________________
122
Jaina Philosophy and Religion
are three in number. They are as follows:
1. False pretension, deception, or a tendency to cheat 2. Greed for worldly enjoyments 3. Not to have faith in what is true, or to insist on what is false.
All the three are of the form of a mental defilement. So long as they are there, they eat up into the vitals of the mind and the body and they do prevent the soul from retaining its balance. Hence, a person possessed of a thorn, even if he formally accepts a vow, cannot concentrate on its observance. When a thorn or some such sharp thing is kept thrust within a bodily part, then the body and the mind of the person concerned are deprived of their balance by this irritant and as a result this person is prevented from concentrating on any task; in a like manner do the mental defilements in question act as a cause of unease-which is why a renunciation of them is the first condition of becoming a true vow-practiser.
Now, we propose to deal with six obligatory daily duties for the Jaina
laity.
SIX OBLIGATORY DUTIES (SADĀVAŠYAKA)
The six obligatory duties for a Jaina layman are as follows: (1) devapūjā, worship of the supreme soul; (2) guru-upāsti, venerating and serving the elders; (3) svādhyāya, study of the spiritually elevating works; (4) samyama, self-control; (5) tapa, austerities; (6) dāna, charity. These are the six obligatory duties which a Jaina layman is required to perform everyday." 1. Devapūjā (Worship of Supreme Soul) It means reverential recalling to mind the supreme soul and its spiritual qualities, devotionally praising them and offering prayers to the supreme soul. This is the best way to remove the internal defilements, to purify thoughts, to cultivate good mental states and to rouse and develop spiritual powers.
There are two types of devapūjā—dravyapūjā (external worship) and bhāvapūjā (internal worship).
Reverential constant recalling to mind the supreme soul and its qualities is bhāvapūjā. Thus, bhāvapūjā consists in meditation on the supreme soul
1. devapūjā gurūpāstiḥ svādhyāyaḥ samyamas tapaḥ /
dānam ceti grhasthānām șat karmāņi dine dine //
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
