Vahoravvani Vidhi

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Vahoravvani Vidhi" (The Procedure for Offering Food to Monks) by Muni Shri Jayandnvijayji M., based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Vahoravvani Vidhi (વહોરાવવાની વિધિ) Author: Muni Shri Jayandnvijayji M. Publisher: Guru Ramchandra Prakashan Samiti

This book is a detailed guide for Jain householders (Shravaks and Shravikas) on the proper and virtuous way to offer alms (food) to Jain monks and nuns (Sadhus and Sadhvis). It emphasizes the importance of Vidhi (procedure/ritual) and Bhav (attitude/intention) in making the act of offering alms (Dan) truly beneficial and spiritually rewarding.

Core Principles and Importance:

• Supatra Dan: The text stresses that offering alms to worthy recipients (Supatras), i.e., monks and nuns, is the highest form of charity. The fruit of this charity can even lead to liberation in the same lifetime, as mentioned from the Aavashyak Niryukti.
• Purity of Vessel, Mind, and Matter: True Supatra Dan requires purity in the recipient (the monk/nun), the donor (the householder), and the offering itself (food). While purity of the vessel and the householder's mind are paramount, even a slight impurity in the food or the circumstances of the offering can diminish its value.
• Dharma and Vidhi: Just as worldly tasks require specific procedures, religious activities, especially charity, are incomplete and ineffective without proper ritualistic observance (Vidhi). Performing the act with the correct Vidhi ensures the full fruition of the charitable act.

Key Aspects of the Procedure:

1. Seeking and Inviting Monks:

   • Respectful Greeting: When monks visit, householders should greet them with respect, offering salutations (Khama-samana) and seeking permission.
   • Proper Invitation: Householders should invite monks to their homes for alms with humility and politeness, avoiding any forceful insistence.
   • Accompanying Monks: It is considered a sign of disrespect to send servants or priests to accompany monks during their alms rounds. The householder should accompany them personally to guide them.

2. Hospitality and Offering:

   • Unobstructed Entry: Householders' doors should be open and welcoming to monks. Locked doors or gates that prevent entry are considered a breach of etiquette.
   • Promptness: Upon hearing the monk's call of "Dharmalabh," the householder should promptly and respectfully invite them in.
   • Gahuli (Offering a Coconut/Coin): Offering a "Gahuli" (often a coconut or coin) is a sign of inner devotion. It should be offered upon the monk's entry into the house.
   • Proper Seating: A clean stool (Patlo) and a plate should be prepared for the monk.
   • Personal Offering: Men should offer to male monks, and women should offer to female monks.
   • Presenting Food: All available food items should be presented to the monk, allowing them to choose what they require.
   • Asking Preferences: It is considered an offense to ask monks if they desire specific items like milk or rice. Instead, one should offer, "Please accept this milk" or "Please accept this roti."
   • Order of Offering: There's a prescribed order for offering food: sweets first, followed by nuts, fruits, milk-based items, roti, khichdi, rice, vegetables, dals, snacks, etc.
   • Special Occasions: For occasions like a monk's penance (Tapascharya) completion, specific items like suth, ajmo, pippalimul, siro, mug, fruit juices, milk, and peji should be offered in a particular sequence.
   • Avoiding Waste: Offerings should be made in a way that avoids waste. If a monk does not take a full portion, the householder should accept it without complaint. It is better to offer from a larger container than to bring out a small portion from a box.
   • Sincerity and Truthfulness: One should not lie about the availability of food. If a monk declines a particular item, it should be accepted gracefully.

3. Purity and Prohibitions:

   • Origin of Food: The food offered must be obtained through righteous means and be pure and free from defects.
   • No Special Preparation: It is considered inauspicious to prepare special food for monks without a specific reason or to alter existing food to make it more appealing to them.
   • Mixing Pure and Impure: Do not mix pure food with impure food.
   • Contact with Sached (Living) Substances: Certain individuals are considered impure or "Asuchita" for a period and should not handle food for offering. These include those who have recently bathed, individuals with trembling hands, those with vision impairment, pregnant women (especially in the last month), nursing mothers, and those who have handled living substances or performed tasks involving potential harm to life (like washing clothes, cleaning, etc.).
   • Food Touching Contaminated Items: Food that has come into contact with impure substances or individuals becomes impure itself.
   • Forbidden Items: Abhakshya (forbidden) items should never be offered.
   • Timing: Food should not be prepared for monks in anticipation of their visit without a confirmed invitation.
   • Early Cooking: Cooking special dishes for monks prematurely and then having them not arrive can lead to regret and negative sentiments towards the monks.
   • Respecting Monk's Choices: Monks may choose not to eat certain items, and this should be respected.

4. General Etiquette and Conduct:

   • Maintaining House Order: When monks visit, the house should be kept in its existing state. Do not move items like water buckets or turn off lights and fans.
   • No Harm to Others: Ensure that no living being is harmed in the process of offering alms.
   • Assisting Other Householders: If monks are visiting multiple homes in a village, householders should cooperate to ensure monks receive pure alms.
   • Devotion, Not Attachment: Offering alms should be done with the intention of spiritual progress and devotion, not for personal gain, status, or out of attachment to a particular monk based on relationship or sect.
   • The Importance of Bhav: The underlying intention and devotion are crucial. Even offering simple food with profound bhav can yield immense spiritual benefits, as exemplified by Chandanbala.
   • Monk's Equipment: Householders should keep a separate cabinet for monks' utensils and reflect on their own aspiration to renounce the world and use them.
   • Children's Offerings: Encourage and praise children who offer alms with devotion, rather than reprimanding them for any procedural errors.
   • Avoiding Early Offerings: Offering food to monks before the prescribed time (48 minutes before the established time) is strictly prohibited.
   • Pre-planning: It is better not to announce specific dishes prepared at home to monks in advance, as it can create expectations and potential disappointment if they cannot visit.
   • Serving the Aged and Infirm: Special care should be taken to provide pure and nutritious food to elderly, sick, or weak monks and nuns.

In essence, "Vahoravvani Vidhi" serves as a practical and spiritual manual for Jain followers, guiding them to perform the sacred duty of offering alms with utmost respect, purity, and correct procedure, thereby purifying their own karma and progressing on the spiritual path.