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Mithyaatva is found in souls from the beginning. Mithyaatva is the key reason for raaga {attachment) and dvesha (aversion). It causes living beings to wander in sansaara, taking birth after birth. Of the eighteen sins, the Jinaas have declared mithyaatva to be the most lethal. It is therefore imperative to destroy mithyaatva.
The conduct of those who suffer from the cancer of mithyaatva is irrational and capricious. This is because their beliefs and priorities are all wrong. They are constantly hovering on the borders of rational and irrational behaviour and their false belief system and warped sense of values causes them great grief and disappointments. Their constantly aberrant, preposterous, unstable and unreasonable desires make sure they keep taking birth after birth, chasing a rainbow of happiness that does not exist. Each abortive attempt at gaining sensual pleasure pushes seekers deeper into the quagmire of misery. And further strengthens their mithyaatva.
There are 25 categories of mithyaatva. At all times, one or more types of mithyaatva is constantly harming the soul. Samyak darshana (true insight/rational perception/right faith/true understanding} can only be attained by destroying mithyaatva.
Mithyaatva may be understood as false belief/irrational perception. And Samyag darshana (Samyak darshana) is true belief/true faith/true insight/rational perception. Once the belief becomes true, all other things fall in place. The knowledge and conduct of the person also becomes true. And then the living being can take great strides on the path of liberation.
Hence, it is extremely important for all of us to give up our false beliefs and embrace the path of samyaktva. Samyaktva is also known as Samkit. Once samyaktva is attained, the living being is certain to attain liberation within the time frame of an ardha-pudgala-paraavartana (half of the total time it takes for a living being to take birth in each corner of the universe). Samyaktva is the doorway to liberation. It may be understood as the ticket to liberation. Lord Mahavira ttained samyaktva in his birth as Nayasara. It took him another 27 reincarnations before he attained liberation as Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Jina.
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How is the most important quality of the soul "samyaktva" attained?
What are its benefits?
Who attained it when?
How may one recognise "samyaktva"?
What are the categories and subcategories of "samyaktva"?
These are the topics that I shall attempt to cover in this section.
