Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c14.t1.89

c14.t1.89

But it was no easy matter to have a thorough control over one's sex instinct. After all the monks had to come in contact with women-folk. They had to go out begging alms to them and preaching them religion. If a monk was living singly, there were chances of his breaking the law and falling into the snares of women. Sometimes the monks lived together with householders, when the householder's wives, daughters, daughters-in-law, nurses and slave girls approached them and requested them to indulge in sexual intercourse with them so that they might have a strong and illustrious son.⁵² The Sūyagadanga beautifully describes a monk, who, being absorbed by the passion towards a woman, became subject to her. Afterwards the woman scolds him, lifts her foot, and tramples on his head, saying "O monk, if you will not live with me as a woman who has still her hair, I shall tear it out; but do not live separated from me." Then she asks the monk to bring wood to cook vegetable, to paint her feet, to rub her back, to get clothes, food, drink, perfume, collyrium-box, ornaments, powders, oils, pills, lipsalve, umbrella, slippers, comb, ribbon, looking-glass, tooth-brush and various other articles for use. If the woman got pregnant she ordered her husbands like slaves to fulfil her cravings. If a child was born to her, she asked the monk to hold the baby, and getting up in the night they both lulled the baby to sleep like nurses, and, though they are ashamed of themselves, they washed the clothes of the baby like washerfolk.⁵³