Verse 7.19 - Classification of votaries (vratī)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 7.19:

अगार्यनगारश्च ॥ ७.१९ ॥

agāryanagāraśca || 7.19 ||

The householder–agārī–and the homeless ascetic–anagārī–are the two kinds of votaries (vratī). (19)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [अगारी] अगारी अर्थात् सागार (गृहस्थ) [अनगारः च] और अनगार (गृहत्यागी भावमुनि) इस प्रकार व्रती के दो भेद नोट-निश्चय सम्यग्दर्शन-ज्ञानपूर्वक महाव्रतों को पालने वाले मुनि अनगारी कहलाते हैं और देशव्रत को पालने वाले श्रावक सागारी कहलाते हैं।

Anvayartha: [agari] agari arthat sagara (grihastha) [anagarah ca] aura anagara (grihatyagi bhavamuni) isa prakara vrati ke do bheda nota-nishcaya samyagdarshana-jnanapurvaka mahavratom ko palane vale muni anagari kahalate haim aura deshavrata ko palane vale shravaka sagari kahalate haim |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

He who is free from stings and observes vows is a votary (vratī). The subdivisions are given below.

What is built for shelter is ‘agāra’. Thus, ‘agāra’ is a home. He who has ‘agāra’ is the householder–agārī. He for whom there is no home is the homeless ascetic–anagāra. Thus, there are two classes of votaries, the householder–agārī–and the homeless ascetic–anagārī. Now there is a contention. The ascetics, who stay in vacant habitations, temples, etc., would become ‘agārī’. And the laymen who leave home and stay in the woods for some reason, without renouncing sensual-pleasures, would become ‘anagārī’. But it is not so. What is intended is the psychical home–the ‘bhāvāgāra’. Owing to the rise of the conduct-deluding (cāritramohanīya) karmas, a person’s thoughts are not turned away from home. This is called the psychical home–the ‘bhāvāgāra’. He who has it is a householder, even if he lives in a forest. The ascetic is free from such thoughts and so he is a homeless ascetic even if he lives in a home. Again, it is argued that the householder–agārī–cannot be a votary (vratī) as he observes vows only partially. But it is not so.

The householder also is a votary from certain points of view. As an illustration, though a man lives in his home or remains in his bed-chamber, he says, “I live in the town.” So, even a person who observes partial vows is called a votary from certain points of view (naigama, saṃgraha and vyavahāra naya). Does partial observance of vows by the householder–agārī–mean the observance of one or two of the five vows? No, it is not so. The householder–agārī–observes all the five vows, albeit partially.