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Pravrajyä: The Itinerant Life
what it is suitable to consume after a prolonged abstinence from food.54
To avoid over-familiarity with the families of śravakas, a sadhvi must refrain, at the time of gocari, from asking for any object that she does not see in the house, for, to give her pleasure, the śravaka might contrive to obtain it or might even steal it.55
545
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- For the same reason, the houses close to the upäśraya must not be visited too often; it is even laid down that one should not present oneself for gocari at any house closer to the upăśraya than the seventh.56
- When the rain is very heavy and continuous, the sadhvis must avoid going out for gocari. When caught in a downpour on their outward or homeward journey, they may take refuge in a house or in a shelter of some sort or even at the foot of a tree. If they are in a house and are offered something to eat, they may accept, provided that the dish has been prepared before their arrival. If the rain continues, they may take food in their place of refuge, but return before sunset.57
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In a locality where there are munis close by, it can happen that a muni and a sadhvi, caught in a storm of rain, look for shelter. In this case, then, it is stated that one munis and one sädhvi must not stay alone together in the refuge they have chanced to find, nor one muni and two sadhvis or vice versa, nor even two munis and two sadhvis, nor, again, śrāvakas and sādhvis; but if there is a fifth person or if all the doors of the shelter are open, then they may remain together.58
54 Ibid., VIII, 25-34.
55 Ibid., VIII, 18.
56 Ibid., VIII, 36.
57 Ibid., VIII, 39-44.
58 Ibid., VIII, 45-47; nowadays these cases are very rare, except in very remote villages or on the occasion of a flood.
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