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Jaina Acara : Siddhanta aura Svarupa
273 is what Hemacandra has said-Attachment and aversion bind the soul, but they do not constitute its nature. By nature it is immaculate. Because of contact with the world it is vitiated. To return to one's nature and stay there longest ensures your release from thraldom. Perverted vision, violation of Vows or incapacity to observe them, negligence, passions and inauspiciousness obstruct spiritual endavour seriously. It is the incumbent duty of spiritual aspirants to indulge in self-criticism both morning and evening. The resolve should be to eradicate lapses and never repeat them, Repetition means greater and greater involvement. It is easy to adopt wrong
ys and always difficult to swim against the tide which spiritual aspirants have to. It is because their path is different which alone befits man and saves him from falling to the beastly level. Its synonyms are meaningful to explicite its purport..
1. Pratikarmana--Entymologically it means retracing the step from wrong to right approach. The path of inaccurate knowledge and false vision is to be discarded and the right path of rectitude, righteousness and piety is to be trodden.
2. Pratiharana—It is to renounce what is wrong, perverted and immoral. The path of spirituality is not strewn with roses and what rose is there without thorns; It is to stay within Self notwithstanding obstructions and temptations.
3. Praticarana—It is to step forward in the path of restraint. It is to give up various temptations and worldly splendour.
(4) Varana-It means prohibition. One must know what is acceptable and what is not. Discrimination is needed to make the right choice.
(5) Nivrtti-It is to withdraw the mind from what is wrong to the right course. All activity should be in their right direction. All wrong actions are sinful and binding.
(6) Nindā—It is easy to censure others or to find fault with them. To find fault with onself or self-censure is essential to be rid of sins and the Karmic bondage. Garhā or confession is, however, made to seniors. It is a remorseful expression of repentance for sins attaching to the soul. Confession is never-failing incantation to take away the effect of poison in the form of sins.
(7) Suddhi—A stain sticking to a cloth is removed with the help of a powder prepared from dried-up raw mango-partings; gold is cleaned by heating it; woollens by petrol, so the din sticking to the soul is removed by sincere repentance. Bhadrabāhu has given its four kinds as follows:(1) Monks and lay votaries are ever cautious so as not to incur any sin,
but even then because of carelessness at some time or other if recourse be taken to violence, falsehood, stealth, non- chastity, possessiveness and the like they must forthwith repent for it.
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