Jaina Gazette 1928

SR No.: 034890
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Ajitprasad, C S Mallinath
Publisher: Jaina Gazettee Office
Publication Year: 1928
Total Pages: 502
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 33 MB

Page 475

18
THE JAINA GAZETTE
Bara Vrata, which play a great part in the life of the single Jain as well as that of the whole community.
Besides being, in themselves, milder than the respective prescriptions for ascetics, the Laymen Vows can be taken only with reference to not doing and not causing to be done, bad thoughts, words, and actions. Moreover, one or other of these factors, such as “not causing to be done,” or “bad thoughts" etc., can optionally be left away, or instead of taking all the vows, a selection of some of them can be adopted. Consequently, the layman who adopts the twelve vows, or some of them, is left ample freedom to fulfil all his worldly duties, and to remain in fullest concordance with worldly propriety and etiquette, even if he happen to be a judge, or a king even, or to occupy any other responsible post which requires energetic and even violent acting, in the interest of the State.
The Twelve Vratas of Laymen. The twelve Vratas of laymon are subdivided into three parts, viz., the five Anuvratas, the three Gunavratas, and the four Sikshavratas.
The Five Anuvratas. The five Anuvratas, i e., “Small Vows," represent only a milder form of the Great Vows of ascetics.
By the First Anuvrata, the Sravaka promises to give up destroying, intentionally, and without purpose, the lives of harmless living beings, which are gifted with free locomotion. With reference to this formulation, it bas often been said that, whereas the Sadhu practises complete Non-injury, or, expressed in the old way, twenty-twentieths of Non. injury, the Sravaka only practises one twentieth and a quarter: ten twentieths being subtracted by excepting beings without spontaneous locomotion, as plants, water, fire, air and minerals, five further twentieths by excepting harmless creatures, two and a half twentieths by excepting unintentional,
and one and a quarter twentieths by excepting purposeless Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat