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SARVODAYA TIRTHA
123
In fact, to be absorbed in the soul is conduct Being in the nature of things, it is also dharma.160 Equanimity, intermediacy, right application, detachment, conduct, dharma, propitiation of one's own nature are synonyms 161
The term right preceding conduct signifies the need to avoid conduct through ignorance 162 For,
na hi samagvyapadeśam caritramajnānapūrvakam labhate jnānānantaramuktam cāritrārādhanam tasmāt163
Conduct under the influence of ignorance is not right conduct. So it has been suggested that right conduct should be cultivated only on the attainment of right knowledge Conduct without right faith and right knowledge is not at all effective. Just as if a blind man runs, it becomes the cause of his fall, in the same way conduct under the spell of ignorance becomes the cause of one's fall 164 Compare,
tattrādau samyaktvam samupāśrayanīyamakhilayatnena tasmin satyeva yato bhavatı jnānam caritram cal65
At first, one must strive to acquire equanimity only after this knowledge and conduct become right. Elsewhere,
sammattam viņa sannānam saccărittam na hoi niyamena166
In the absence of right faith, as a rule, right knowledge and right conduct are not possible, so only after the dark shadow of ignorance is cleared does a monk equipped with right faith and
160 svarūpe caranam caritram tadeva vastusvabhavatvaddharmah
-Pravacanasāra, Commentory on Gatha, 7. 161 Nayacakra, Gatha, 347; also Jaina Dharma Sara, P52. 162 ajnanapürvakacarananırvatyartham samayag visesanam
-Sarvarthasıddhi, 1/1. 163 Purusārthasıddhyupāya, Sloka 38. 164 caritram darśanajnanavıkalam nārthakynmatam
pramataaiva taddhi syat andhasyeva vivalgitam-Mahapurāna, 24/122 165 Purusārthasıddhyupāya, Sloka, 21 166 Rayanasāra, Gatha, 47.
