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Tattvārthasūtra
He who moves from place to place without transgressing his selfcontrol (samyama) is called the guest (atithi). Or, the guest (atithi) is one who comes on any date without prior intimation. Four things are offered to the guest - food, implements, medicine and shelter. Faultless food must be offered by the householder to the genuine ascetic treading the path to liberation and earnest in practising restraint (samyama), with a pure heart. Implements, such as the Scripture, which promote right faith, and so on, must be presented to him. Proper medicine must be arranged for. Shelter must also be provided with great devotion.
The term 'ca'-'and' - at the end of the sūtra is intended to include the householder's duty mentioned next.
मारणान्तिकी सल्लेखनां जोषिता ॥२२॥ तथा वह (व्रतधारी श्रावक) [मारणान्तिकी ] मारणान्तिक [ सल्लेखनां] सल्लेखना का [ जोषिता] प्रीतिपूर्वक सेवन करने वाला होता है।
Futher, the householder adopts, with a sense of contentment, the practice of dispassionately abandoning his body – 'sallekhanā’ – at the end of his life.
The loss of the senses and the vitalities at the end of one's duration of life - ayuḥ - that is the result of one's own modifications (pariņāma), is death (maraņa). The end refers to the particular state of existence. That state which has death as its end is ‘marananta'. That which has 'maraṇānta' as its object is ‘māraṇantikī”. To emaciate the body and the passions in the proper manner is 'sallekhanā”. This means that the physical body and the internal passions (kaşāya) are emaciated in the proper manner by abandoning their sources gradually at the approach of death. The householder observes sallekhanā at the end of his life. Shouldn't the word 'sevitā' - adoption - be used instead of joşitā' in
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