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The Conduct of a Householder
101
In Brāhmaṇism, the position is just the reverse. The older books of Brāhmaṇism conceive primarily of a householder's life. It is only in the later books that the institution of ascetics came to its own and occupied that prominent place which it does to-day. The Manusmrti represents the Brāhmaņical thinking on the whole when it says that just as all rivers find shelter in ocean, similarly all āśramas find shelter in grhasthāśrama.
The position of an aviratasamyagdršļi :
The first stage of a Jaina householder begins with right attitude. This right attitude should be perfect in respect of eight essential limbs. Just as a mantra, short of even a single letter, does not remove the pain of poison similarly right attitude, devoid of any of the essentials, does not pierce the ! line of births.2 Even a pariah, having right faith is like god and is like the lustre of a live charcoal covered by the ashes.3 Right faith acts like a pilot in the path of liberation 4 A householder with right faith is better than a monk without it.5
Even if a person does not observe the vows, but if he is blessed with right faith, he is not reborn in hell or as animal, bird, eunuch or woman or in a low family, and does not suffer from deformity, or short life or poverty. Those who are purified by right faith become lords of splendour, energy, wisdom, prowess, fame, wealth, victory, and greatness and are born in great families and are very prosperous.?
Jainism emphasises both, an inner detachment and renunciation of the worldly objects. The latter is the result of former and has no spiritual significance without it. Right attitude signifies inner detachment. It may not be possible for a man of right faith to renounce the worldly objects instantaneously, but once he has developed inner detachment
1. Manusmrti, 6.go. 2. Ratnakarandastāvakācāra, 21. 3. Ibid. 28. 4. Ibid., 31. 5. Ibid., 33. 6. Ibid., 35. 7. Ibid., 36.
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