| Vow of Sharing with Deserving Guests (Atithisamvibhaga-vrata) |
To offer necessities of life (food, medicine, etc.) to the saintly monks who having renounced the householder's life have adopted the life of renunciation characterised by total refrainment from evil activities and live onl begging alms, as also to the benevolent noble persons engaged in the service of the people is the meaning of the present vow. The vow also means to give proper help to the miserable and the poor. |
Of the twelve vows, the first five vows are called anuvratas (atom-scala vows), because compared to the mahdvratas (great vows) of the monk they are very small. The next three vows are called gunawataa., because they help, support and strengthen the anuvratas. The term 'guna' is here used in the sense of help, support. And the four vows enumerated after them are called siksavratas. They are so called because they are spiritual exercises of a ritual sort. |
| If a householder has no strength and energy to take all the twelve vows, he can take as many as are possible for him to observe. |
| Now let us know about samyaktva which is the basic foundation of the final accomplishment of religious practice. It means self-faith purified by discretionary power of thought |
