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8- THE REAL EXPIATION
शुद्धनिश्चयप्रायश्चित्ताधिकार तप प्रायश्चित्त है - Austerity (tapa) is expiation (prāyaścitta) – णताणंतभवेण समज्जियसुहअसुहकम्मसंदोहो । तवचरणेण विणस्सदि पायच्छित्तं तवं तम्हा ॥११८॥ अनन्तानन्त भवों द्वारा उपार्जित शुभ-अशुभ कर्मों का समूह तपश्चरण के द्वारा विनष्ट हो जाता है, इसलिये तप प्रायश्चित्त है।
The heap of auspicious (subha) and inauspicious (aśubha) karmas, accumulated over infinite births, is destroyed by the conduct (cāritra) of austerity (tapa), therefore, austerity (tapa) is expiation (prāyaścitta).
EXPLANATORY NOTE Austerity (tapa) is a potent cause of stoppage (samvara) and dissociation (nirjarā) of karmas.1
As the ascetic acquires the power of discrimination between the self and the others, he casts away all dispositions contrary to the soulnature. The man with right faith has nothing to adopt or leave. But on fruition of the conduct-deluding (cāritramoha) karmas, he adopts the auspicious (śubha) dispositions and leaves these too subsequently. In regard to austerities (tapācāra) he adopts: fasting (anaśana), reduced diet (avamaudarya), special restrictions (vrttiparisamkhyāna), giving up tasty food (rasaparityāga), lonely habitation (viviktaśayyāsana), mortification of the body (kāyakleśa), expiation (prāyaścitta), reverence (vinaya), service (vaiyavrttya), study (svādhyāya), meditation (dhyāna), and renunciation (vyutsarga).2
1 - see Acārya Umāsvāmi's Tattvārthasūtra – With Explanation in English
from Acārya Pujyapāda's Sarvārthasiddhi, sūtra 9-3, p. 350-351. 2 - see Acārya Kundakunda's Pravacanasāra - Essence of the Doctrine,
p. 253-254.
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