Apoorva Avasar

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 8

5) Sanyamanä Hetuthi Yogapravartanä, Swaroopalaxe Jin Ajna Adhin Jo; Te Pan Kshan Kshan Ghatati Jäti Sthitimän, Ante Thaye Nijswaroopamän Leen Jo. Apoorva.
Subjecting all the activities to restraint and continually reducing their scope in line with the precepts of omniscient Lords, we may stay soul-oriented and ultimately get absorbed within the Self. When?
The aspirant longs to observe Gupties and to remain tuned to soul, but he knows that he cannot completely abstain from exercising his faculties. He has to undertake the essential activities. He has to eat, take water, go to bed, procure the articles required for survival, dispose off urine, stool etc. and for all such purposes, he has to exercise the mind, has to speak and make movement. The omniscient Lords have therefore asked to undertake such essential activities with utmost care and vigilance. Simultaneously they have stipulated that the scope for such activities should be continually reduced so that one can proceed in the direction of remaining tuned to soul. Observance of such care and vigilance while undertaking the essential activities is termed as Samiti.
Jain tradition lays the following five Samities. i) Iryä Samiti: This pertains to vigilance while making movement. One should remain careful not to hurt or disturb even the minute beings during his movement. ii) Bhäshä Samiti: This pertains to vigilance while speaking. One should be careful to speak truth in a way that does not hurt the sentiments of anyone. iii) Eshanä Samiti: This pertains to vigilance while intending to procure food, water and other articles. They should be procured in a way that involves minimum possible violence. 4) Ädän Nikkhevanä Samiti: This pertains to observance of vigilance while taking, placing or moving anything so that the insects or other living beings lying on the articles or at that place are not hurt or disturbed. 5) Parishthäpanikä Samiti: This pertains to vigilance in disposal of urine, stool, etc. One should remain careful not to hurt any living being while disposing them off.
Resorting to these Samities is required when it is not possible to observe Gupties. The first, fourth and fifth Samities pertain to physical activities, second to vocal activity and the third mainly to mental activity. They are laid from the consideration of monastic life and are therefore normally treated as applicable to monks and nuns. Actually, they are meant for every spiritual aspirant. Those belonging to the lay cadre also need to observe utmost care and vigilance while undertaking their activities. This can be evidenced by Dashvaikälik Sutra. Though it was primarily composed for monastic order, it does provide general criteria for observing Samiti. In chapter 5 it raises the following questions.
Kaham Chare Kaham Chitthe Kaham Ase Kaham Sae Kaham Bhujanto Bhäsanato Pavam Kammam Na Bandhai
It means: How should one move, how should he stand, how should he sit, how should he sleep, how should he eat and how should he speak so that he would not incur the bondage of Karma?
These are the questions, which pertain to the monastic as well as lay life. The Sutra provides the reply that one should stand, sit, sleep, eat and speak with vigilance so that he would not incur the bondage of Karma. That is the essence of Samiti. If one actually moves, stands, etc. with total care and vigilance, how would he incur the bondage of Karma?
It should be noted that the purpose of Samiti and Gupti is to observe Ahinsä. That is laid in the form of averting hurt to other living beings. The people do not realize that this precept calls for observing amity towards every living being. We therefore come across those, who take care not to hurt a fly or an ant, but do not hesitate in cheating their customers, nor do they mind indulging in adulteration of goods that may result in hazard to the life of consumers. It is also noticed that monks and nuns in India scatter urine on the streets so that it does not generate organism. This is done in the name of Parishthäpanikä Samiti, but they overlook the fact that while doing so they are contravening the very purpose of observing it.
This happens on account of the exclusive emphasis on averting only direct hurting. Ahinsä therefore needs to be understood in right perspective. The concept of amity is inherent in Ahinsä. It must be associated with sympathy and compassion. Innate love and affections are the inalienable parts thereof. It is evident that