Concealing And Protecting Stories On Upagahana

Author(s): Luitgard Soni
Publisher: Luitgard Soni

Page 1

Concealing and Protecting. Stories on Upaguhana
LUITGARD SONI
Upaguhana is one of the eight angas or auxiliaries of samyaktva or samyagdarsana (right belief). The first four of these are freedom from the obstacles of doubt (niksarkita), from craving for the joys of the world (nihkankşita), from repugnance (nirvicikitsa) and from wrong belief (amudha-drsti). The second half of the group is described in positive terms as contributing to the growth of samyaktva: they are qualities that are directed outward, toward the religious community, its status in the society and the duties among the fellow believers in the faith: these are upagühana or upagūha, sometimes called avaguhana (Pkt.: uvaguhana; protecting Jainism by concealing the faults of one's fellow members), sthiti-karana (strengthening the faith of the fickle-minded ones), prabhāvanā (propagation of the faith by spectacular good deeds like alms giving, temple building, austerities, promoting learning etc.), and vatsalya (kind assistance to the members of the community).
Among all these virtues upagühana seems to be the most 'political guideline insofar as it highlights the strategy of concealing the faults committed by fellow members of the faith, in order to protect the prestige of one's religion in public. It is
CERKSĀ 1.11-20, Kundakunda's SS 7.228-263, YT 6.5-20 (see HANDIQUI (1968: 258)). The importance of the eight angas is stressed in RKSA 1.21: Without the angas right belief is not able to destroy the continuity of births, just as without the letters a mantra does not efface the pain caused by poison:
nanga-hinalan cheffuri darsanan janma-santatime/ na hi mantro karavuno nihani visa-vedanam // BhAr 44: wvagúhana-thidi-karanam vacchalla-pabhavana guna bhanida/ sammatta-visodhie uvaguhana-karavā cauro / In his comment to SSi 233:
jo siddha-bhatti-jutto uvagühanago du savva-dhammānam
50 vaguhana-kári sammádishi munevavo II,
Amstacandra does not use the word wpaguhana but upabrmhana, which means 'increasing and interprets it as increasing the powers of the self (atma-sakti) by
Essays in Jaina Philosophy and Religion Warsaw indolorical Studies Volume 2/Q002pp 227-236