Muhpattī

Modern Indo-aryan language term from the Sanskrit ‘mukhavastrikā’. The small rectangular piece of cloth permanently fixed over the mouth by some mendicant orders. This is to avoid being violent accidentally, either by inhaling tiny creatures or killing them by breathing over them unexpectedly.

This is not the same as the mouth-cover used on some occasions by other mendicants and by laypeople when they perform certain rites.

Synonyms:
mouth-cloth, mouth-cloths
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