Jain Journal 2008 01 No 03

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

Page 18

122
JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XLII, NO.3 JANUARY 2009
“Worship of gods, the brāhmaṇas, the elders and wise men, purity, uprightness, celibacy and non-violence-this is called bodily penance.
anudvegakaraṁ vākyaṁ satyam priyahitaṁ ca yat /
svādhyāyābhyasanan caiva vānmayaṁ tapa ucyate // “Language which causes no annoyance and is truthful, palatable and wholesome, the study of the Vedas and the other śāstras, this is called the austerity of speech.”
manaḥprasādaḥ saumyatvam maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ/
bhāva-saṁsuddhir ityetat tapa mānasam ucyate // "Clarity of mind, placidity, taciturnity, control of self, perfect, purity of feelings - all this is called mental austerity.”
In every religion the controlling of mind, speech and body is considered as the greatest virtues of human beings and to maintain all these qualities means a congeneal atmosphere in a society. VI. Maitrī, Pramoda, Kārunya and Mādhyasthya :
Like Buddhism, Jainism has also preached the idea of maitri (friendship), pramoda (affection), kārunya (charity) and mādhyastha (equanimity). Though all these qualities are interspersed with every aspect of Jainism throughout its history, it is Somadeva (959 A.D.), who in his Upāsakādhyayana, i.e., the sixth, seventh, and eithth books of his Yasastilaka which constitute an excursus on the śrāvakācāra, has emphasised the positive aspect of ahimsā which, in his opinion, is maitri, pramoda, kārunya and mādhyasthya. He then goes on explaining all these terms subsequently. In his opinion, maitri is the friendship with men and the animals by practising non-infliction towards the creatures. Pramoda is the affection coupled with the respect for the beings, while kārunya is charity to help the needy, and mādhyastha is a state of equammity. It may seem strange, but nevertheless perfectly true that Amitagati (993 A.D.) has prayed before his Lord to maintain these four qualities in his life-time in the following verse:
sattveșu maitrim guņișu pramodań, klișteșu jīveșu kypā-paratvam/