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The commentary (bhāṣya) has been found. Where the commentator (charṇikāra) points this out, it is revealed that this is the story of the appointment (niyukti) and this is the story of the commentary. In this appointment, the conduct of the ascetics (śramaṇācāra) has been depicted. - Niśīthabhāṣya
The style of explanation of the appointments was extremely profound and concise. Its main goal was to explain technical terms. To reveal the deep secrets of the appointments, a poetic explanation in the Prakrit language, similar to the appointments, was written, which is known as the commentary. The commentators are the first to be credited with expressing the abundance of meaning hidden in the words of the appointments. The author of the commentary on Niśītha, Śrī Saṅghdāsaga, has many verses of the commentary in the Bṛhatkalpa and Vyavahāra Bhāṣya. There are also many interesting and witty stories. The conduct of the ascetics has been depicted from various perspectives. For example, the Pūlindas, etc., who were non-Aryan, killed the ascetics, mistaking them for Aryans, while they were going into the forest. The merchants went to distant countries for trade. In that era, many types of coins were in circulation. The commentary mentions the names of Bṛhatkalpa, Nandī Sūtra, Siddhasena, and Govinda-vācaka, etc. - Niśīthachūṇi
After the commentary, the Jain ācāryas decided to write prose commentary literature. They composed commentaries in pure Prakrit and in Prakrit mixed with Sanskrit. The commentary which is famous by the name of charṇi. Two commentaries were created on Niśītha, but only one is available today. The author of the Niśīthachūṇi is Jinadāsagaṇi Mahātara. This commentary is called the special commentary. This commentary discusses the original sūtra, the appointment, and the commentary verses. The language of this commentary is Prakrit mixed with Sanskrit.
We have presented a brief summary of the twenty purposes of Niśītha in the previous lines. That summary is given according to the original Niśītha āgama. In the Niśīthachūṇi, the commentator has given some new facts from his own side to clarify the original meaning of Niśītha. Therefore, we are giving here the essence of what is found in the Niśīthachūṇi, so this is not repetition. The reader will experience for themselves how the commentator has clarified the subject.
The commentator has first saluted the Arhant, Siddha, and Sadhus, and also saluted the meaning-giver, Pradyumna Mahāśramaṇa. The ācārya, agra, prakalpa, calikā, and Niśītha have all been contemplated by the method of deposition (nikṣepa paddhati). The meaning of Niśītha is aprakāśa + andhakāra. The Niśīthasūtra is for the correct judgment of unilluminated words. In common parlance, Niśītha is used for the darkness of night. Other meanings of Niśītha have also been given. Niśītha is that which destroys all types of karma-dust.
The description of the first person servant (pratisevaka) is given. After that, the nature of service (pratisevana) and the one to be served (pratisevitavya) is explained, and then the topics of non-negligence service (apramāda-pratisevana), simultaneous cognition (sahasātkarana), negligent service (pramāda-pratisevana), anger, etc., passions (kaṣāya), the contradiction of knowledge, vision, and conduct (jñāna-darśana-cāritra), false speech (vikathā), senses (indriya), sleep (nidrā), etc., are discussed. The more one indulges in laziness, sexual intercourse, sleep, hunger, and anger, the more they increase like the cloth of Draupadi.
Sthāna-nidrā is that in which the intense obscuring karma of vision (darśanāvaraṇa karma) arises. The sleep in which the mind becomes stiff or fixed is sthāna-nidrā. To clarify its nature, the commentator has given the examples of a particle (pudgala), a sweetmeat (modaka), a potter (kumbhakāra), and an elephant's tusk (hastidanta).