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358
The Unknown Pilgrims
conscious, willed, and persevering co-operation of the jiva. We know already that the avaśyakas allow entrance to the path leading to Liberation and that the mahāvratas betoken a definitive commitment to this path. But this is only the starting-point. Now we must begin to advance. This advance takes places progressively by successive stages; the two most important stages are saṁvara and nirjară, nirjarā being already the threshold of mokṣa.
A - Samvara: The stoppage of karmic flow
By what means is this asrava restrained, what sort of bridle, powerful or less powerful, is applied, so that it is prevented from invading the jiva? Samvara, this stoppage, this blockage, comes about through a psychic modification, a change of consciousness. This is termed bhava-samvara and is followed automatically by a modification in the karmic matter termed dravya-saṁvara.3 What are the potent factors that have the power to instigate bhava-saṁvara? Those mentioned in the sutra, viz. the guptis, samitis, etc. Before studying the different causes and aspects of samvara, we must note this point. Tapas (austerity, penitence) can give rise to samvara and is invariably the cause of nirjară; for this reason we first study the various factors that bring about saṁvara and will go on to study tapas and its relation to nirjarā, knowing that tapas can also conduce towards samvara.
The different means conducive to samvara are generally put into six categories which are then subdivided according to the particular features of each.4
3 Cf. DravSam 34; YSas IV, 79-85.
4 Cf. DravSam 35, where vrata heads the list of bhāva-saṁvaras; as the mahāvratas are characterised as virtuous activities, the state that they together constitute, if they are faithfully observed, contributes towards samvara; cf. SthS 418b; 427c; 709c, where there are fewer subdivisions, but the same attitude.
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