Agam 30 Prakirnak 07 Candavejjhayam Sutra

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Agam Ahimsa Samta Evam Prakrit Samsthan

Page 43

XLII : CANDRAVEDHYAKA PRAKĪRŅAKA
In the verses that follow, while mentioning the subject of voluntary peaceful death the shedding of attachment has been emphasized. Actually, attachment is the reason that puts a person in bondage, due to which he gets more and more entangled in the worldly delusion and deception. As a result, his karmic bonds become stronger and stronger. It is the human nature that a person has a feeling of belongingness or mineness with the worldly objects such as – gold, silver, servants, wealth, riches, family, relatives, friends etc., and considers them worthy instead of worthless. As a result, he gets mired in the quagmire of worldly wandering. However, when the death comes, neither the material wealth nor the relatives and friends are of any help in saving him from the clutches of inevitable death. Perhaps, due to this reason the followers of the Jaina faith, in the final moments of their lives, free themselves from all the miseries and relinquish all types of attachments and hatreds and pray to the Lord, “O' Lord ! I wish to embrace the equanimous death, pray guide me in this direction and grant me the power to shed the bonds of attachment so that I may receive enlightenment and attain the ultimate goal of being born as a human".
One who embraces the equanimous death can be compared to a skilled businessman. A businessman who trades in precious items such as -gold, silver, gems and precious stones would never like that his wares should be harmed in any manner. However, if his wares face destruction, he first tries to save everything, if that is not possible, he saves the valuables from being destroyed and lets the lesser things go.
The spiritual aspirant who embraces the equanimous voluntary death, too, like that wise businessman, tries to save both - the body and the virtues of the soul. The body is also a material possession of a living being, and generally, everyone has the greatest attachment with the body only. In the case of the