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CHAPTER SEVEN
269
The Nature of Parigraha or Attachment-for-possessions :
Mürcchā constitutes parigraha.. 12.
Mürcchā means attachment. Thus whether a thing be small or large, inanimatic or animatic, external or internal-nay, even in case the thing in question does not exist at all-getting entangled with it—that is to say, losing all sense of discrimination out of a pinning for it—that is called parigraha.
Question : True it is that the five defilements from violence upto attachment-for-possessions, when viewed outwardly, seem to differ as to their nature, but on minute consideration it appears that they exhibit among themselves no difference whatsoever. For in the case of all these five defilements the character of being a defilement depends on nothing except attachment, aversion and infatuation. Certainly, attachment, aversion and infatuation constitute the poison that vitiates the activities like violence etc.—and it is on account of them that these activities are called defilement. Now if all this is correct then it should be sufficient to make declaration to the effect that attachment, aversion etc. are the cases of defilement. Why then undertake a description of the five or more or less-defilements like violence etc. ?
Answer : Granted that all worldly activity proceeds from attachment, aversion etc. Hence attachment, aversion etc. are alone chiefly a defilement and to refrain from this defilement is the sole chief vrata. Even so, when one is to be instructed as to refrainment from attachment, aversion etc. then it is only through an elucidation of the activities proceeding from them that one can be asked to refrain from those activities as also from attachment, aversion etc. that impel them. Certainly, while dealing with the gross-witted people no other order of procedure can possibly be adopted. Now of the innumerable activities proceeding from attachment and aversion violence, untruthfulness etc. are the chief ones. And it is these activities that chiefly eat up into the vitals of life-spiritual or worldly; hence it is that these activities like violence etc. have been divided into five types and thus an
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