Jain Journal 1969 10

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 56

OCTOBER, 1969
The How
Samvara is practised through the severest discipline of the soul, severest because the soul has all along been indulging with the nonsoul since eternity, and it is meant to check the whole existing trend of that type. The chain of evil is predisposed to the soul, which produces forceful occasions to elevate the tension and abnormality in it. Hence to preserve immunity through the whole history of conscious attentiveness and to plunge into the depth of its own self are the right attitudes of the soul in samvara at every occasion whatsoever.33 Here immunity should not be interpreted as inactivity, but positively enough it should be regarded as a pure activity of the soul in its fullest self-awareness. The soul in the state of samvara acts even on physical level, but it no longer gets attached with those external activities.34 Henceforth it remains fully awakened with the sense of discrimination.35 The soul thus cultivates the attitude of indifference and equanimity (sāmya bhāva) and attracts no kārmic material. 36 It is truly the state of desireless action (niskāma karma) of the Bhagavad Gitā.37 In the same way Kundakunda maintains that a Tirthankara is free from the influx and bondage of karma, even though he moves, speaks and acts due to the rise of accumulated karma of previous births. 38
Samvara is, therefore, a sort of resistance, a voluntary discipline, a wilful attitude towards inwardness against every odd of circumstances. But this attitude must be backed by the discriminatory reason, otherwise it would bring no fruit and would become a childish penance (bāla tapa). Kundakunda repudiates this childish penance and declares it as a mere torturing of the flesh.39 The real samvara can, in this way, be adopted only by a philosopher-saint and none else. A philosopher is a symbol of the Pure and a saint that of the Holy. Thus the purity and the holiness combinedly represent the true state of samvara. Pure reason without practice is helpless ; pure practice without reason is blind. Thus after attaining the purity of reason, one has to attain right conduct as preached by the masters of true religion. Kundakunda enumerates
33 Ssr., 187 to 189. 34 Ibid., 182. 35 A. Kh. K. kavya, 126, 129. 36 Pky., 142. 37 c.f. G.B., 2-38. 38 Nsr., 172. 173. 39 Ibid., 124.