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15. ETHICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF BHAGAVATI ĀRĀDHANĀ
- Prof. Prem Suman Jain, Udaipur
Bhagavatī Ārādhanā (Bha..). is one of most valuable ancient work of the Digambar Jaina tradition composed in Sauraseni Prakrit by Ācārya Śivaraya or Śivkoti flourished in 22nd Century A.D. The author mainly deales with the nature and types of Arādhanā (Practice of Ratnatraya and Tapa) and Samādhimaraņa (Voluntary Peaceful Death). Bha... is the most complete treatise devoted to the subject of voluntary peaceful death or Samādhimarana?. This work also contains the descriptions of the practices to eliminating the passions (Kaṣāyas), the means of Karmic influx, bondage, stoppage and separations as well as hells miseries and the eternal bliss of final liberation.
Though Ācārya Śivakoti has divided the subject matter of Bha... in four chapters (i) Samayagdarśana Adhikāra, (ii) Samyajñāna Adhikāra, (iii) Samyagcāritra Adhikār and (iv) Samyaktapa Adhikāra, but he deals other relevant main aspects of Jainism also in this work, like significance of Pañca Parmeșthi, life of Digambar Jain Monks, Six Āvasyakas (Indispensable duties), Six Leśyas (Spiritual Glow), service to the Sangha (Vaiyāvratya), five great vows, four kinds of meditations and twelve types of reflections (Anuprekṣās) etc. So Bha... is an encyclopedic ancient Prakrit text of monistic life in Jainism and source of narratives of Jaina literature. The Bha.Ā. also mentions the names and brief indications those aspirants who embraced voluntary peaceful death by adopting various means. Thus Bhagavati Ārādhanā presents a rich survey of Jainism, especially with reference to the theory and practice of ascetic life. This is the most complete treatise on the subject of Samādhimaraṇa and Ārādhanā and it has not left any relevant issue untouched.
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