Jain Moral Doctrine

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Vikas Mandal

Page 69

JAIN MORAL DOCTRINE
tilling lands, about trading (especially, trafficking in living animals), about stealing etc. etc., all lead to or are connected with injury to animals. Such statements may not contain any falsehoods; they may even be connected with truths but are nevertheless faulty and as such, to be avoided. (3) The Apriya or pain-giving. Words which create unpleasant feelings, envy and grief and exhaust one's patience, which give rise to fear, feelings of enmity, sorrow and quarrelsomeness,—are akin to falsehoods, even though they may contain a truth in them. In connection with the three forms of the fourth mode of lying, it is, however, to be noted that although harsh and cruel statements are here generally condemned, a teacher or a well-disposed man, when using unpleasant expressions to one whom he wants to reform, is not to be considered as a liar. It is the Pramatta-yoga or the evil passions which make one's expressions false,--so that a teacher or a well-intending person, speaking harsh just to mend the manners of the person talked to and having the good of the person in his heart, cannot be accused of telling a lie in any of its forms.
The Jaina teachers fully recognise the fact that a house-holder or an ordinary man of the world has to support himself, earn his livelihood anyhow and cannot do without collecting some articles to meet his necessities and that consequently, it is impossible for him to avoid lying absolutely. Accordingly, they lay down that a man should try to limit his false statements as much as possible. The form of lying which has been described above as the Sāvadya may be unavoidable for him but there is no reason why he should not give up the other kinds of false-speaking and why, in the case of the Sāvadya, he should go beyond what is barely necessary for his living.
As in the case of Ahimsā, the Jaina teachers prescribe five Bhāvanās or meditations for stabilising and strengthening the vow of Satya. These consist in the Pratyākhyāna or giving up of Krodha or anger, Lobha or avarice, Bhirutva or cowardice, Hāsya or frivolitly and in the Anuviçi-bhāsana or talking in accordance with the scriptural injunctions. The negative aspects of the vow of truthfulness are the avoidance of its transgressions in the forms of the Mithyopadeśa or teaching false doctrines; the Rahovyākhyāna or giving publicity to secret actions of persons; the Kūta-lekha-kriyā or forgery; the Nyāsāpahāra or breach of trust by taking advantage of one's forgetfulness; this is illustrated as follows:
[A deposits Rs. 500/- with B. Subsequently, A forgetting the amount of his deposit asks for the return of Rs. 400/- only.
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