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## The Sutra Kritanga Sutra
## Commentary
**Meaning:** Pride does not arise from virtue, nor does it bring any benefit. The Sutrakar (author of the sutra) points out that a man of low nature and base character, who becomes arrogant and tyrannical due to pride, cannot be saved from the cycle of birth and death by his lineage or family pride. It cannot protect him. It does not benefit him in this world or the next. Lineage is "matrisamuttha" - born from the mother, and family is "pitrisamuttha" - born from the father. Here, lineage and family are merely signs. This indicates that other forms of pride are also incapable of saving one from the cycle of birth and death.
The Sutrakar points out what can truly save one from the cycle of birth and death: knowledge and conduct. There is no hope of liberation from the cycle of birth and death through anything else. When knowledge and conduct are strengthened, embraced, and cultivated through right faith, they liberate one from the cycle of birth and death. It is said that liberation is attained through knowledge and action.
Even so, a man who is not firmly rooted in Dharma (righteousness), who is attached to the world, and who, even after renouncing the world, continues to indulge in pride associated with lineage and other worldly things, or who engages in "agarikamma" (according to this interpretation, the practice of sinful karma), or who indulges in pride of lineage, cannot be liberated from all his karmas. Liberation from the world (deshmochan) - the partial destruction of karmas - happens to almost all beings every moment.
**Sutra:**
- णिक्किंचणे भिक्खू सुलूहजीवी, जे गारवं होइ सलोगगामी । आजीवमेयं तु अबुज्झमाणो, पुणो पुणो विप्परियासुवेंति ॥११॥
**Translation:**
- A monk who is devoid of possessions (nikkinchana), who lives on simple food (surukshajivi), and who is proud (garava) and seeks worldly praise (salogagami), is ignorant of the true nature of his livelihood (ajivameyam). He repeatedly falls into the cycle of birth and death (vippariyasuventi).
**Commentary:**
The commentary further explains the emergence of the fault of pride: Even though a monk is devoid of external possessions (nikkinchana) and follows the rules of begging for food (bhikshana shila), and lives on simple food (surukshajivi), if he is proud (gauravapriya) and seeks praise (shlokakami), he is ignorant of the true meaning of life (paramartham abudhyamana). He considers his simple life (surukshajivi) and his lack of possessions (nikkinchana) as means to achieve worldly praise (ajivam). He continues to fall into the cycle of birth, death, old age, disease, sorrow, and suffering (vippariyasam). He strives to overcome these things, but only sinks deeper into them. This is the cycle of birth and death (vippariyas).
**Meaning:**
The Sutrakar explains the faults of pride. A man who does not possess any external material possessions (akinchana), who earns his livelihood by accepting alms from others, who lives on simple food (antpraant), and who, despite this, is proud (gauravapriya) and seeks praise (shlokakami), is ignorant of the true meaning of life (paramartham abudhyamana). He considers his simple life (surukshajivi) and his lack of possessions (nikkinchana) as means to achieve worldly praise (ajivam). He continues to fall into the cycle of birth, death, old age, disease, sorrow, and suffering (vippariyasam). He strives to overcome these things, but only sinks deeper into them. This is the cycle of birth and death (vippariyas).