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ACTIVITY AND ITS CONTROL
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to love the truth. He who is liable to the following fourteen charges, is not capable of moral virtue: If he is frequently angry; if he perseveres in his wrath; if he spurns friendly advice; if he is very proud of his knowledge; if he finds fault with others; if he is angry even with his friends; if he speaks evil of even of a good friend behind his back; if he is always positive in his assertions, if he is malicious, egoistic, greedy, without self-restraint; if he does not share with others; if he is always unkind. He, on the contrary, should possess the following good qualities if he is to acquire or develop moral virtue: If he is always humble, steady, free from deceit and desires; if he abuses nobody; if he does not persevere in his wrath; if he listens to friendly advice, if he is not proud of his learning; if he does not find fault with his friends; if he speaks well even of a bad friend behind his back; if he abstains from quarrels; if he is enlightened, polite, decent, and quick; then and then alone he is capable of the observance of moral virtue.1 The above-mentioned qualities and defects are some of the necessary acts to be performed and to be avoided for the observance of complete self-discipline. We are aware of the fact that some of them are repeated more than once. It is also true that some important virtues might have been left uncounted. We are, however, not concerned with the exactness of the number of moral virtues. Our purpose in stating these qualities has been only to indicate the nature of moral virtue that is necessary for the control of the acquisition of inauspicious karma. These are some of the positive means that can help us in checking the inflow of karmic matter.
These moral virtues of the Jainas can be compared with the five types of niyama of Yoga. External and internal purification corresponds to modesty, forbearance, straightforwardness, etc. Contentment and austerity are common to both. As regards study, the Jaina deals with it as one of the twelve types of austerity. Hence, it is not different from austerity. As regards the fifth type, viz., devotion to God, the Jainas have not mentioned a separate variety of moral virtue of this kind. According to them, it can be conjectured, this is not an essential factor to practise self-control. Moreover, they do not attach any importance to God, since their conception of Godhead is totally different from that of Yoga. We,
1 Uttarādhyayana-sūtra, XI, 2-13.
