Tattvartha Sutra

SR No.: 034448
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vijay K Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Publication Year: 2018
Total Pages: 500
Language: Hindi, Sanskrit, English
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Book_English
File Size: 5 MB

Page 386

Tattvārthasūtra
Straightforwardness – ārjava - is freedom from crookedness in activity (yoga). “Ārjava’implies destruction of deceitfulness (māyā). Purity-sauca - is freedom from greed (lobha). Truthfulness - satya - is utterance of chaste words in the presence of noble persons. Now, is this not included in regulation of speechactivity - bhāṣāsamiti? There is nothing wrong in this. Under the regulation of speech-activity - bhāṣāsamiti, the ascetic who comes in contact with good as well as wicked people speaks as little as possible - parimita - of what is good - hitakārī. Otherwise, it will lead to unnecessary evil originating from attachment (rāga). But, under the virtue of truthfulness - satya, the ascetic coming in contact with good people, saints or those devoted to them, must discourse elaborately on the attributes of knowledge and conduct in order to promote virtue (dharma). Desisting from injury to life-principles and sensual pleasures through careful regulation of all activity-samiti – is self-restraint - samyama. Undergoing penance in order to destroy the accumulated karmas is austerity (tapa). Austerity is of twelve kinds as will be explained later. Renunciation - tyāga - is giving of gift (dāna) or bestowing knowledge, etc., appropriate to saints. Non-attachment-ākińcanya - is giving up adornment of the body and the thought that “this is mine'. He who has nothing is ‘akińcana’and his disposition appreciating this is ‘ākińcanya'. Supreme celibacy - brahmacarya - consists in not recalling the pleasures enjoyed previously, not listening to (or reading) stories of sexual passion, and maintaining an appropriate distance from women. Or, it is residing in the abode of the teacher in order to abandon selfwilled activity. The word 'perfect' or 'supreme’ is added to each of the ten virtues (dharma) in order to indicate the avoidance of mundane objectives. The practise of these virtues (dharma), and the thought of good that these virtues bring about and of the evil that the opposites of these bring about, lead to stoppage (samvara) of karmic inflow.
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