Spiritual Awakening and other Essays

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 22

confer jubilation, and yield the joy of victory. And if the austerities are spiritedly practiced they would bring about the inner rejection of desire, which would let the aspirant experience unalloyed happiness far beyond the joys of this world or of any heaven. Parişahas :
Those (afflictions) that are to be endured for the purpose of not swerving from the path of spiritualism are termed as Parişahas.' The Uttarādhyayana tells us that “a monk must learn and know, bear and conquer, in order not to be vanquished by them (Parişahas) when he lives the life of a wandering mendicant”.? Some of the Parişahas3 are: (1) hunger (Kșudhā), (2) thirst (Trşā), (3) cold (Sīta), (4) heat (Uşņa), (5) ennui (Arati), (6) walking (Caryā), (7) abuse (Akrośa), (8) disease (Roga), (9) respect (SatkāraPurasakāra), (10) conceit of knowledge (Prajñā) etc.
We now discuss the attitude of the saint towards these Parişahas. This will also make clear the meaning implied in them. The saint accepts faultless food and water. It is just possible that he may not get faultless food and water. Then he, (a) who does not get perturbed by the distress caused by hunger and thirst, (b) who is not inclined to receive food and water in improper country and in improper times, (c) who remains occupied with self-study and meditation, (d) who prefers non-obtainment of improper food and water to their obtainment, is deemed to have swam over the affliction originating from hunger and thirst. Not to dwell upon the pangs of hunger and pains of thirst amounts to the surmounting of hunger and thirst Parişahas.
It is evident that the saint has renounced resorting to external protections against cold and heat, and he remains
Spiritual Awakening (Samyagdarśana) and Other Essays
13