Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c14.t4.4

c14.t4.4

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.