Saturday, March 10, 2018

1. Samayasar – Gatha 1

Firstly the Sanskrita commentator Shrimad Amritchandacharya  pays obeisance  to the Lord for auspicious beginning :

Shloka  1. I pay my respect to  “ Samaya”, which implies the substance called Jiva, the essence of which is “Samayasar”,  which is devoid of Dravya Karma, Bhava Karma and No karma, which is thus the pure soul.

 How is it ?
 Pure substance which exists. By such adjective, the belief of the Atheists who believe in total non existence of any entity is negated.
 And how is it ?
Whose nature is of the form of consciousness. By such adjective the belief of the Naiyayiks,  who believe that quality is different from its owner, is negated.

And how is it ?
 Knows itself by itself i.e. it illuminates the self by its own experience. By this adjective , the belief of the Mimansaks of the branch of Gemini Bhatt Prabhakars is negated; who believe that knowledge and soul are always indirectly known. Further it also negates the belief of the Naiyayiks who believe that knowledge can be known by another knowledge and not by itself.

 And how is it ?
 It is capable of knowing by itself all  the other Jivas and Ajivas ( Non jivas) , all moving and non moving substances with all their manifestations in terms of space and time, at the same time. With this adjective, the belief of Mimansaks who do not believe in existence of the Omniscient is also negated.
With all these adjectives , the pure soul itself is recognized as the Lord and paid obeisance.

Explanation :
In this shloka  the pure soul only has been paid obeisance for auspicious  beginning of the Shastra. If somebody enquires that why no specific deity has been named to pay obeisance , then the answer is as follows : In reality the general form of the God is devoid of all Karmas, Omniscient , Veetrag (totally detached) pure soul only. Therefore in this Adhyatma Granth ( philosophical scripture) , the word Samayasar  itself incorporates the name of the Lord. Further by taking any specific name , all other believers of different faith would have argument whether it belongs to their faith. All that is avoided by defining the adjectives of Samayasar. Further other faiths take different names of the Gods in which the meaning of the name is not clear and creates ambiguity. On the other hand the Jains are followers of Syadvad ( doctrine of manifold standpoints), to whom the  name Omniscient, veetragi, pure soul itself is most suitable. Now that  God may be called Paramatma or Param Jyoti, Parameswar, Para Bramha, Shiva, Niranjan, Nishkalank, Akshaya, Avyaya,Shuddha, Buddha, Avinashi, Anupam, Achchhedya, Abhedya, Param Purush, Nirabadh, Siddha, Satyatma, Chidanand, Sarvagya, Veetarag, Arhat, Jina, Apta, Bhagawan, Samayasar etc thousands of names, those names are true in some respect. For the followers of one sided view , they have objection to other names but for the followers of Syadvad there is no objection so long as the meaning of the word is understood.

Now pays obeisance to Goddess of Knowledge- Saraswati

Shloka 2. The embodiment of knowledge and speech be ever luminescent which incorporates infinite dharmas.

Hail the statue of knowledge and speech having multiple aspects with ever illumination. This statue observes the elements of the soul  in all their infinite aspects which are different with respect to other Dravyas, their qualities and their modes.   Which is different from the  impure  manifestations of  self on account of presence of other dravyas in some respect and is singular. Such a soul different from other dravyas  of own type or other types, the goddess of knowledge observes it.

Explanation : Here Goddess Saraswati is paid obeisance to. The form of Sarawati here  is different than what is commonly believed which is not correct. Here the correct form is described. Right knowledge alone is the true from of Saraswati. In that too the Keval Gyan is the real knowledge which observes all objects of the universe directly hence that is the true form. Further Srutagyana describes the soul indirectly hence that is also form of Saraswati. Further DravyaSruta ( written/spoken scripture) is also form of Saraswati since that also describes the multi faceted soul  in the form of words. In this manner, the form of multi faceted Saraswati describes all the substances and their elements in the form of words and knowledge. Therefore that Saraswati  is called various names such as Sharada,Bharati,  Vagdevi  etc. This statue of Saraswati reconciles  infinite aspects of a thing with the help of word “ Syat” ( in certain aspect) without any contradiction hence is true. What is normally worshiped and believed as the form of Saraswati by other believers is untrue since that does not describe the substances correctly.

Here someone enquires that the soul is described as having infinite dharmas and which are those infinite dharmas ? In reply it is said that a substance has qualities of astitva(existence), Vastutva (thatness), Prameyatva( Knowability), Pradeshatva( occupying space), chetanatva (sentient ness), achetanatva (insentient ness) , Moortatva ( physical ness), Amoortatva ( Non Physical ness) etc , and the manifestation of these qualities at  every moment in past, present and future is Paryaya which are infinite. Further a substance has dharmas of Ekatva ( oneness ) , Anekatva ( Many ness), Nityatva ( permanence), Anityatva ( Impermanence) , Bhedatva ( Differentiability), Abhedatva ( Non Differentiability), Shuddhatva ( Purity), Ashuddhatva( Impurity), etc which are generally describable. Also there are specific infinite dharmas which are not describable but are subject of experience. Since soul is also a substance , it has infinite dharmas.

Out of the infinite dharmas of the soul there is chetanatva ( sentience) which is extra ordinary dharma of the soul which is not present in all other dravyas which are insentient. However Jiva dravya of the same type are infinite. In them also although all are sentient, but the consciousness is different for each of them because each dravya has different space and none of them join with another. That consciousness is ever present in all its infinite dharmas hence it is called prime element  of the soul. This is what is seen by this form of Saraswati and shown to others thus benefitting the worldly people. Hence that Saraswati is hailed and wished to be ever  bright by these words.

