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SAMAYSARA
achieving its true nature on the destruction of all karmic shackles, is not subject to any further manifestation and hence is characterised by unchanging permanency. The term achalam implies the complete cessation of transmigratoiy cxistence. The Self in the world of Samsara, determined by its own karmic conditions, roams about in the empirical would, being born in my one of the four gatis, or major organic classes as determined by one's own karma. When kaimas are completely destroyed, when the Self achieves his true natuic and becomes a Siddhâ, this roaming about in the transmigratoiy world comes to a full stop. This is what is implied by the attribute achala. If the other reading, amala, is accepted then the attribute would refer to complete absence of karmic impurity which is the sine qua non for achieving Siddhahood. The next attribute is anupama, having no parallel or comparison. This characteristic naturally follows as a corollary because the excellence of the Siddhahood far transcends the excellent things of the concrete world. Hence Sıddhahood cannot be indicated by comparison with any concrete object of the empirical world, however great and good it may be After offering his obeisance to Siddhâ of such characteristics, the author addresses the faithful ones, for whose sake he composes the work called Samayapâhuda.
The first part of the word Samaya means the Self, thc knower, the latter part of the word Pâhuda is interpreted to mean the essence or Sâra. Further, he declares that the treatise which he is going to compose is in conformity with what is taught by the Sruta Kevalis, the omniscient masters of the scriptures. The author mentions this fact not merely to defend his own work as is consistent with the revealed Word of the Lord, but also to imply that what is not so based upon such divine revelation is neither worthy of speaking about nor worthy of listening to.
In the next gâthâ, the author takes up for discussion the two kinds of Self, the Pure One which is termed as 'Sva-samaya, and the Impure One which is designated as Para-samaya. The latter refers to the empirical ego and the former to the pure ego which transcends the empirical conditions.
