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Tattvārthasūtra
piteously, by words, facial expression or gesture, beg for food, habitation, medicine, etc. Even at the time set for soliciting food, he is difficult to be seen like the flash of lightning. This is endurance of the affliction of solicitation - yācanăparīşahajaya. Like the wind the ascetic is not attached to anything. He goes from place to place and takes food only once a day. He observes complete silence or regulation of speech (bhāṣāsamiti). He displays his form only once. He takes food from his hands. The feeling of disgust does not enter his mind even on not getting food for several days and in several homes. He has no interest in testing the merits of host. 'Lack of gain is of greater virtue to me than gain.' The ascetic who is contented in this manner conquers the lack of gain-alābhaparīsahajaya. The body is the repository of all kinds of impurities, transient and defenceless. The ascetic, therefore, does not entertain the thought or desire for the body, and does not adorn it. As the body is the means for acquiring the jewels of merit, and accumulating and safeguarding these, he accepts several kinds of useful food to keep the body intact, just as lubricating the axle of the wheel or application of ointment to a wound is indispensable. Sometimes, owing to unsuitable food and drink, he is afflicted with hundreds of diseases, such as gout, at the same time. He is not subjugated by these. He may even possess extraordinary powers of cure acquired by his austerities. Still he does not utilize these powers to get himself cured; he has no attachment towards the body. This is the conquest of the affliction of disease - rogaparīşahajaya. The word 'trņa’-a blade of grass - implies anything which causes pain. When dried blades of grass, hard pebbles, thorns, sharp stones, spears, etc., cause pain to the soles of the feet, the ascetic does not give his attention to it. He carefully avoids injury to minute organisms during walking, sitting and sleeping. This is the conquest of the affliction caused by blades of grass, etc. – trņasparsādi parīşahajaya. The ascetic takes the vow of non-bathing until death for the sake of avoiding injury to water-bodied organisms. He perspires profusely in the extreme heat of the sun and particles of dust wafted by the wind
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