ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 02

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

Page 317

the body one has to take refuge in Sallekhanā. If for the whole life one does tapa, but at the end engages in attachment and hatred, his life goes a waste.
Ācārya Sivakoti says, "One attains many lives if he cannot sustain a proper death even if he in his whole life works for Jñana, darśana, caritra. But on the other hand if Sallekhanā is pursued the seeker enjoys the bliss."
Upāsakadhyayana says, “Aspirant who is doing fasting etc and engaged in studying to overcome passions, such a person should come to the saṁgha and undertake Sallekhanā.4
Ācārya Sivakoti has highly envisaged Sallekhanā, says, one who dies at instant that is at that moment with sallekhanā, he never lives more than 7to 8 lives. Expressing the importance of sallekhanā, he further writes, "One who is fully engaged in service of a sallekhanā practitioner also attains the pleasures of the devagati or heavenly destiny and than attains the highest place (liberation).
Similarly Pujypāda Devanandi (6th Cent A.D.) in his Sarvāthasiddhi highlights the importance and necessity of Sallekhana and says death is not liked by all. If at all the disease attacks the body, one a seeker who takes sallekhanā, automatically is liberated from the effect of the disease.
Ācārya Amrtacandra, in his puruşārthasiddhaupāya (10th Cent A.D.), wrote, “When death is nearing and it is confirmed at that time when the aspirant is on the path of liberating from passions, how is it that the self is destroyed. One who is engaged in activities with anger, his self is definitely destroyed".5
All the tīrthankaras, ācāryas, saints, monks, gurus, have asserted this path as necessary for the well-being of all humans.
Sāgāradharmarta describes describe the concept of sallekhana in following verses 8/1, 8/6, 8/7-8, 8/9, 8/12 and 9/2.
In Bhagavati Ārādhanā there are around 2500 gāthas, and there are reflections on sallekhana in numbers 25, 28, 64, 65 and others. In this text there is a vast description on one of the death called Bhakta Pratyākhyāna.
* Upāsakadhyayana, 896 Purusārthasidhyupāya, 177
Page 304 of 385
STUDY NOTES version 5.0