Interpretation Of Jain Ethics

Author(s): Charlotte Krause
Publisher: Yashovijay Jain Granthmala

Page 29

of taking all the vows, a selection of some of them can be adopted. Consequently, the layman who adopts the twelve vows, or some of them, is left ample freedom to fulfill all his worldly duties, and to remain in fullest concordance with worldly propriety and etiquette, even if he happen to be a judge, or a king even, or to occupy any other responsible post which requires energetic and even violent acting, in the interest of the State.
The Twelve Vratas of Laymen. The twelve Vratas of laymen are subdivided into three parts, viz. the five Anuvratas, the three Gunavratas, and the four Sikshavratas.
The Five Anuvratas. The five Anucratas, i.e. “Small Vows," represent only a milder form of the Great Vows of ascetics.
By the First Anuvrata, the Sravaka promises to give up destroying, intentionally, and without purpose, the lives of harmless living beings, which are gifted with free locomo. tion. With reference to this formulation, it has often been said that, whereas the Sadhu practises complete Non-injury, or, expressed in the old way, twenty-twentieths of Noninjury, the Sravaka only practises one twentieth and a quarter: ten twentieths being substracted by excepting beings without spontaneous locomotion, as plants, water, fire, air and minerals, five further twentieths by excepting harmless creatures, two and a half twentieths by excepting unintentional, and one and a quarter twentieths by excepting purposeless injury. That means, of course, practically, that he is allowed. self-defence, as well as such actions including injury of lower life, as are necessary for his subsistance, such as the construction of houses or wells, the