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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c14.t4: (4) The Geruya or Parivrājaka Samaṇas

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c14.t4

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(4) The Geruya or Parivrājaka Samaṇas

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The *Parivrājakas* or the wanderers were great teachers of the Brāhmanic lore and were greatly respected throughout the country. It is stated in the *Vasistha Dharmaśūtra* that a *Parivrājaka* should shave his head, clothe himself with one piece of cloth or skin or cover his body with grass pulled off by cows or he should sleep on bare ground.⁸⁸ They maintained their regular monasteries (*avasaha*) and they wandered about in a body with the object of engaging themselves in conversational discussions on matters of ethics, philosophy and various other topics of public interest. They allowed even women to enter their order. The *Oṭṭāya*⁸⁹ gives the following description of the wandering mendicants.

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⁸⁸ 10 6-11, also see Malalasekara, op cit Vol II, p 159 f, Malathā XII 190,3.

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⁸⁹ Sū 38, p. 172.

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They were versed in the four *Vedas*, *Itihāsa*, *Nigghantu*, six *Vedāngas* and six *Upāngas* noted already. They preached the doctrine of charity (*dānadhamma*), purity (*soadhamma*) and that of bathing at holy places (*titthābhiseya*). According to them whatever was impure became pure by applying mud and washing with water. They believed that they were pure themselves and by taking bath they would attain heaven. They never travelled in a cart or a litter, never entered a lake or a river for bathing, never rode on a horse or an elephant, never visited the performance of a dancer or a bard, never trampled upon or rubbed the green vegetables (*hariāna*), never indulged in talks regarding women, food, country, king and thieves, never kept any costly pots except a bottle-gourd, wooden or an earthen pot, never put on garments of various colours except one pair dyed with red-clay (*dhāmalla*), never wore any ornaments except one copper ring (*pavillaya*), never wore any garland except a pair of flower earings, never besmeared their body with any fragrant substance except the clay of the Ganges, and they took only one Magadha *prastha* (a measure used in Magadha) filtered (*paripūya*) water for drinking purposes.

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Jain Texts describe some prominent wandering mendicants and nuns who seem to have exercised considerable influence on the public. We hear of Ajjakhaṇḍa of Kaccāyana gotta, who was putting up in Sāvatthī. Once he took his ritualistic paraphernalia viz., triple staves, water pot (kuṇḍī), rosary (kañcanīyā), earthen bowl (karoḍiyā), seat (bhisiya), sweeping duster (kesariyā), teapoy (chaṇṇaliyā), hook (ankusaya), ring (pavittaya) and the forearm ornament (kalācikā) and putting on an umbrella and wearing shoes and dyed robes proceeded to pay a visit to Mahāvīra.⁹⁰ Suya was another wandering mendicant who was well-versed in the four Vedas, Saṭṭhitanta and the Sāmkhya system. He preached ten kinds of a mendicant's religion (parivvāyagadhamma) based on purity. When Suya arrived in the company of one thousand mendicants in Sogandhiyā, people set out to pay him reverence with great enthusiasm.⁹¹ Then the Ovāiya⁹² describes the mendicant Ammaḍa and his seven disciples. It is said that Ammaḍa and his disciples did not pay respect to any other deity except the Arhat and they attained heaven after death. Ammaḍa sojourned in Kampillapura and he received alms from hundred houses (gharasaya). He observed the chatthamachattha fast with his alms stretched and his face turned towards the sun. He never accepted food which was prepared for him or brought for him or set aside for him or cooked for him; neither he was allowed to eat food, meant for famine-stricken persons, for rich persons, or roots, bulbs, fruits, seeds and green vegetables. Once the seven disciples of Ammaḍa were travelling from Kampillapura to Purimatāla in summer; they arrived in a dense forest and felt extremely thirsty. They did not get water to drink and so setting aside their ritualistic paraphernalia they went to the sand of the Ganges and by giving up food and drink submitted to pāovagamana. Puggala is mentioned as another mendicant who sojourned in ⁹³ Ālabhiyā. We have already referred to the nun Cokkhā who was wandering about in the company of other nuns in Mithilā.

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⁹⁰ Bhag 2.1.

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⁹¹ Nāyā 5, p 73 ff

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⁹² Sū. 39f Ambaṭṭha, a learned Brahmin is referred to in the Dīgha I, pp 87 ff

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⁹³ Bhag. 11 12

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Besides, other parivrājakas are mentioned⁹⁴.— Caraka⁹⁵—It is said that they begged alms while moving in company (dhāṭivāhaka) and they moved on while eating. They accepted cleansed (dhōvuta) alms and put on a lion-cloth (kacchotaka). It is said that these mendicants were the direct descendants (sūnu) of Kapilamuni.⁹⁶ These mendicants got up in the morning and swept the shrines of Skanda and other deities, anointed them and burnt incense in the temple 97 The *Vyavahāra Bhāṣya* records religious discussion between a *Caraka* and the *Kṣullakas*98

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⁹⁴ Anu Sū 20, Nāyā Ṭi 15

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⁹⁵ Caraka is mentioned in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad where it denotes a wandering student (Vedic Index I, p 256).

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⁹⁶ Paṇṇa Ṭi II, 20 p 405; also cf. Ācā cū p. 265.

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*Cirika*—They picked up rags from the roadside, or according to another interpretation their religious requisites were made of cloth

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*Cammakhaṇḍia*—They put on a dress of hide or their religious requisites were made of hide

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*Bhikkahuṇḍa*—They would eat nothing except what had been obtained by alms and would not take cow-milk etc, they are considered as identical with the Buddhist monks

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*Paṇḍuraṅga* or *Paṇḍaraṅga*—They besmeared their body with ashes, they were Saiva mendicants According to the *Nisītha cūrṇi*,¹⁰⁰ however, the disciples of Gosāla were called *Paṇḍarabhikkhu* The *Anuyogadvāra cūrṇi* identifies them with the *Sasa akkhu saṃyasa* Bhikkhus 11

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¹⁰⁰ p 865, also mentioned in the com of the *Dhammat di* (IV, p 8)

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Then they were other *Paṇḍaraṅgas* 1

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*Saṅkha*—They followed the Sāṃkhya system

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*Joi*—They followed the Yoga system

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*Kaila Kapila*s then lord they followed the theistic Sāṃkhya system

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*Bhṛgu*—They were the disciple of Bhṛgu

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*Haṃsa*102—They lived in mountain caves, roads, hermitages, shrines and gardens and entered a village only to beg

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*Paramahaṃsa*103—They lived on river banks, the confluence of streams, and discarded clothes before they died

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*Bahūdaga*103—They lived one night in a village and five nights in a town

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*Kuṭīvaya*103—They lived in their own house and considered getting victory over greed illusion and egotism as their goal

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*Kaṇhapaṇḍaraga*—They worshipped the Nārāyaṇa 104

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