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Tattvārthasūtra
emphasized. When violence, falsehood, stealing, unchastity and attachment are discontinued, non-violence, truth, non-stealing, chastity and detachment are practised. And it facilitates stoppage (samvara) of influx (äsrava) through self-control (gupti), and so on. The ascetic who practises the vows easily stops the influx (āsrava). Hence the vows are mentioned here separately. Now, should not the sixth minor-vow (aņuvrata) of abstaining from eating at night be added here? No. It is included among observances for the vow of noninjury (ahimsā). These are enumerated later (see sūtra 7-4). Among these is mentioned the practice of examining the food before eating to see that there are no organisms in it - ālokitapānabhojana. This encompasses abstaining from eating at night.
The subdivisions of the fivefold vow (vrata) are now given.
देशसर्वतोऽणुमहती ॥२॥
व्रत के दो भेद हैं - [देशतः अणुः] उपरोक्त हिंसादि पापों से एकदेश विरति सो अणुव्रत और [ सर्वतः महती ] सर्वदेश विरति सो महाव्रत है।
The vow is of two kinds, minor-vow (aņuvrata) and greatvow (mahāvrata), from the abstinence (virati) being partial or complete.
The word 'deśa' refers to partial. The word 'sarva’refers to complete. Desisting or abstinence (virati) is supplied from the previous sūtra. These are taken respectively. Partial abstinence is a minor-vow (aņuvrata), and complete abstinence is a great-vow (mahāvrata). Each vow is of these two kinds. The practise of these vows with vigilance dispels suffering, just as an excellent medicine cures disease. For what purpose and in what manner should the vows be practised or observed?
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