Book Title: Jaina Mysticism and Other Essays
Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 96
________________ of spiritual energy must automatically result in the gradual renunciation of the causes of physical nourishment. In the first place, only milk and whey should be continued after having abandoned the solid food, then after giving up even the former, only hot water should be taken. Subsequently fasting should be observed. Then after entirely devoting himself to the meditation on the fivefold holy names of Arhant, Siddha, Ācārya, Upādhyāya and Sādhu, the aspirant should bid farewell to his body. While practising Sallekhanā the Sādhaka should avoid the following faults" - (1) desire to live, (2) desire to die, (3) remembrance of friends, (4) revival of past pleasures, and (5) expectations for future prosperity. Samantabhadral2 takes out ‘revival of past pleasures' and puts 'fear' in its place. According to Uvasagadasāol3 the defects which should be avoided are – (1) longing for this world, (2) longing for the next world, (3) longing for life, (4) longing for death, and (5) longing for sensual pleasure. Process of Sallekhanā in case of the Saint : While practising Sallekhanā the saint may resort to any one of the three types of death, namely, (1) Bhaktaparijñāmaraña, (2) Ingini-maraņa, and (3) Prāyopagamana-maraņa.14 Only that saiņt who is confronted with incurable disease, intolerable old age, formidable famine, great weakness of hearing and sight, infirmity of legs, and certain inevitable troubles, and others like these has been permitted to adopt any of the above maraņas.15. He who is quite capable of pursuing his course of conduct well need not turn towards such deaths. 16 We shall now deal with the Bhaktaparijñā-maraņa. In the circumstances expressed above or when the occurring of natural death has been conceived to be a matter of certainty after a short duration of time (maximum twelve years), 17 the saint takes the guidance of some efficient Acārya, and resorts to the process of internal and external renunciation. The internal renunciation refers to the emasculation of the passions of anger and the like, while the external one, to the enervation of body.!' The saint renounces all Parigraha, attains all sorts of external and internal purity, and Jaina Mysticism and other essays 89 Jain Education International For Personal & Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166