Moksha Marg Prakashak

Author(s): Todarmal Pandit
Publisher: Kundkund Kahan Digambar Jain Trust

Page 42

CHAPTER-I
passionlessness with perfect knowledge (omniscience) is possible. And in Acharyas, Upadhyayas and Sadhus i.e., in all real Digamber Jain monks, due to partial lessening of attachment, etc., and speciality of knowledge, the manifestation of partial passionlessness with discriminative right knowledge is possible. Hence Arhantas etc. are to be known as Supreme, worthy of invocation and adoration.
Further, it should be remembered that amongst these Arhantas etc., (five ranks) mainly Tirthankaras and generally all omniscients are termed Arhanta in Prakrit and Arhat in Sanskrit. And just after the last moment of fourteenth Gunasthana (stage of spiritual development) the Arhantas become Siddhas. Further, those monks who have been installed as Acharyas irrespective of whether they live in the congregation of monks or solitarily do self-mediation or live solivagantly or might have attained the rank of Gandhara by getting principalship among the Acharyas also, all of them are called Acharyas. Further, reading & teaching work is done by other monks too but those on whom Upadhyaya rank of monk is conferred by Acharyas, they only, even besides doing the work of self-meditation etc., get the name of Upadhyaya. And all those monks who do not possess any rank are called Sadhus.
Here, there is no such rule that Acharya's rank is attained or termed by observing Panchaachara (five types of observances), Upadhyaya's rank by doing teaching-preaching and Sadhu's rank by practising Moolgunas (basic-rites) because these observances, rites, etc., are common to all monks, but from the Shabda-Naya (verbalistic standpoint) their literal meaning is derived so. From Samabhirudha-Naya (conventional standpoint) the Acharya etc. names are to be known by the graduation of ranks only. As for example, by Shabda Naya, that which moves is called the 'cow', likewise the human beings, etc., also make the movement but from Samabhirudha Naya the names are so given from the Paryaya (embodied state) point of view. Similarly, one must understand here also.
Question: What is the reason of offering salutation to Arhantas prior to Siddhas?
Answer: Salutation is offered with the object of getting our purpose accomplished and because the purpose of sermons etc.,