Mokshamala

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 14

The term Shubh used in this poem needs clarification. A person can have mainly three types of modes, viz. Ashubh (unwholesome), Shubh (wholesome) and Shuddha (pure). The first leads to unwholesome Karma known as Päp; the second to wholesome Karma known as Punya; while the third does not lead to Karma. Normally the people tend to hold wholesome mode, whereby they would gain happy and comfortable situations. Availing of such favorable situations involves taking birth in appropriate places. Since the wholesome mode thus prolongs the worldly life, it is also a type of bondage. One should therefore try to avoid the wholesome as well as unwholesome mode and resort to the pure one. The context, in which the term Shubh is used here, indicates that it relates to a mode that is pure in the end.
Shubh Shitalatämay Chhäny Rahi, Manvächchhit Jyän Falapankti Kahi; Jinabhakti Graho Tarukalpa Aho, Bhajine Bhagvant Bhavant Laho. (1)
Worship of Lord provides the admirable soothing cool shelter and it leads to the desirable fruits. Devotion to the Lord is identical to a desire-yielding tree; you can terminate the worldly life by worshipping the
Lord.
Explanation: Worship of Lord is here compared with Tarukalpa, the desire-yielding tree, which is also termed as Kalpavruksha The similarity of worship with Kalpavruksha lies in the fact that the worship of Lord endows purity, and perfect purity is liberation. That is the ultimate objective of spiritual pursuit and what else can one expect from Kalpavruksha? Therefore it is said here that one can reach the termination of worldly life by resorting to Lord's worship.
Nij Atmaswaroop Muda Pragate, Man Täp Utäp Tamam Mate; Ati Nirjaratä Vandäm Graho, Bhajine Bhagvant Bhavant Laho. (2)
Worshipping the Lord leads to manifestation of blissful nature; thereby all types of distress and affliction occurring at mind come to the end; that results in large scale eradication of Karma without much effort; you can thus terminate the worldly life by worshipping the Lord.
Explanation: The main purpose of spiritual pursuit is to eradicate the bondage of Karma. During that process, however, one happens to indulge in attachment or resentment, which leads to acquisition of new bondage. The worldly cycle thus continues to prevail. That condition can change by undertaking Lord's worship. Such worship confers purity and eradication of defilement; Lord's worship does not leave scope for indulging in defiling instincts. All sorts of distress and affliction would thus come to the end and the inherently blissful nature of soul would come to the experiential level. It is therefore said here that one can easily eradicate the bondage of Karma by worshipping the Lords.
Samabhävi Sadä Parrinäm Thashe, Jad Mand Adhogati Janma Jashe; Shubh Mangal A Paripoorna Chaho, Bhajine Bhagvant Bhavant Laho. (3)
Lord's worship leads to the lasting mode of equanimity and that would result in averting the life of onesensed to four-sensed beings, the life of birds and beasts and the life in infernal abode. Lord's worship is thus perfectly blissful; you can terminate the worldly life by worshipping the Lord.
Explanation: Indulgence in craving and aversion is the root cause of worldly life. That can be averted by resorting to equanimity. The simplest way to develop equanimity is to contemplate over the equanimity of Lords. That can be done by undertaking Lord's worship. As one thus cultivates equanimity, he ceases to acquire new Karma. The existing bondage of Karma is also reduced thereby.
The term Jad occurring in this stanza stands for the life of Ekendriya (One-sensed beings); Mand stands for that of Vikalendriya (Two-sensed to four-sensed beings as well as the birds and the beasts), Adhogati stands for Narakgati (The life in infernal abodes). All those types are miserable and can be averted by resorting to equanimity. By resorting to it one can get the life of a human being or of a heavenly being. In either of these states one can continue to worship the Lord and gain an increasingly higher spiritual level.