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ŚRĪ NISHITHA SŪTRA
1ST CHEDA SŪTRA
SOUL PURIFICATION THROUGH REPENTANCE
Nishith Sūtra is the core Sūtra in the list of Lord Mahāvīra's description of
Cheda Sūtras. Nishith means night or darkness. As the darkness of the night gives birth to, many sins, the sunlight provides solutions to such sins. Similarly, Lord Mahāvīra with the help of Nishith Sūtra has shown his disciples and ascetics how to stay alert to avoid binding of sins and if committed then how one can get rid of them and purify their souls.
Nishith Sūtra mentions the penance prescribed as repentance for transgressing the limits of yogic life. When a monk commits a sin like preaching anti-preception or violates religious principles, in such cases he is expelled from religious tasks for twelve years. During these years, he is given certain tasks that restores him back to the right path and develop respect for religion in him. When a yogi brings disgrace to preception, it is considered graver than committing violence. This
describes how Lord Mahāvira emphasized the importance of respecting and
following preception (religion) sincerely and faithfully. The Nishith Sūtra consists of twenty chapters describing the ways of penance for monks to annihilate sins. The three solutions namely penance, repentance and self-purification are well explained in this Sūtra. These are to be followed mainly by monks.
