________________
84
THE ESSENCE OF JAINA SCRIPTURES
makes effort willfully to give some quantity of money. Similarly, one who holds enlightened view, does not want to engage himself even in an act involving slightest amount of passion but wherever he feels that inauspicious acts will results in intense passion, he willfully makes effort to engage himself in auspicious acts involving less passions.60
Thus, it is evident that wherever it is possible to attain to pure (shuddha) upayoga of a passionless state, the engagement/involvement in auspicious acts is not desirable. However, where there is a likelihood of inauspicious upayoga, one should make efforts to willfully engage oneself in auspicious upayoga. In this way, indulgence in unrestrained behaviour by forsaking all kinds of external, other-referential moral and other religious practices (vyavahara dharma) is declared to be undesirable and forbidden.61
While one should not exclusively lay emphasis on external practices or means (bahya sadhanadi hi) of dharma, it must be clearly understood that in comparison to indulgence in sinful acts, external moral and religious practices (vyavahara dharma), such as adoration (bhakti), donation (dana), fasting, etc. penance (tapa), vows/moral rules of conduct like non-violence, acts of worship and promotion of dharma, etc. and study of scriptures are not prohibited even though they cause bondage of punya (merit, virtue) or auspicious karmic bondage. One should not, however, remain satisfied by the mere observance of such vyavahara practices but continue to make efforts for the attainment of liberation."
In brief, Pandit Todarmal comes to the conclusion that
knowing attachment, etc. passions as bad and harmful, one must make efforts to uproot them. There anukrmavishai (step-by-step) [this is exactly the same as Amrtachandra's kramtah], i.e. gradually or step-by-step (PS, 254 AC)], first of all, one should give up inauspicious acts by forsaking intense passions, etc. and should engage oneself in auspicious acts. Thereafter, even by forsaking feeble passions, one should give up auspicious acts also and evolve to the dispassionate or passionless state of purity (shuddhopayoga). 63
Good or auspicious thought activities or moral rules of selfrestraint, which are accompanied by subsidence of passions, have a purifying effect (vishuddhi). They are a means of spiritual development and liberation. However, when good or auspicious (shubha) activities or righteousness (dharma) are practiced only for the sake of sensual
