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१९७] सप्तदश अध्ययन
सचित्र उत्तराध्ययन सूत्र
CHAPTER 17 SINFUL SAGE
Foreview
The title of this chapter is sinful sage. In short, sinful sage is he, who accepts consecration bravely like a lion but practises it cowardly like a jackal or becomes a sage cowardly like a jackal and also practises like a jackal.
In the preceding fifteenth chapter the characterstics of best mendicant (sage) were described and in the sixteenth chapter the importance of celibacy was analysed. While in this chapter by showing the faults (symptoms) of a sinful sage the adept is inspired to cast off those faults.
In fact to practise sagehood is to move on the edge of sharp sword bare-foot. Awakeness every moment, alertness for conduct, fixation to the rules of sagehood and regular propiliation (3778771) of right knowledge-faith-conduct is very much essential.
But all the adepts are not addicted to religion-religious rituals, some of them are comfort-wishers. The comfort-wisher adepts are called as sinful sages. The tendencies and activities of such sinful sages are described in this chapter.
In this chapter, from couplet numbering 1 to 4 pertaining to knowledge-conduct, from 5 to 14 faith-conduct, 15-16 penance-conduct, 17-18 vigour-conducts (arutart)-remaining indifferent to all these-such sinful sage's external activities are elaborated along with mental thinking-mental attitude.
This fact is also becomes clear like daylight that in the canonieal scriptures of Jainism, on one hand the true sages are revered and on other hand strict attitude is taken for looseconducted sinful sages.
The substance of whole chapter is-the inspiration to abandon loose conduct, and practise pure and pious sagehood.
This chapter contains only 21 couplets.
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