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112
The Unknown Pilgrims
The important and interesting features of the teaching of Pārsvanātha are reported to us in a long dialogue, which purports to have taken place at the time of Mahāyira between Sramaņa Kesikumăra, of the spiritual line of Pārsvanātha, and Bhagavān Gautama, a disciple of Mahăvira. Even if this dialogue never actually took place, its contents witness to the existence, if not of two divergent tendencies, at least perhaps of different interpretations with regard to the practical outworking of the doctrine. This dialogue, handed down by oral tradition, is supposed to belong to a period well before the separation between Digambara and Svetāmbaras took place. Kesi and Gautama were already spiritual masters of a considerable degree of perfection. Their respective disciples had expressed certain doubts over apparent differences between the two groups. 19 Gautama decided to go and meet Kesi.20 The latter drew the attention of his august visitor to the fact that, although the dharma was directed towards one single goal, yet there existed differences in regard to the practical implications of the doctrine, the first being as follows:
The great Muni Pārśva taught the dharma of the four disciplines, while Vardhamāna taught that of the five precepts.21
19 Cf. US XXIII, 1-14.
20 Cf. US XXIII, 15-22.
21 câujjāmo ya jo dhammo jo imo pamcasikkhio
desio Vaddhamāņeņa Pāseņa ya mahāmuņi. US XXIII, 23. The four disciplines, which together constitute self-control, are, according to the usual interpretation, the four great vows: renunciation of harmful activities, 'renunciation ofall forms of falsehood, renunciation of any appropriation to oneself of 'that which is not given, and renunciation of all forins of possession (cf. Sths 266). At the times of the first tirthankara and also of the last there was added to the four great vows a fifth which at other times was deemed to be included in the fourth vow, viz. renunciation of all forms of lust. Thus in one era reference is made to the "five precepts" and at another to the "four disciplines" (cf. Acārya Atmārāma US comm., pp. 10041030). Jaini, in agreement with P.K. Modi (Pasaņāhacariu), Introd. pp. 4653) expresses doubt over the meaning assigned to caturyāma-dharma, the four disciplines: "...Modi has suggested that căturyāma did not imply four
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