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________________ 15,17 + FACIUNT, 2006 105 I , Pratikramana : An austerity for self purification Dr. Ashok Kavad Introduction Windows and Ventilators act as instruments, which provide air, light and ventilation. They help in exhausting impure air or smell from the house and also allow fresh air and light to enter. Without air and light, the house will be darkend, damp and make it difficult to live inside. In short, it gives peace, happiness and comfort for the dwellers. Similarly Pratikramana, make the soul to cleanse itself from the impurities which have entered the soul and also restrict the impurities that enter. They act as expiation of sins, stop the inflow of karmas, preserve pure conduct, enable one to get rid of past and present transgressions and inappropriate austerities and also promotes repentance of humiliations, rewards good conduct and peace. The meaning, its nature and benefits are explained in brief and how they help in spiritual progression and liberation arc noteworthy We clean our house every day. We remove the dust, dirt and mud from the house regularly. On special occasions like Diwali. New year etc., we also white wash the house, wash the floors etc., similarly the dirt, which makes the soul impure, can be removed or cleansed by fivefold sadhanas. The five sold sadhana includes (1) Alocana (2) Nindana (3) Garhana (4) Pratikramana and (5) Prayascitta. Alocana, Nindana and Garhana are the three processes for the purification of soul. We have to first analyze the impurities inside our soul and should list them, repent for the mistakes and confess them in front of the spiritual master. Pratikramana is the process of coming back to original place or form and Prayascitta is to do repair work when any component or part of vrata- building is damaged. Alocana ctc is noting but introspection and confession. Uttaradhyayana sutra in its 291h chapter has expressed the benefits of Alocana, Nindana and Garhana. By confession of sins the soul gets rid of thorns, as it were, of deceit and wrong belief, which obstruct the path of liberation and cause endless migration of the soul; he obtains simplicity. By Nindana or repenting of ones sins to oneself the soul obtains repentance, and becoming indifferent by repentance he prepares to ascend the ladder of virtues, by which he destroys the karmas resulting from delusion. By repenting
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________________ 106 ad Fortement 15,17 HAFA 2006 for ones. sins before the Guru or hy Garhana, the person will renounce all mundane occupations and apply himself to praise worthy occupations. Pratikramana Jainism and its philosophy stand on the check of Jaina Agamas. The 32nd Agama is Avasyaka sutra. Avasyaka means that which is to be done necessarily. In this agama there are six avasyakas and the fourth one is pratikramna. This avasyaka fornis the major content of this scripture. Pratikramana means repentance. Selfanalysis or self-introspection is essential for cquanimity of mind and also for right conduct. Ile who practiscs Pratikramana avoids all wrong paths and walks on the path shown by the conquerors. In short, he recounts his lapses and transgressions of the rules of rightcous conduct and thoughts committed during he past and direct him towards concentration and realization of the pure self." Meaning It is formed by combination of two words namely 'prati' and 'kramana'. 'Prati' means back and 'hramana' means to move. Thus it means coming back to the original place. In this context it means, "To comeback within oneself whenever the soul crosses the boundaries of vrata or control is known as pratikramana". Pratikramana as mentioned earlier is repentance. It is a method of self analysis and self-introspection. It is essential for the equanimity of mind. A man who obscrves Pratikramana, meditates upon the nature of his own soul- in silence, after abstaining from the activities of specch and getting rid of his impure thought activities such as anger, attachments etc. This helps him to avoid repetition of impure thought activities and transgressions of rules of conduct. Tattvartha sutra defines Pratikramana as, "To repent for the mistake that has been committed and to refrain from it, and also to remain alert so that no new mistakes are committed"t. Tattvartha sutra considers Pratikramana as a subtype of Prayascitta. The main objective of doing Pratikramana is to understand that sinful and impure activities had taken place: they are transgressions of rules of conduct. By determination and regular practice, the violations that have been taking place will come down. It is indeed a soul-bath. As a result the soul feels lighter from the karmic bondages, which were attached previously In the period of the first and the last Tirthankaras is said that the monks should do pratikramana cveryday at the time of sunrise and sunset. Whereas those in the period of the middle twenty-two Tirthankaras are supposed to do Pratikramana whenever there is a transgression.
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________________ 15,17 Taho 2006 // jinavANI 107 Classifications Pratikramana can be classified in many ways. Few of them are: (A) Five types). a)Mithyatva b). Avrata c). Pramada d). Kasaya e). Asubha yoga.. Sthananaga sutra has also classified it into five types viz... Asrava dvara, Mithyatva, Kasaya. Yoga and Bhava pratikramana. To return from Mithyatva to samyaktva, from avrati to vrati, from pramada to apramada, from kasaya to samabhava, and from asubha yoga to subha yoga is the purpose of Pratikramana. (B) The second classification is based on time. Devasiya; repentance related to activities and transgressions that have taken place in the day and done at the time of sunset. Raiya, repentance related to activities and transgressions that have taken place in the night, donc just before sunrise. Paksika; repentance related to past lortnight. done on the last day of the fort-night. Caumasiya or Caturmasika: repentance related to past four months. Samvatsariva or Sanvatsarika; repentance related to past one year. (C) Another classification is of two types Dravya Pratikramana and Bhava Pratikramana. a) Dravya pratikramana: It is more of a ritual and is unaccompanied by repentance and the aspirant is not determined to give up the sins and continues to do them in the future. This kind of Pratikramana is called Dravya Pratikramana. b) Bhava Pratikramana: This is the real and pure type of Pratikramana. The objective of the doer is to cleanse his soul from transgressions, so he applies his mind without any material expectations and with the objective to reduce the karmic matters and is determined not to repeat in future by being alert in every activity of mind, speech and body. Pramada is the main cause for most of the violations and transgressions. The soul has to be alert and exert in righteous activities. The best way to success is excrtion in righteousness i.e. Samyakiva Parakrama. (D) Sthananga Sutra has classified it into six types. (i).Uccara Pratikramana, (ii) Prasravana Pratikramana. (111) Iivarika Pratikramana, (iv) Yavatkathika Pratikramana, (v) Yaikincit mithyaduskria Pratikramana, (vi) Svapnantika Pratikramana." Thus an aspirant repents i.e. does Pratikramana by meditating upon the nature of his own self. He recounts his lapses, and transgressions of the rules of righteous conduct and thoughts. These lapses, flaws and transgressions are of four types. viz.
