ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 262

and penance as the essential observances of a householder. Later on śīla was identified as vārtā, self study, self-restraint and then vārtā was replaced by service of the holy teacher and pūjā. Ācārya Somadeva in Upāsakādhyayana and Padmanandi in Pamcavimśatikā say:
Devapūja gurūpāsti svādhyāya samyamastapah| Dānam ceti grahsthānam sat karmāņi dine dine. 112
Since then the six essential observances of the householders have been established. Further it is indicated in these texts that the householder, when he gets up first in the morning, after attending his nature's calls, should take a bath and pay obeisance to the divinity (Devapūjā). Ācārya Kundakunda in Rayaņasāra 3 says 'Dāņam pāyā mukkham sāvayadhmme na sāvayā teņa viņā' i.e. the two most important religious duties of the householder are pūjā and charity as without performing these, a person cannot be called a Śrāvaka.
Amitagati in the Sravakācāra 4 speaks of the nature of the deva (divinity) as follows.
'Those who have destroyed the huge mountains ranges like rows of snakes of inauspicious material and psychic karmas (resulting in pain only) by their meditation (similar to lighting destroys the matter coming in its way); have attained omniscience (like the messenger woman like liberation); who are the owners of the auspicious events of the life (kalayāṇakas); whose divine sound being free from the movement of lips and tongue causes amazement and is the cause of knowledge of the three worldly realms and relieves the listeners of all theirs pains (like the rain clouds bring comfort to the earth suffering from scorching heat of the sun); and wander on this earth due to the activation of the meritorious karmas of their listeners. The gods worship with great respect and honour such divinity by decorating the eight auspicious things (aştaprātihāryas) around them for gaining worldly miracles/benevolence. The householders are suitably advised to follow the same feelings while worshipping the divinity. He further cites the following example to explain this concept of worship:
2 Padmanandi's Pamcavinsati v.2 3 Rayanasāra by Kundakunda, 10 4 Śrāvakācāra by Ac. Amitagati, 11th Parichheda 5 Śrāvakācāra, Amitagati, 11th Parichheda
STUDY NOTES version 5.0
Page 249 of 317