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power of administering the Sangha, fulfilling all responsibility of the Gacchha, extreme seriousness, and special knowledge of time and place. These traits are not very much necessary for a Sadhu. However, for a Sadhu, 27 Virtues are necessary, but Upadhyaya should be endowed with 25 virtues in addition. An Acharya should, however, be endowed with 36 added traits. In the Jain order Upadhyaya is more important than a Sadhu, while an Acharya holds greater importance than an Upadhyaya.
Q. Just as the inner prowesses of an Arihanta and Tirthankara are far superior to ours, is their external state also typical?
A. First let us know the difference between Arihanta and Tirthankara. A Tirthankara is also Arihanta but he preaches religion and propounds the tirtha for the welfare of all jivas. An Arihanta is kevali but he does not propound a tirtha. In view of the attainment of perfection in the cultivation of inner abilities, the state of an Arihanta becomes extraordinary. The entire worldly behaviour is other worldly. Human beings, animals, birds etc. learn the preaching of Tirthankara in their own language. In the event of Samavasarana of Tirthankara, snake and mongoose, rat and cat, cow and tiger who are revengeful towards each other right from their birth, forget their instinct of revenge and cultivate a spirit of friendliness. The thirty five virtues found in the speech of Tirthankara are not to be found in the speech of others. Wherever Tirthankara sits, scores of Devas present themselves for salutations; what then to talk of human beings? They stand in supplication with folded hands in the presence of Tirthankara They are devoted to him and arrange for eight Pratiharyas such as the Asoka tree etc.
Q. How can one have faith in all this?
A. Matters that strike us as almost impossible are just common to these supreme Yogis. An ordinary Adivasi can have no idea whatsoever regarding the prosperity of a monarch. Vast gap exists between us and the Yogis. We are enslaved by passions, idols of covetousness and centre of instability. Quite the reverse are the Yogis to whose minds passions have no attraction whatsoever, greed or covetousness does not touch them, they are steady like the mountain Meru. What is our state of the mind? We fail to keep our mind steady even for a short while, loss of even a small thing becomes a matter of life and death to us; we always fail to bear with a sour word from others, when we are under stress and strain of selfishness, even brother and father become our enemies! Supreme Yogis are far above all these blemishes. If we consider the glory and influence of common Yoga Samadhi on part of noble sages and persons endowed with lofty character, we nourish no doubt whatsoever regarding the extraordinary personality of supreme Yogis likes the Arihanta.
Q. What is the nature of the personality of Arihanta and Siddha from the worldly and ultimate standpoints?
A. For the Siddha, there is no difference between these two, because in the state that the Siddha has attained to, the ultimate and the worldly form an identity. Not so with regard to the Arihanta.
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