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________________ jinavANI 15, 17 navambara 2006 1. Atikrama: It is the mental resolution to violate any violate any vrata or vow. Here the vow is neither broken nor violated. But mentally it has been resolved to do an activity, which will result in violation, is also known as transgression. 2. Vyatikrama: the process of collection of articles and requisites for an action, which will result in violation, is called as vyatikrama. It is a step ahead of atikrma. and here the process of collection takes place with an objective to break the vow. 3. Aticara: It means partial violation of a vow already taken. 108 4. Anacara: the complete violation and lapses of vow. The first three lapses are reviewed by self-analysis in Pratikramana and repented so that they are not repeated in futre. Bu the fourth and the last flaw being complete violation and the only remedy is Prayascitta i.e. expiation. There are six chapters in Pratikramana sutra. They are, Samayika, Caturvimsatistava, Vandana, Pratikramana, Kayotsarga, and Pratyakhyana. In Pratikramana ninety-nine types of aticaras are explained. The aspirant reflects on the possible transgressions through self-analysis and repents for them. He also does introspection, Which is essential for equanimity and right conduct. The ninety-nine types of transgressions are as follows: fourteen related to right knowledge, five related to right faith, sixty related to twelve vows of sravaka, fifteen related to karma danas. and five with respect to samlelkhana. Significance Lord Mahavira in the Uttaradhyayana sutra has explained that expiation of sins is the benefit of Pratikramana. It is explained that by pratikramana the sins are expiated and he obviates transgression of vows, thereby he stops influx, preserves a pure conduct, practises eight exercises i.e. pravacana matas does not neglect the practice of control and pays great attention to it." Thus, there are three great benefits of pratikramana. There are eight spiritual exercises that prepare a monk for advanced meditaional states. They consist of five samitis (or vigilence) and three guptis (restraints). These eight are known as pravacanamatas. They are practised and kept under check by Pratikramana. As explained earlier there are five great vows for sadhus or monks and twelve vows for sravakas. In these vows there may take place some transgressions due to negligence. These transgressions are compared to holes in a boat that may allow the water to enter inside and the boat may sink. Similarly the soul may be subject to influx of karmic particles by partial violation of vratas. Repentance and self-analysis by Pratikramana removes these transgressions. The next benefit is that influx is checked and pure conduct is acquired. The major five gates due to which influx of
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________________ 109 15,17 Haban 2006 jinavANI karmas takes place are closed. Due to this the influx of new karmas is averied. Pratikramana results in returning back from perverted attitude etc., to right attitude ELC. Pratikramana is a type of austerity. Prayascitta is also a type of austerity, moreover one type of Prayascitta is Pratikramana. It is a great medicine for karmic diseases and further develops resistance in preventing the disease and also acts as an energizer, which gives strength and power, Thus in short, those iransgressions that have taken place in the past have to be analyzed through Alocana, the possibilities of transgression taking place in the present have to be carefully checked through samvara and through Pratyakhayana the future influx is prevented. Pratikramana is helpful in removing pramada or negligence, which is the biggest foe of an aspirant. Prayascitta is a kind of internal penance through which it is possible to clean the defects born of negligence in connection with a vrata that has been accepted Real expiotion or atonement however consists in the contemplation of the soul by destruction of all kinds of impurities of mind and meditating on the attributes of the soul." A faultless observance of the austerities is a part of cxpiation. A saint should conquer anger by forgiveness, pride by humility, deceit by straight forwardness and greed by contentinent." Conclusion Thus Alocana, Nindana, Garhana, Pratikramna, and Prayascitta, all of them purify the soul from the transgressions and mistakes. They act as removing the defects in charitra or conduct. All kinds of impurities of the soul are removed through the above spiritual windows and ventitators. REFERENCES 1. Uttradhyayana sutra 29.6 2 -Ibid.29.7 3- Niyamasara, 83 4- Taltvartha Sutra. VI.9.22(2)-Pg.341 5. Sthananga Sutra. 5.3.222 and Avasyaka Sutra, Antim patha. 6- Avasyaka Vrtti by Acarya Haribhadra, 1250 7. Sthananga Sutra, 6.3.125 8- Cittaradhyayana Sutra 29.12 & SBE vol.45 pg.163 9. Tativartha Sutra 9.20 pg.340 of commentary by pandit sukhlal. 10- Niyamsara.113,114,&115 11- Dasavaikalika sutra.8.39 - President, Akhil Bhartiya Jain Ratna Yuvak Parishad Clo Prithvi Exchange, 33 Montieth Road, Egmore, Chennai