Book Title: Introduction to Jainism and its Culture
Author(s): Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore

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Page 132
________________ gravely offending, to take reasonable profit when there is a chance to earn more, and to win over the allurement of taking or giving bribe in face of an opportunity to do so. Sins appear to be positive but they are damaging. Thus all sins including falsity, stealing, salacity, and covetousness are hiṁsā. The path of disciplining desires appears to be negative but it is constructive. Therefore, all actions related to disciplining desires including truth, non-stealing, celibacy, or non-possession, all are called ahimsā. All these are simply the extensions of ahimsā. It is a fact that all miseries come from outside or through mundane desires. Happiness sprouts from within, or by disciplining desires and through introversion. Vrata (restraints) are also called morality. In brief the single solution to all human problems is vrata (restraints) or vows. KINDS OF VRATA There are two kinds of vrata - Mahāvrata (great vows) and Aņuvrata (minor vows). Great vows are for the ascetic who has renounced household and mundane responsibilities to accept the spiritual responsibilities perfectly with mind, speech, and body, by doing, motivating and approving. Minor vows are for those who, with full awareness of their social duties, translate their profound faith in moral values into social behaviour. In fact, the Minor vows are a guarantee of an individual's moral behaviour not only with his family, society, nation, and humanity but also with all living beings. Minor vows are a systematic arrangement of duties and responsibilities of an individual towards the world. The process of amalgamation of financial and physical virility with religious virility is Aņuvrata or Minor Vows. . . . A householder has his own limitations. Living within these bounds it is not possible for him to completely renounce sinful activities. Keeping these limitations in mind the minor vows for a householder have been defined as – to abstain from gross violence (etc.) with mind, speech, and body, by doing, motivating and approving is called Aņuvrata24. Gross violence (etc.) are those which every common man generally recognizes as violence, falsity, (etc.). . 115 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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