Jain Digest 2006 07 Vol 24 No 3

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 15

2) Aushadhdän: Literally it means offer of medication. But by implications it covers giving anything that helps an afflicted person in mitigating his disease or is otherwise conducive to health. Since religious pursuit becomes difficult when the person is afflicted with disease, offering what is helpful in maintaining health is considered very vital.
3) Jnändän: Literally it means providing knowledge. Actual teaching, giving books, financial aid or anything else that directly or indirectly helps a person in gaining knowl edge is covered in this category. But knowledge, for spiritual purposes, is internal enlightenment. Therefore anything that helps a person in realizing the soul is true Jnändän and that is considered the highest type of Dän.
4) Abhaydän: Literally it means extending fearlessness. Getting adequate protection helps in gaining the sense of fearlessness. Shelter being protective, some authors treat the offer of shelter as Abhaydän. The basic concept is the removal of any fear that may emanate from our activities or behavior. As such, Abhaydän is a constituent of nonviolence.
Jainism views every concept from the stand points of a) Dravya meaning the substance, b) Kshetra meaning place, c) Käl meaning time and d) Bhäv meaning the internal attitude. For purposes of Dän, these aspects cover the thing to be given, the place where it is given, the time when it is given and the mood in which it is given. The first three factors are common for the purposes of giving as well as for taking. But the mood of the person giving may be different from that of the recipient. That factor thus involves the perspectives of the giver as well as of the receiver. Therefore there happen to be five different aspects for evaluating Dän. Let us deal with them in the order of their importance.
wants to give or wants to gain something in return; he is not the right giver. The sense of sacrifice, the reverence for deserving recipient etc. are other vital factors for determining the quality of a giver.
despise virtues and cherish the vicious life, are not worthy of getting Dän. They are, however, placed in the fourth category, because people can offer them out of sheer compassion.
2) The receiver is the second most important aspect. Monks and nuns, who have renounced all their possessions and lead life solely for the sake of spiritual pursuit, are the most deserving persons to get. The religious persons, who lead virtuous life, who understand the importance of spiritual pursuit but are somehow handicapped in pursuing the same, constitute the second best category of the recipients. The persons, who are unable to lead the religious life on account of unfavorable circumstances, constitute the third category of the recipients. Those, who
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3) The thing to be given is the third important aspect. Suppose there is an appropriate person to offer food and there is a monk who is the most deserving recipient. But if the giver offers the food that the monk cannot accept, the offer would be useless. For instance, during the first year of the renounced life Lord Rushabhdev used to go for alms and there were persons willing to offer, but they did not know what to offer. Their willingness to give was thus useless.
4) The time of giving is the fourth important aspect. It is possible that there may be appropriate person to give something, which is acceptable to a deserving recipient; but if the act does not take place when required, the offer would lose its purpose. Suppose, a deserving person, who gets ill, urgently needs some medical aid and there is a person who usually offers help in such circumstances. But if before he gets the medical aid, the offer would be of no somehow the giver waits too long and the poor patient dies avail. Thus giving at the right time is of vital importance.
1) The giver is the foremost aspect. Who is he? What is his mood? Is he entitled to give? What is his purpose in giving? These are the major factors to be considered. If he is pure at heart and is sincere in offering; if he rightfully owns what he intends to give; and if he has no ulterior motive in giving; he can be considered the most appropriate person to give. If, however, he is vicious and is not sincere in giving; or if he does not own the thing that he life are examples of perfect Dän.
5) The place of offering is the fifth important aspect. For instance, if a giver goes to Upäshray for giving food to a monk, that would not be acceptable to the monk. Similarly, a recipient would not accept the food etc. if the offer does not conform to his stipulations. For instance, Lord Mahävir used to go for alms in Kaushämbi after stipulating very rigorous terms for acceptance. One of the terms was relating to the place of receiving the food. Almost every one in the city was willing to offer him food. But the offers could not materialize, because they did not fulfill his stipulations.
The offering, where all these five aspects are appropriate, is termed as the perfect Dän. That type of Dän results in very wholesome Karma that gives the best fruits in due course. Giving food to the monk by Lord Mahävir's soul in the life of Naysär, Shrenik's soul giving Dän in the life of the aborigine and Shalibhadra's giving in his earlier
Our tradition gives utmost importance to the offer of food to monks and nuns. As such, it lays the following five factors as the main transgressions of this discipline.
1) Sachitta Nikshep or Depositing the articles of alms on sentient things: This arises, if the giver puts such articles over something live with the intention of withholding Dän or he may do it through oversight. In either of the cases, irrespective of the giver's intention, the monk would not accept it.
sentient things: This occurs when the giver intentionally or 2) Sachitta Pidhän or Covering the articles of alms with (continued on page 11)
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