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Śrāvakācāra : Code of Conduct of a Householder]
[39
(3) The third ambition is - practice of and fasting unto death
(without any desire of death).
While concluding it will not be out of place to give the four resting places or transitional modes of a Śrāvaka
(i) At the first stage the (Srāvaka) layman accepts the aņuvratas and silavrats and observes them to the best of his capacity. At the next stage he observes the sāmayika and the desavāsāsika more intensively, which is followed in the third stage, by a meticulous observance of the pausadha fasting. At the fourth stage, which is the last, he undertakes fasting unto death to attain the highest goal, namely emancipation. These four stages are resting places, or accurate transitional modes. 62
Ācārya Hemacandra gives a comprehensive list of the qualities of a Srāvaka who should be :(1) Nyāyasampannavibhava - the possessor of honesty wealth. (2) Śiştācārapraśanisaka - appreciative of the conduct of the .
virtuous. (3) Kulaśilasamaih sārdham anyagotrajaiḥ krtodvāha - wedded
to a spouse of even family traditions and social life, but
not of the same gotra. (+) Păpabhiru - shy of committing any kind of sin. (5) Prasiddham deśācāram samācāram - observer of the
established customs of the country. (6) Avarņavādi na kvāpi rājādişu višeşataḥ - not culminating
ādarśa, particularly the potentials. (7) Anativyakte gupte sthāne suprativeşmika - dwelling in a
place, neither too open nor too secluded with good
neighbours and a limited number of exit (8) Sad -ācāraiḥ kṣtasasanga - following moral principles of
moral virtues.
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