These strict rules of conduct only apply to ascetics who are bent on attaining perfection.  The standard proposed for the ordinary householders is fairly workable.  Thus it is said by Hemacandra, that ordinary householders should earn money honestly, should follow the customs of good people, should marry a good girl from a good family, should follow the customs of the country and so forth.  These are just what we should expect from any good and

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[Footnote 1:  Certain external rules of conduct are also called caritra.  These are:  Iryya (to go by the path already trodden by others and illuminated by the sun’s rays, so that proper precaution may be taken while walking to prevent oneself from treading on insects, etc., which may be lying on the way), bhasa (to speak well and pleasantly to all beings), isana (to beg alms in the proper monastic manner), danasamiti (to inspect carefully the seats avoiding all transgressions when taking or giving anything), utsargasamiti (to take care that bodily refuse may not be thrown in such a way as to injure any being), manogupti (to remove all false thoughts, to remain satisfied within oneself, and hold all people to be the same in mind), vaggupti (absolute silence), and kayagupti (absolute steadiness and fixity of the body).  Five other kinds of caritra are counted in Dravyasamgrahav@rtti 35.]

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honest householder of the present day.  Great stress is laid upon the virtues of ahi@msa, sun@rta, asteya and brahmacaryya, but the root of all these is ahi@msa.  The virtues of sun@rta, asteya and brahmacaryya are made to follow directly as secondary corrollaries of ahi@msa.  Ahi@msa may thus be generalized as the fundamental ethical virtue of Jainism; judgment on all actions may be passed in accordance with the standard of ahi@msa; sun@rta, asteya and brahmacaryya are regarded as virtues as their transgression leads to hi@msa (injury to beings).  A milder form of the practice of these virtues is expected from ordinary householders and this is called anubrata (small vows).  But those who are struggling for the attainment of emancipation must practise these virtues according to the highest and strictest standard, and this is called mahabrata (great vows).  Thus for example brahmacaryya for a householder according to the anubrata standard would be mere cessation from adultery, whereas according to mahabrata it would be absolute abstention from sex-thoughts, sex-words and sex-acts.  Ahi@msa according to a householder, according to anubrata, would require abstinence from killing any animals, but according to mahavrata it would entail all the rigour and carefulness to prevent oneself from being the cause of any kind of injury to any living being in any way.