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since Devardhi-gani chanted it before King Dhruvsen of Vallabhi to relieve the king's grief over the death of his son. In 1879, a German scholar named Herman Jacobi translated and printed the Kalpa-sutra for the first time.
It has a very detailed and lively description of Bhagawan Mahavir's life as well as narration of His previous 27 lives. Poetic depiction of the dreams of mother Trishalä, celebration of the birth of Tirthankar Mahävir, few incidents of His childhood, procession for Dikshä, the account of the calamities endured by Him during the monastic life, and the elucidation of Keval-jnän and Nirvana creates a live picture in listener's mind and builds an atmosphere of reverence. Lives of Tirthankar Rishabhadev, Neminäth and Pärshvanäth are also narrated in detail. On Samvatsari day, entire scripture is read with great reverence.
Shri Samaysär (Non-ägam Literature)
Ächärya Shri Kunda-Kunda Swami wrote Shri Samaysär around 100 AD. About 800 years later, in the 10th century, Shri Amrita Chandra Ächärya wrote a critique on Samaysär. It is called Ätmakhyäti. Shri Jaysen and Amratchandra Ächäryas also wrote critiques in the Sanskrit language. In this century, Shri Känji-swämi gave a detailed analysis on Samaysär in a lecture series in Gujarati, which is an easily understandable language for many laypeople. Samaysär has been translated into many languages including Sanskrit, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannad, English, etc. This text mainly explains the Jain philosophical doctrine of soul. It explains all the 9 reals (Tattvas) from an absolute point of view. It insists that the soul's bondages are not due to Karma but to one's own weaknesses in effort making (Purushärtha). Liberation of soul will occur once he makes his own efforts. The scriptures and the enlightened preceptors are only to guide the soul in the right direction. Shri Kunda-Kunda Swämi said that from time immortal the soul has forgotten himself, his own true nature. Ächärya Shri exposed this fact and showed the real path of salvation by understanding the philosophy of soul. He showed uniqueness of soul from other substances and their modes. Importance of right faith has been stressed in greater detail. The text maintains that right faith is the first step towards salvation. The vows, penance, worship, prayer, etc. of the right conduct follow the right faith. It stresses that one must forgo wrong belief first to start religious progress. From an absolute point of view, the soul is pure, but from the practical point of view, Karma are attached to the soul by principal cause - auxiliary cause relationship. The main attribute of the soul is knowledge, which can be experienced by any living being, and has been given great importance in this book.
This book has 415 aphorisms and it is divided into 9 chapters. They are as follows:
• Living and non-living
• Agent and his action
• Good deeds and bad deeds
• Inflow of Karma
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• Bondage
Liberation
• Total and pure knowledge
If one can understand this text, which is mainly written from an absolute point of view, then his understanding of soul's true nature will widen. He will thereafter believe that ultimately the good deeds and bad deeds both are to be given up to obtain right faith and ultimately salvation. The ultimate goal is the purification of the soul and by remaining in its own innate form. To achieve this goal, one has to use these instruments such as penance, vows, prayers, etc., which are not to be considered as total fulfillment.
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Stoppage of Karma
Shedding of Karma
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JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE - 2
