Essence of Jainism Part 01

Author(s): Kushalchandravijay
Publisher: 108 jain Tirth Darshan Trust

Page 92

can curb this craving for eating. We can get ourselves uplifted by self-control. The soul in its original state is anahari (non-eating) by nature. We should, therefore, keep control over eating the tamashi food and then learn to abstain from even good and simple food also in course of time in order to cultivate Anahari nature.
AVOID SIN AND BE SAVED : Food is the root cause for desire to accumulate wealth. In order to collect wealth, a lot of sin is committed as aconsequenced. This causes soul to accumulate karmic bonds. In order to stop evil thoughts caused by taking impure food, it is necessary to give up the non-eatable food.
Denizens of heaven do not eat and yet are subject to sinning. Why ? The maximum life-span of a 'dev' (celetial being) is 33 Sagaropamas. He desires to eat after a lapse of 33,000 years. When he desires to eat, he is soon satiated as he does not eat food as we do. But he is deprived of the gian of even navkarshi pachakhan as he cannot take this vow.
Sometimes, a patient has to live on water or on boiled mug-water in a nursing home or a hospital. But he does not get the merit of a fast or ayambil because he has not given up food under a proper vow.
We are subject to sin even though we abstain from eating non-eatable things like meat and liquor, because we have not taken a vow. It is the vow that restrains our desire for food and saves us from sinning. Hence, a vow is always necessary.
It has three advantages (i) The vow offers 'abhayadan' (freedom from fear of losing life) to living beings (ii) We remain free from sin (iii) this helps us in keeping healthy. We should take a vow even if we do not intend to eat non-eatable things.
Upadhaya Yashovijiayaji says "By controlling desire we get 'samvar' (restrain from sin) and ‘samatayoga' (equanimity of mind). Hence, we should take a vow."
Due to mithyatva (misbelief) avirati, kashaya (passions) and yog, we incur the avirati-sin. We may not be eating or drinking or doing things leading to avirati and yet we are subject to the sins of avirati, because we have not taken 'Pacchakhan' a vow to abstain from it. What is the reason ?
PARTNERSHIP IN A FIRM : There is a firm conisting of partners. One of the partners is unhappy at the state of affairs and asks to be relieved. He stops attending the
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