Spiritual Code and Restraints

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 26

Vyavahär Satya. A truthful person has thus to be primarily concerned about the well being of his soul. If one has the right perspective, he can easily see that by resorting to lie, he may or may not hurt others, but he surely hurts his own soul by defiling it with the lie. Observance of truth or Satya is thus in one's own interest.
ASTEYA or ADATTÄDÄN
Non-stealing
Dantasohanamäissa Adattassa Vivajjanam Anavajjesanijjassa Ginhanä Avi Dukkaram
Uttaradhyayan Sutra
The trivial objects like tooth pricks also cannot be picked up, until they are offered,
even though it is hard to get the required objects faultlessly.
In the last two chapters, we have dealt with Ahinsä and Satya, the first two major restraints. In Jain tradition, these restraints are expressed as evils or faults that need to be avoided. They are therefore laid down in terms of refraining from deprival of life and from telling lies. Now, we take up the third one that is popularly known as Asteya. Steya means stealing and Asteya means non-stealing. Another word for stealing in Sanskrit language is Chaurya. This restraint is therefore also known as Achaurya. Stealing means to get something stealthily or without the appropriate authorization. As such, the term covers burglary, theft, robbing, smuggling etc. By implication, it also covers cheating, counterfeiting, adulteration, use of inaccurate weights and measures etc.
This restraint differs from the earlier two restraints in one respect. Observance of nonviolence and truth is in the interest of social well being, but they have not gained the legal sanctity. If one kills or otherwise hurts another person, that can surely be a legal offense. But if one kills a fly or any other bug, it is not considered an offense. Killing of animals too may or may not be treated as an offense. In fact, most of the societies permit slaying of animals in slaughter houses. Similarly, telling a lie, unless it amounts to deception, is not punishable by law. Thus, breaching of these restraints may not attract punishment. Non-stealing has, however, been accorded legal sanctity by all the organized societies and its breach has been made punishable by law.
Let us now examine this aspect in another perspective. Take the case of a person picking up something that he finds on his way. Can he be said to have taken it stealthily? Human societies do not consider it an offense to pick up something unclaimed. But the question may arise whether every case of taking something, that one incidentally comes across, can be justifiable. Suppose, for instance, that a person notices a watch lying on his way. Obviously it must have been dropped by the owner, who might be looking for the same. The said person is therefore not supposed to pocket it. If he picks it up, the social norm requires that he should make it known and invite its owner to get it from him. Alternately, he should leave the watch there assuming that the legitimate owner would come in search of it. Instead of that, if he pockets it, that would amount to stealing, because he takes it