Spiritual Code and Restraints

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 63

That is usually done by reciting the Sajzäy known as 'Mannah Jinänamänam' which states, 'Let me observe the following 36 commandments of the omniscient Lords'.
1 & 2: Give up wrong faith and adopt right perception.
3-8: Diligently perform six essentials every day.
9: Observe Paushadh on holidays.
10-13: Adopt charity, good conduct, austerities and good volition.
14-17: Undertake study of the Self, recite Navkär-Mantra, be benevolent and have utmost care for avoiding all violence.
18 & 19: Pray and adore the omniscient Lords.
20 & 21: Adore the preceptors and love the co-religionists.
22-24: Maintain honesty and integrity in routine life, participate in religious ceremonies and processions and resort to pilgrimages.
25-32: Calm down the defilement, maintain discernment, prevent influx of Karma, regulate the utterances, have compassion for six categories of living beings, stay in contact with religious people, restrain the sense organs and contemplate about renouncing the worldly life.
33-36: Respect the leaders of faith, undertake publication of religious books, spread the influence of religious order and keep faith in preceptor's words.
About two and a half hours (actually six Ghadies of 24 minutes each) after the sunrise, the observer should offer obeisance to the preceptor. That is known as Guruvandan. Then he would go to the temple for worshipping Lord Tirthankars.
By that time it would be noon. If the person does not want to observe fast, that would be the time to take food. For that purpose, he has the option to go home or have it at the place of Paushadh. But he should take only one meal during the whole day, observe silence while eating and avoid sweets and fatty foods.
The rest of the afternoon he should devote in meditating and concentrating on the nature of soul on the lines of Kämdev. He was a devotee of Lord Mahävir. Upäsakdashäng Sutra describes how he maintained perfect concentration during Paushadh in spite of acute adversities caused by a heavenly being in order to test his firmness. His name occurs in the Sutra for terminating Paushadh.