4. Samayasar Gatha 8-11

Further question arises that if it is so then why reality alone is not sermonized and why Vyavahara is taught at all ? In answer he says the next Gatha –

Gatha 8 : Just as we cannot make an Anarya ( Non Aryan) person understand anything without taking recourse to Anaryan (Non Aryan) language, in the same way we cannot sermonize reality without taking recourse to Vyavahara.

Commentary: Suppose  a Brahman told the word “ Swasti” to a Non Aryan person. Now that person is not familiar with the meaning of the word , hence he remained ignorant and kept staring at the Brahman like a male goat with wide eyes wondering “what did he say”? Then himself or another person knowing the languages of Brahmans and Non Aryans translated the word “ Swasti” as “ Live thou for ever “ . Immediately he is filled with pleasure and his eyes are filled with tears of joy, and he understands the meaning of the word “swasti”.

In the same manner, the people conversant with only vyavahara mode of activities, do not understand the term “Atma” (soul) , and being ignorant about its meaning keep staring at the speaker like the male goat with wide open eyes. However when the same Acharya or another Acharya who are capable of traversing on the path of Vyavahar (practical) and Nischaya (real) naya ( views) riding the chariot of right knowledge ,using the language of Vyavahara  naya , tell that “ the one who is always existent in darshan(vision) and Gyana(knowledge) is the atma(soul)”, then immediately understanding the meaning of the word “ Atma” , that person of Vyavahara mode is filled with pleasure due to generation of pleasant waves of knowledge.

In this example the world should be equated with the Non Aryan person, and Vyavahara naya with the Non Aryan language. Therefore Vyavahara  should be treated  as  a means of stating and understanding the reality. However just as the Brahman should not become non Aryan ; in the same manner the   Vyavahara naya should not be adopted singularly.

Explanation : The worldly people are unfamiliar with the realistic view because the  subject of realistic view is undifferentiated indivisible substance. They are familiar with the impure view  only which describes the subject using differentiation of several types. Hence they can understand the realistic view only through the means of impure view , therefore the Vyavahara is  considered as means of describing the reality and hence resorted to.

Here it should not be mistaken that the Vyavahara is being supported as basis for further progress. Actually the intention is to discard  the habit of using  Vyavahara, and   to reach the realistic view. It should be understood in correct perspective.

Now question arises that how can Vyvavahara naya  be treated as describer of reality ? In answer the next Gatha is stated :

Gatha 9:  The saints who have known the world call him SrutaKevali  , as the Jiva who has experienced his  own pure soul by means of sruta gyana in reality.

Gatha 10 : The Jina Deva call him sruta kevali as the one who knows the entire Sruta Gyana. Why ? Because  whatever is the knowledge is the soul only and thus knowing the soul he is Sruta Kevali.

Commentary (9&10) : ( Sruta Gyana is the secondary knowledge derived after knowing any thing using five senses and the mind. Entire Sruta Gyana stands for entire Dwadashang scripture which comprises of 12 Angs and the one who knows entire scripture is called Sruta Kevali)  The one who has known his own pure soul using Sruta is called Sruta Kevali – this is reality. And the one who knows entire sruta gyana is Sruta Kevali – this is Vyavahara.

Both sides are now examined. Whether the entire knowledge described is soul or non soul? If we take the first side that the knowledge is non soul then that cannot be true because all other five dravyas namely Akash etc are insentient non soul and they are not said to have any oneness with knowledge i.e. they do not have any relationship with knowing. Therefore if the first side is not true then the second side must be true i.e. Sruta Gyana is also soul only. Hence the one who knows his soul is Sruta Kevali – that only is proved which is reality.

In this manner the Vyavahara of  describing using differentiation between the knower and the knowledge has described reality only and nothing more or less or different. It is difficult to explain that the one who knows the pure soul using the sruta , is the srutakevali. Therefore the one who knows the entire srutagyana is srutakevali  which is a Vyavahara statement which also establishes the reality by establishing  the soul only.

Explanation : The one who knows the pure knower soul by knowing the scripture, is SrutaKevali – this is realistic statement. The one who knows entire scripture is srutakevali – this is a vyavahara statement. Here  knowledge of entire scripture is gyana and the same is the soul ; therefore knowing the gyana is same as knowing the soul and that itself is reality. In this manner the Vyavahara description of differentiation between the knower and the knowledge also described the reality and nothing different. Further , it is noted that the subject of reality is not describable in certain aspect. Hence vyavahara naya is resorted to for describing the soul.

Again question arises that earlier it was told not to follow Vyavahara but why should one not follow the Vyavahara which describes the reality? In answer the next Gatha is told :

Gatha 11: The vyavahara naya is non real and shuddha naya is real- this is stated by the saints. The Jiva that follows the reality , he definitely is right believer.

Commentary : Vyavahara naya is unreal hence it propounds the non existent, false, and unreal meaning. Only shuddha naya is real which propounds the existent, true and real meaning. It is shown by following example-

Just as with mixing of mud the natural pure appearance of water is obscured. Out of those who drink this water, most of them do not differentiate between the water and the mud and drink the muddy water itself. Few of the Jivas make the effort on their own and drink the naturally pure water by putting Alum into the muddy water which separates the water and the mud.

In the same manner, due to fruition of strong karmas the knowing nature of the soul is obscured and  such soul when experienced by the Jiva, they do not differentiate between the soul and karmas. Because their hearts are hypnotized by the vyavahara and they experience only the impure soul by   demonstrating the multifaceted manifestations. On the other hand those who accept the realistic shuddha naya , use their intelligence and apply the shuddha naya to differentiate between the knowing soul and  karmas and  thus experience the pure soul alone which is of the nature of knowing and where knowing nature alone is illuminated.

Those people who follow the real shuddha naya , they alone become right believer by making right observation. Those who always follow ashuddha naya , they cannot become right believer. Here the shuddha naya is like Alum in the example.

Therefore those who wish to see the soul as different than the karmas, they  should not adopt Vyavahara naya.

Explanation : Here Vyavahara naya is called unreal and the Shuddha naya is called real. By calling unreal it implies that its subject is non existent and is untruth. The subject of shuddha naya is indivisible unified permanent Dravya. In this aspect no division is accepted hence from the aspect of Shuddha Naya the division is called non existent and untruth. However it does not mean that there is nothing  from the aspect of divisions. If we believe so then just as Vedant call transient division as non existent or Maya , and accept only all pervading , one, indivisible, permanent pure Bramha  as the thing ,  the same would apply here also. Hence only one sided Shuddha naya leads to Mithyatva alone.

The sermon of Jina is of the form of Syadvad( doctrine of multifold standpoints) and based upon requirements it uses some naya as primary suppressing its opposite. Therefore it should be understood that the people are used to deal with Vyavahara of the type of divisions from beginingless time and the same is preached by one another extensively. In Jina’s agam also Vyavahara naya has been preached as a means to realise shuddha naya , but the Vyavahara leads to worldly transmigration only.

The Jivas never had an opportunity to observe from Shuddha naya point of view and  rarely one does preach about them hence not available. Hence here the benevolent Shri Guru has specially given this sermon from the point of view of Shuddha naya since its adoption leads to Moksha. By accepting Shuddha maya as real and true, people gain right belief. So long as people remain busy with Vyavahara without realizing it, then they do not attain true Samyaktva of the nature of right knowledge and belief of the soul.  This should be understood.