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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
about it. We have no right to command him to carry out the vow or to force him to practise it. We can at the most remind him of his vow, then he is free to act as he likes. We must understand that one who offers water offers it not to the vower but to him who has already fallen from the vow and is struggling for water, and that too on his demand-who, not obtaining water to drink is constantly engaged in evil brooding. So one who offers him water has nothing to do with the violation of the vow. On the contrary, to offer water to a person who wants it to drink is his religion of compassion and in doing so he performs a virtuous act. For, one who continuously utters 'give me water' and without water tosses about with pain and restlessness is saved from evil brooding and mental distress as soon as he is offered water to drink. And thus he is saved from bad death. Peaceful death while in religious meditation (samādhi-maraṇa) is good death. On the other hand, death in intense attachment and distress is a bad death. Good death favourably affects one's next birth, while bad death adversely affects it. There is no reason to believe that offering of water occasions a grave situation of the violation of the vow. On the contrary, a grave and dreadful situation occurs if we do not offer him water. For, in that case he indulges in sorrowful brooding (ārta-dhyāna) and cruel brooding (raudra-dhyana)-two forms of evil brooding. If he is offered water or food according to his request, he experiences mental peace. And possibly this peace may again awaken in him a religious fervour and provide him an opportunity to cultivate more and more restraint and to advance steadily on the path of religious practice and spiritual discipline.
It is obligatory for the vower to continue the practice not only of the vow of anasana but also of all other vows so long as his mind remains peaceful and engaged in virtuous meditation. But on the destruction of mental peace and virtuous meditation, he is automatically absolved from his obligation. This is the reason why in all the formulas the vower is required to utter while taking the vows like anaśana, etc., are included the words 'savva-samāhi-vatti-āgāreņam vosirāmi' ('except in order to attain full tranquillity of mind I abandon them'). Thus when the vower is afflicted with an acute pain provoking arta-dhyāna and raudra-dhyāna, it is legitimate for him to break the vow in order to attain full tranquillity of mind.
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Wholesome Desire for Universal Welfare
Man is a social animal. He cannot live alone. He lives in a society, in the
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