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SCHOOL
TIONAL
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TAN STUDIES
SELF STUDY IS THE SUPREME AUSTERITY
स्वाध्याय परम तप
The subject has been dealt with the help of both the Nayas ie. Niscayanaya and Vyavahāranaya, but the Niścayanaya became the prominent one. The entity is made up of substances, quality and modifications. The soul is therefore auspicious or inauspicious when it develops those modifications, and is pure when free from both the substance and modifications. Suddhopayoga leads to liberation of self from Karmic matter, Subhopayoga to heaven and the Asubhopayoga to hellish and other lower destinies. The soul gets freedom from Ghatiyakarmas and becomes omniscient called Svayambhus. In this state, the soul enjoys direct vision and knowledge of all subjects without the sensational stages in his perception without having any mutual contact. This is called direct knowledge. This knowledge bestows the eternal pleasures to the liberated soul.
The Subhopayoga consists in devotion to divinity, right penances and other merits. As a result of these auspicious Karmas the soul avails the various sensory pleasures that lead to a cause of bondage. The Asubhopayoga consists in delusion, attachment, cruelty and aversion, which rise to various kinds of Karmic bondage and sorrows. One who understands the nature of Subhopayoga and Asubhopayoga is called Dharma as he becomes free from delusion and attachment. 10
The Jñeyādhikāra deals with the nature of substance consisting of three elements origination, destruction and permanence. In the state of permanence, the origination and destruction take place in the substance simultaneously in its different forms of modes. Substance is the same. Thus modes and qualities constitute the substance. They are not separate. They cannot be present elsewhere than in a substance. This relation between them is called non-identity (Anyatva). There is always non-difference in the substance, but there is always difference in view of its modifications. There is nothing - absolute producing or destruction in the world. The soul also gets modes in the form of births and re-births due to bondage of karmas. The great saint is he who meditates on the highest happiness and completely gets rid of all karmas.11
In the Caritradhikara he discusses the types of Caritra, which is the emblem of the Jain ascetic. Non-attachment is a pre-requisite for adopting the asceticism. After taking the
8 Pravacanasära, Gāthās 9-16
9 Ibid-Gathās 26-29, 53-58
10 Ibid-Gathās 83-92
11 Pravacanasära Gāthās 93-108
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0
