Jaina Acara Siddhanta aur Svarupa

SR No.: 006747
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Devendramuni
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy
Publication Year: 1995
Total Pages: 322
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 85

Jaina Acāra : Siddhanta aura Swarūpa
51 as to die a passionless, voluntary death. Because of his meritorious deeds he is blessed with progeny, wealth and other pleasures, not that he yearns for them. There are ascetics and ascetics as there are men and men. The attempt should be to discover the right ascetic which can be done by observing his life, his self-control, his carefulness, his observance of vows and the like. All the same, an ascetic may have some minor blemishes. So why should a votary worship him? It is because omniscients are bom very rarely. No worship is possible unless the worshipper and the worshipped both are on the scene. The omniscient also is after all an ascetic, though faultless, and other ascetics are non-omniscient. Even then they are far ahead of the laity. In pra ce they alone can be teachers, since the omniscient is a god himself. Bhadrabahu says that an ascetic can be recognised by his austerities, celibacy and other secondary vows. Votaries can serve ascetics by offering them the right food and water. They themselves eat nothing that contains life. Though they can very well use both mango and its stone, yet by using seedless things, they earn the additional merit of presenting them victuals without life. This develops the habit of offering what ascetics are likely to accept. There may be places where there might be no householders of the ascetics' community. It is there that their own votaries arrange right things for them. Ascetics and votaries thus serve one another. Their interest lies in the spiritual development of both. Lay votaries are called 'Anuvrati Vratāvratī' Srāddha and the like because they cannot be replicas of asceties. They observe vows in a limited sphere. Great vows are not for Yrem. The goal is the same, but the paths are different.
There are some critics who say that the Jaina householders are as bad as can be. They are rank materialists and observe no vows. They have developed expertise in transgressing vows with impunity. This is, however, a misconception, since without them there cannot be many night ascetics. In scriptures the epithets used for them clearly suggest that they are still in the world but on the right track. Their attempt is always to rise above temptations. They confess their faults to their superiors. They are in constant touch with ascetics. They listen to their discourses and thus their living improves at every stage. Male and female votaries are important constituents of the religious order. They all together make the order vibrant. The Digambara Samantabhadra says that householders are large baskets of gems without whom the Order will necessarily suffer.