The last clause is significant.  What he does to another living being will be done to him.  He will suffer as he has caused others to suffer.  The chain from emotion to hell—­the avoidance of the former is on account of the fear of the latter—­is thus connected:  He who knows wrath knows pride; he who knows pride knows deceit; he who knows deceit knows greed (and so on; thus one advances) from greed to love, from love to hate, from hate to delusion, from delusion to conception, from conception to birth, from birth to death, from death to hell, from hell to animal existence, ’and he who knows animal existence knows pain.’

The five great vows, which have been thought by some scholars to be copies of the Buddhistic rules, whereas they are really modifications of the old Brahmanic rules for ascetics as explained in pre-Buddhistic literature, are in detail as follows:[28]

The First vow:  I renounce all killing of living beings, whether subtile or gross, whether movable or immovable.  Nor shall I myself kill living beings nor cause others to do it, nor consent to it.  As long as I live I confess and blame, repent and exempt myself of these sins in the thrice threefold way,[29] in mind, speech, and body.

The five ‘clauses’ that explain this vow are:  (1) the Niggantha (Jain) is careful in walking; (2) he does not allow his mind to act in a way to suggest injury of living beings; (3) he does not allow his speech to incite to injury; (4) he is careful in laying down his utensils; (5) he inspects his food and drink lest he hurt living beings.

The Second Vow:  I renounce all vices of lying speech arising from anger, or greed, or fear, or mirth.  I confess (etc, as in the first vow).

The five clauses here explain that the Niggantha speaks only after deliberation; does not get angry; renounces greed; renounces fear; renounces mirth—­lest through any of these he be moved to lie.

The Third Vow:  I renounce all taking of anything not given, either in a village, or a town, or a wood, either of little or much, or small or great, of living or lifeless things.  I shall neither take myself what is not given nor cause others to take it, nor consent to their taking it.  As long as I live I confess (etc., as in the first vow).

The clauses here explain that the Niggantha must avoid different possibilities of stealing, such as taking food without permission of his superior.  One clause states that he may take only a limited ground for a limited time, i.e., he may not settle down indefinitely on a wide area, for he may not hold land absolutely.  Another clause insists on his having his grant to the land renewed frequently.

The Fourth Vow:  I renounce all sexual pleasures, either with gods, or men, or animals.  I shall not give way to sensuality (etc).

The clauses here forbid the Niggantha to discuss topics relating to women, to contemplate the forms of women, to recall the pleasures and amusements he used to have with women, to eat and drink too highly seasoned viands, to lie near women.