the same might be taken if some other individual intervened, who took the food out for himself, took his fill out of it and offered the the rest to the monk. Similarly if it be known that in a certain house they give away food daily or on some festive day, a monk should not beg such food, but the same becomes acceptable when somebody intervenes, as in the former case.
A monk should not go to a convivial gathering15 for taking his meal for various reasons. There he may indulge in overeating or he may fall in bad company. Since these gatherings are also frequented by the vulgar people and are generally overcrowded, it is impossible for the monk to maintain his self-respect in such places.
In Dasave yaliya, Ch.5-2, certain remarks are made by way of peroration which are worthy of consideration. It has been said that a monk should not conceal the food begged by him from his teacher and fellow monks, If he do:s so for fear of his meal being partaken by others he commits a very heinous crime. If a monk consumes the delicious items of food begged by him, in secret and puts up only the rough ones to show that he has 15. Satkhadi, cf. Samkja of Asokan Inscriptions.