Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c24.5

c24.5

**Varshāvāsa (Rain-retreat).** The need of a shelter was imperative in the rainy season when the monks were enjoined to take to a retreat (*vassāvāsa*, lit. retreat of the year), suspending itinerancy. This injunction is stated to have been the consequence of another concession of Buddhism to popular feeling which was outraged by the monks travelling about in the rains and destroying the life they call into being in the green herbs, vegetables, and animalculae. "Even the Titthiyas," so murmured the people, "whose doctrine is supposed to be ill preached, even they try to avoid this injury to life by making themselves retreats; even birds make themselves nests at that season of the year, while the Sākyaputtiya Samaṇas alone are out for destroying life!" [*Mahāv.*, iii, 1].