Book Title: Unknown Pilgrims
Author(s): N Shanta
Publisher: Sri Satguru Publications Delhi

Previous | Next

Page 383
________________ The Final Commitment the dharma, but he does not possess the dharma. In the same way the jñānin does not get attached to adharma (sin), he desires neither food nor drink nor anything whatever. He is altogether free, without attachment.69 355 As a conclusion to this introduction to the mahāvratas,70 we have yet to consider four bhāvanās and to define the true vratin, the one who adheres to his vows in all their implications. The four bhāvanās are the direct consequences of ahimsa, but are of such universal application, so concrete and so positive, that they reflect also all the mahāvratas, summing them up in a powerful manner, embodying and at the same time going beyond the doctrine, while presenting always a joyful, welcoming appearance. These are: Maitri: friendly benevolence towards all beings, along with the sincere desire that they should be purified from sin and freed from suffering and that they should reach Liberation. Pramoda: the joy experienced from contact with those who are already well-advanced on the path. This consists both in rejoicing in their holiness and surrounding them with respect and affection, while putting oneself at their service. Karuṇā: sympathy for the despised, the suffering, the hungry, those afflicted in any way and a desire to help towards the alleviation of their sufferings. Jain Education International 69 Cf. SamSa 207-216. 70 We may add that DS IV, 16 gives a 6th mahāvrata: ratri-bhojanaviramaņa, abstention from food after dusk, which in fact comes under the heading of ahimsa and is an unquestioned duty for the sadhvis. One must in this regard go back in imagination to a time when electricity did not exist - and indeed to this day in many villages it is not yet available. When there is only a flickering lamp, insects congregate around it the more easily and can be destroyed or fall into the food; furthermore, in the near-darkness one may easily accept and consume impure food-stuffs. The sadhvis take their last light meal before sunset, while the aryikäs in any case consume only one meal a day in the morning. For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820