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SHRAMAN MAHAVIR
Meals and Movement (vihar) :
WN -
5
The rules governing the meal-taking were – 1 A monk shall not eat during the night 2 Ordinarily only one meal be taken after midday 3 If more meals than one are taken the food begged in the
first quarter of the day is diallowed in the fourth quarter No more than thirty-two mouthsful be taken
A use of intoxicants and stimulants was prohibited 6 The food be begged from door to door Food specially
prepared for them be not accepted 7 The food brought by another be not accepted
The disciples of Lord Parshwa were not hidebound by any prescribed movement They were free to camp at a village as long as they liked Lord Mahavira devised a modified system of Navakalpivihar or division of a year into nine parts for the purpose of the movements of a monk A monk is permitted to stay at one place during the entire rainy season During the rest of the eight months he is supposed to spend maximum one month at a village The Begging bowl :
When Lord Mahavira was initiated he had no bowl He took his first meal in a householder's bowl It set a chain of thoughts in his mind-Some one is to cleanse and rinse this utensil? Why set this new chain of actions with its moral involvements? Why should others be bothered to do all this for my sake? Ho ceased to eat in a bowl He became a Panipatra 1 o one who eats from his own palm 1
During the period of his austere practices the Lord once stayed in the weaving sheda Said Gaushalak, 'Sire, let me bring food for you 'The Lord declined the offer as he had vowed to abstain from eating in a householder's utensils
1 'Awashyakchurni'. I pt p 271 'Acherangachurni'p 309 2. Second year of the pursuits 3 'Awashyakchurni I pt p 271
