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greater detail, twelve categories of austerities have been mentioned-fasting, limiting food intake, procuring alms, abandoning tasty food, penance or mortifying the body, withdrawing mind and surges, temperance, humbleness, taking care of seniors, self-study, meditation, abandonment.
The subtle meaning of ahimsa expands into discipline, and the various aspects of discipline reveal their practical form in austerities. Thus these three are inter-linked and their unified form is dharma.
Dharma-The definition of this term is very subtle as well as elaborate. The literal meaning of dharma is the nature of things. The nature of soul is upward movement or elevation. That which helps in elevating or purifying the soul is called dharma. The soul attains purity by shedding karmas through practicing ahimsa, discipline, and austerity; therefore, these three are components of dharma. According to an ancient definition, that which holds a soul back from falling into the abyss of depravity and saves it is called dharma.1
Propitious-That which is auspicious and beneficent. The Acharyas have made two categories of propitious things-propitious things (physical) and propitious attitudes. The urn, swastika, etc. are the eight auspicious symbols, and curd, rice, conch-shell, coconut, etc. are auspicious things. Dharma, the instrument of peace and happiness is called the propitious attitude.2 (For clarification see illustration 1.) २ : जहा दुमस्स पुप्फेसु भमरो आवियइ रसं।
ण य पुर्फ किलामेइ सो अ पीणेइ अप्पयं॥ जिस प्रकार भँवरा फूलों से थोड़ा-थोड़ा रस पीता हुआ किसी पुष्प को कष्ट या हानि नहीं पहुँचाता है और स्वयं को भी तृप्त कर लेता है॥२॥
MOSSSSS1117
1. Ibid, page 4 2. Dashavaikalik Niryukti, verse 44
श्री दशवकालिक सूत्र : Shri Dashavaikalik Sutra
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