Spiritual Awakening and other Essays

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

Page 95

allows not telling the truth, if it endangers the life of anyone, in Satyāņuvrata.29 The truthful man should denounce exaggeration, fault-finding and indecent speech, and speak words that are noble, beneficial and balanced.30 He should be grave and equanimous, noble-charactered personality, philanthrophist, kind and sweet-tongued. He should not extol himself, and caluminate others. 31 Nor should he hide the merits of others that are existent, and describe those of himself that are non-existent. 32
Nature of Steya : - Under the influence of intense passions, the acquisition of things without their being given by the owner is called Steya.” In this world, the transient things constitute the external Prāṇas of a man, and he who thieves or plunders them is said to commit Steya, inasmuch as such misdeeds necessarily ruffle the evenness of mind of others and that of himself.34 This, then, is not other than Hiṁsā.35
Asteyāņuvrata or Acauryāņuvrata :- Not to take anything without the permission of others is a discipline parexcellence; but it lies beyond the power of the householder; so he is required to use such things freely as are of common use without their being given, such as well-water, sand, 36 etc. This is Acauryāņuvrata or gross form of the vow of Asteya. According to Samantabhadra the keeper of the householder's vow of Asteya does neither appropriate to himself things, which are unoffered, placed, dropped, and forgotten by others nor gives them to anyone else.?? Swami Kārtikeya includes even the purchasing of costly things at reduced prices under Steya, which is probably due to the possibility of selling a thing after mis-appropriating. 38 Somadeva holds that the underground property belongs to the king or the State; so also the property of unknown
86
Spiritual Awakening (Samyagdarśana) and Other Essays