Now the commentator vows and declares the objective of writing this commentary on the scripture.

Shloka 3.  Shrimad Amritchandacharya wishes that by writing this commentary on Samayasar his manifestation of the soul which had been corrupted by Moha  be further purified in the form of experience of the pure self.

How is the manifestation currently ? Due to the fruition of Moha karmas which has resulted in the manifestation of ragas, it is consistently corrupted. However from the aspect of Dravya , I am pure consciousness alone.

Explanation : Acharya says that although from the view point of shuddha Dravyarthika Naya , he is of the nature of embodiment of  pure consciousness alone, but due to the Nimitta of the fruition of Moha karma his manifestation is corrupted and is blemished with Ragas. Therefore by indulging in the commentary of this Samayasar scripture which  deals with pure soul only, he desires that his manifestation purifies devoid of the ragas and he attains his own pure self. He has no other desires of fame, profit, glory etc. In this manner Acharya has prayed for the benefit of indulging in commentary of this scripture to accrue.

Now the original author of the scripture Shri Kunda Kundacharya vows for the auspicious   beginning of the scripture.

Gatha  1.  Bowing to all the siddhas who have attained a state of existence, permanent, unchangeable, and incomparable, I will speak of this Samayasar which has been told  by the Srutkevalis.

Commentary : Acharya Kunda Kunda makes an auspicious beginning of the Shastra by worshipping the Siddhas. First of all, he establishes the Siddha Bhagwan in the souls of self and others by means of Dravya (physical) Pooja and Bhava  Pooja and then starts with the narration of the Samaya Pahud Shastra in the dravya (words) and Bhava ( meaning ) form.

How is the Siddha Bhagwan ? He is an image of the ultimate form desired by our soul i.e. the Siddha state. By contemplating of his form and realizing it to be same as their own form , the worldly eligible Jivas become like Him. He who has attained the fifth Gati (state) i.e. Moksha different from the four worldly Gatis.

How is this Fifth Gati ? It is generated out of recourse to the permanent  nature of self. This permanent form is different from all the other four Gati which are destructible since they are dependent upon other factors.

And how is it ( fifth Gati) ? With the prevention of transmigration in the world  from beginingless time as a consequence of indulging in other Bhavas, a truly un changeable form has been attained. This Unchangeable  property negates the transmigration in four Gati due to the Nimitta of others.

And how is it ? It is such a magnificent form that it cannot be compared to any other state attainable within the world hence is incomparable.  Thus this adjective negates the commonality of the four Gati  in some aspects with respect to the fifth Gati.

And how is it ? That which denotes liberation which is different from the other three worldly goals of Dharna, Artha ( Money), Kama ( passions). Such fifth gati has been attained by Siddha Bhagwan.

And how is this Samaya Prabhrat ? This Samaya Prabhrat Shastra has been illuminated with the timeless Sruta or the glorious words which were dictated by  the Sruta Kevali Ganadhar who had experienced themselves after listening to the divine speech of Omniscient Kevali Bhagwan and therefore are trustworthy. It is not generated out of the imagination of other faith believers who are worldly people and hence those shastras are false. The word “ Samaya” denotes all the substances of the universe as well as Jiva. This Samaya forms  part of the divine speech of Arihant Bhagwan which is called Param Agam ( the Glorious Scriptures). I shall now describe this Samaya Prabhrat for the destruction of beginingless  Moha and Agyan ( ignorance) of self and others.

Explanation : Here Acharya has declared using the word “Vakshayami” which has been interpreted by commentator as “describing”. This  implies that out of the 14 Poorvas of Dwadashang, Gyanapravad Poorva is sixth which has 12 Vastu Adhikar , each of Vastu Adhikar has 20 Prabhrat Adhikar.Out of these the 10th Vastu Adhikar contains Samaya Prabhrat which is being described here by Acharya Kunda Kunda.
Sutras are of ten types and one of them is called “ Paribhasha” ( Definition). The one which describes the proper meaning of the Adhikar is called “ Paribhasha” ( Definition). It implies that the Original Sutras of the Samaya Prabhrat were known to the previous great Acharyas and their meaning was known to Shrimad Kundakundacharya belonging to the same chain. Therefore he has described the “ Paribhasha Sutra” ( Definition)  of the Samaya Prabhhrat which convey the meaning of the Prabhrat only.

For the purpose of auspicious beginning, Acharya has bowed to the Siddhas and used the adjective “Sarva” because Siddhas are infinite. This negates the followers of other faith who believe that pure soul is one only. For the worldly people the pure soul is the goal and the totally pure soul is Siddha, hence he is worthy of being saluted to. Here no specific deity is  named which has been justified and explained by the commentator.

            The word “ Sruta Kevali “ contains “ Sruta” which implies the timeless scripture, and Kevali stands for the Sruta Kevali who knows the omniscient and the timeless scripture. By implying the generation of Samaya Prabhrat from Sruta Kevali he has conveyed the authenticity of the Shastra and negates the supposition that he has imagined it. Worldly people belonging to other faiths describe the nature of substance out of their own imagination whichever unreal way and argue on the matter; here they are described as false.

            The “ Abhidheya “( description),” Sambandh” ( relationship) and “Prayojan” (objective)  of this Shastra are clear. The Abhidheya is description of the pure soul, Sambandh are the words describing this Shastra which in turn describe the soul and the Prayojan is the objective of attaining pure form of soul.

This is the objective or meaning of the first sutra.

Here in the first Gatha , Acharya has vowed to describe the Samaya Prabhrat. Hence the curiosity is felt that what is “ Samaya” hence that is described first. 



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