Ratnakarandaka Shravakachar

Author(s): Vijay K Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers

Page 44

Ratnakarandaka-śrāvakācāra
श्रद्धानं परमार्थानामाप्तागमतपोभृताम् । त्रिमूढापोढमष्टाङ्गं सम्यग्दर्शनमस्मयम् ॥ ४॥
सामान्यार्थ – परमार्थभूत - वास्तविक अथवा सच्चे अर्थ में - आप्त (देव), आगम (शास्त्र) और तपोभृत् (गुरु) का तीन मूढ़ताओं से रहित, आठ अंगों से सहित और आठ प्रकार के मदों से रहित श्रद्धान करना सम्यग्दर्शन कहलाता है।
To have belief, as per the Reality, in the sect-founder or deity (apta or deva), the scripture (agama or sastra), and the preceptor (tapobhṛt or guru) is right faith. This right faith must be rid of three kinds of follies (mūḍhatā), endowed with eight limbs (aṣṭānga) of right faith, and free from eight kinds of pride (mada).
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Acārya Umāsvāmi, in Tattvārthasūtra, has defined right faith as:
तत्त्वार्थश्रद्धानं सम्यग्दर्शनम् ॥ १-२ ॥
Belief in substances ascertained as these are is right faith.
Since 'Ratnakaraṇḍaka-śrāvakācāra' is written primarily for the householder, in the present verse Acārya Samantabhadra, while maintaining the gist of the above definition, provides the reader with a simpler and more functional definition of right faith.
He asserts that right faith entails belief in three essentials: 1) the sect-founder (apta), 2) the scripture (agama), and 3) the preceptor (guru). But as there are many sect-founders, scriptures and preceptors advocating doctrines that have mutual contradictions and, moreover, each claiming to be genuine, how should one discern between the real and the counterfeit? The
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