Study of Civakacintamani

SR No.: 001579
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vijaylaxmi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1981
Total Pages: 248
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Epistemology
File Size: 15 MB

Page 155

142
Study of Civakacintamani
The glory of the right faith is explained through the story of the dog changing into a yakşa in the Cc. Rk. says, even a dog becomes a deva and vice versa from virtue and vice respectively.
svapi devo'pi devaḥ śvā jāyate dharmakilbişåt /
In the Cc. the dog which was beaten by brahmins turns into a yakṣa when Civakan whispers pancanamaskāra mantra in its ears. It had its knowledge of the right faith and since it had the right faith, though it was a dog it turned into a yaksa.
Ethics
Following the discussion of the right faith and right knowiedge, right conduct which is the result of the above two will now be discussed. The rules for right conduct form the main part of Jaina ethics. Jaina ethical rules are intended to pave the way for the soul towards salvation. It is difficult for an aspirant to highest ideal of right conduct at once. These rules are evolved in such a way that one can gradually train himself to do this. "Initially" as Williams says, "the lay estate was admitted by the Jina only in deference to human frailty and was regarded in theory as a stage of preparation for the ascetic life.''3 But as days want on, one notices that more importance was given to the lay life in the medieval period than in the early ages. This can be seen in the Cc. which is a work of the medieval period. Here both the householder's and the ascetic's life have been clearly explained through the life story of Civakan and the other eharacters associated with him.
Among the fourteen gupasthānas, the stages through which the soul passes on its way to salvation, the first five belong to the householder's stage and the soul prepares itself for the ascetic's life in these stages. In the first stage-mithyadrsti guṇasthāna, wrong belief, passion, lack of self discipline etc, which bind the soul to karmas are in action. When right belief is achieved the soul reaches the fourth stage, the avirata samyagdsști 4 (vowless right belief) stage. The second and third stages, sāsvādana samyagdīşti (downfall), and samyag-mithyād;sti (the mixture af Right and Wrong belief) are stages through which the soul falls down to the first stage from the fourth stage, it manifests the four anantānubandhikaşayas due to wrong belief when it is in the fourth stage.
From the fourth stage in which the soul conquers its faith-obscuring karmas (darśana-mohaniya karmas) and subdues the anantānubandhi category of passion, and attains right faith, it proceeds to the fifth stage, the desa-virata-samyagdrșți stage. In this stage the householder destroys the apratyākhyāna karmas and tries to conquer his character obstructing karma (căritra-mohanıya-karma). To overcome these 1. RK. 29.
4. Bhargava, op. cit. p. 214. 2. Cc. vy. 934-960.
5. Ibid. pp. 213, 214. 3. A. Williams, op. cit. Introduction, p. XVI. 6. Ibid, pp. 211, 212,