$JES 302 Jain Philosophy Level 3 Book

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 36

GOING TO THE TEMPLE - SHVETÄMBAR TRADITION
8. Fal (Fruit) Pujä:
For the Puja of Arihanta, the Supreme Being, heavenly gods bring fruits with devotion and ask for the Moksha, the ultimate fruit. Fruit symbolizes Moksha or Liberation.
Just as Indra and other Devas Out of their extreme love for you, I bring along 'fruits' to worship. Upon meeting you, O Supreme soul, I renounce worldly aspirations and desire only Moksha as the fruit of all my actions.
The main purpose of Puja is that by reciting the virtues of the Tirthankar we also remind ourselves that these same virtues are also possessed by us, and that by taking the path of the Tirthankars we can also achieve Nirvän.
5. Avasthä Chintan (Contemplating On The Different States of Arihanta)
After completing the external worship, you must carry out this contemplation. The male should stand on the right side of the idol of Arihanta (that is the left side while facing the idol) while the female should stand on the left side of it (that is the right side while facing the idol). Standing this way, you should contemplate on the three different states that Arihantas went through. They are
Pindastha Avasthä (ordinary embodied souls) • Padastha Avasthä (omniscient embodied souls)
Rupätita Avasthä (liberated souls).
Pindastha Avasthä
In Pindastha Avasthä you contemplate on Arihanta's
(1) Janmävasthä (2) Rajyavasthä (3) Shramanävasthä
(1) Janmävasthä: Oh Lord, during your third previous life, you acquired Tirthankar Näm
Karma, compassion towards all living beings, etc. When you were born to be a Tirthankar, all of 56 female angels of directions and 64 Indras performed birth rituals to you. How great you were that even at such an occasion, you did not feel proud of what was happening around you. Your loftiness is blessed.
(2) Rajyävasthä: Oh Lord, you had the status of a Prince. You had princely power and
grandeur, and yet you were neither attached to them nor felt hatred about them. You were like a Yogi who is detached. Glory to your renunciation.
(3) Shramanävasthä: Oh heroic Lord, you renounced worldly power and luxury without any
hesitation and became a Sädhu (monk). You carried out heroic endeavors for the attainment of spiritual elevation, bearing the most bitter obstacles and calamities. At times you carried out incomparable and arduous spiritual austerities and penance. You stood for days absorbed in deep meditation. By doing so, you destroyed all the Ghäti Karmas. Glory to your austerity. Glory to your bravery. Glory to your tolerance.
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JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE I