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Vol. XVIII, No. 3
which he suffered troubles with equanimity as described in the Uvahāņa Ācārānga I. The Mahābhārata, Vana. 12.11 notes one more characteristic of a Muni, as one who camps in his journey at the sun-set i.e. who does not travel by night (Sāyam-gļha). This confirmed by the Sarkha Smộti (7.6) which adds "one who stays in a tenatless house."
Frantiafaa: Faia AT HİLET AT: 1 Sankha smț 7.6 It will be thus found that the order of Munis has many characteristics common to Jain ascetics and was in no way restricted to Brahmin and Buddhist sects. It was a casteless order. Citta and Sambhūta, the folk-artistes of Mātanga caste were driven out of Vārānasi by caste Hindus but they are found as munis in the Uttarādhyayana Sūtra. There Munis were repositories of spiritual wisdom and were the authors of ascetic poetry or the Gāthās found in Sanskrit, Pali and Ardha Māgadhi or Prākrit and Apabhramsa texts. It is those thinkers who proposed the hypothesis that the ethical aspect or the character of the individual i.e, the moral effect of the acts of man is reflected in the soul of the individual just as the colour of an object is reflected in the nearby crystal.
कृष्णादि-द्रव्य-साचिख्यात् (सान्निध्यात्) परिणामो य आत्मनः ।
स्फटिकस्येव तत्रायं लेश्याशब्दः प्रयुज्यते ॥ The first Muni who mooted out the theory of such colours in the soul was Kapil, the teacher of the Sānkhya school. Kapila's designation as Muni is confirmed by Kțşņa in the Bhagavad Gitā ;
fuarai #fqat fa: 1 B.g. X 26 The Guņas-Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are presumed to have colours.
In the Mahābhārata, śānti paryan (ch. 280), there is recorded a traditionally handed down dialogue between the venerable sage Sanat Kumāra and the demon Vţtra. Sanatkumāra explains to Vstra, “Jivas are classified according to their colours :
"Tīvas have six colours-dark or black (Kșsņa), smoky (Dhūmra), red (Rakta), yellow or turmeric (Haridra), and white (Sukla). Jīvas of the dark or black colour are the most unhappy, Smoke-coloured Jivas are a bit more happy than the black-coloured Jivas; bluecoloured Jīvas are mediocre (Madhyam) in happiness; Jīvas of red colour have bearable happiness and misery;yellow-coloured Jivas are happy and the white-coloured are supremely happy."
Vide faanya Flag No. 498 and fatigata in 57/TTECTUAT 97-3
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