Harmless Soul

Author(s): W J Johnson, Dayanand Bhargav
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 53

Early Jainism 39 causing himsā; and thus ārambha as 'undertaking an action' and ārambha as 'killing' or 'violence' were very likely considered synonymous.
This is probably how the term ārambha is to be understood in such passages as Āyāramga 1.3.1.3 (Suttāgame 172):
ārambhajam dukkham inam iti ņaccă, măi pamāi punar ei gabbham, uvehamāṇo saddarūvesu ujjü, mārābhisanki maraņā pamuccai
Knowing the suffering born of action, The deluded and careless person enters a womb again; Indifferent to sounds and forms, upright, Anticipating / fearing Māra one is liberated from death.
Ujjū (Sk. rju) means 'straight' (Sk. varj - 'to stand firm'), and so literally and figuratively 'upright'. Thus, although it can mean 'ethically upright' or 'sincere', aligned here with indifference to sadda (sabda) and rūva (rūpa), ujjū may have the primary meaning of being physically straight or upright (cf. rju-kāya - 'having a straight body'). In other words, it refers to the typical Jaina meditative posture, kāyotsarga - literally, 'abandonment of the body', standing or sitting motionless. 105 If that is the correct reading, then, since the remedy for rebirth as a result of action is total stillness, the implication is that ārambha, in this context, does mean any action. 106
105 See JPP pp. 190, 192, 225.
106 Compare, however, Suttanipāta 8 (Mettasutta) where ujjū (= rju) has the sense of morally upright::
karaniyam atthakusalena yan tam santam padam abhisamecca: sakko ujjú ca sūjū ca suvaco c'assa mudu anatimāni
'Whatever is to be done by one who is skilful in seeking (what is) good, having attained that tranquil state (of Nibbana): - Let him be able and upright and conscientious and of soft speech, gentle, not proud.'