5. Samayasar Gatha 12

Further Acharya says that the Vyavahara naya is also relevant to someone at some time , hence should not be discarded totally , because it has been preached as follows:

Gatha 12 : Those who have reached the state of Shuddha Naya and have the right belief , knowledge and conduct – to such followers of reality , the Shuddha Naya is recommended. ( Where the preaching is from the aspect of purity , it is known as Shuddha Naya. Here Shuddha Atma is the goal therefore the soul should be known as permanent , pure , of the form of knower only.) Those who have not reached the pinnacle of right belief, knowledge and conduct and are at the development stage only, for them Vyavahara is recommended as a means.

Commentary : Here it is clarified by means of an example. Those people who have experienced the highest pure form of the self similar to the last stage of purification of gold; for them the intermediate states of impure self are irrelevant similar to the first , second etc intermediate states of purification of gold. For them the preaching of shuddha naya describing the shuddha dravya of the nature of immovable, indivisible, singular, unified form is meaningful similar to the last stage of purification of gold.

But if some other persons, who experience the self as of intermediate nature , similar to the first , second stages of purification of gold, who have not experienced the pure self like the last stage of purified gold ;for them the preaching of Vyavahara  naya describing the various impure bhavas of the impure Dravya  is purposeful at that time like the teaching of alphabets. Just as auspicious means provides the fruits of such effort ; same way Vyavahara dharma result in   realization of self as a fruit.    

Here one Sanskrita Gatha is quoted by Acharya :

Acharya says : “ O Bhavya people !” If you want to follow the path of Jina then do not give up either of Vyavahra or Nishchaya Nayas , because without Vyavahara there will not be any path to traverse, and without Nishchaya naya  , there will not be any goal/direction.

Explanation : In the world Gold is famous for being purest when belonging to grade 16. Upto grade 15 it would have some impurity in due to presence of other materials hence it is called impure. For purification it is heated and melted in several cycles. After 16^th cycle it emerges as the pure gold which is known as grade 16. Those people who have knowledge, belief and availability of 16^th grade pure Gold, for them 15^th grade gold is of no use. However to those who have not achieved  16^th grade gold, for them even the 15^th grade gold is useful.

In the same way the Jiva substance is impure in many ways due to interaction with pudgala. To those people who have realized the knowledge- belief and conduct of the true knower self  different   from all other dravyas; for them the impure naya describing the many forms of interaction of pudgala dravya with Jiva  is meaningless. However till the pure bhava manifestation has not been achieved, till that time, all the descriptions of impure naya are meaningful depending upon his state. So long as the Samayak Darshan in the form of right knowledge and belief has not been attained, it is meaningful to traverse the Vyavahara path which involves listening to Jina sermons describing the true nature of soul, accepting them and paying obeisance to such Gurus preaching them, worshiping Jina statue etc.

To those who have attained right knowledge and belief but not achieved the true conduct, to them it is advisable to follow the path described above plus acceptance of Anuvrita (partial vows), Mahavrita (total vows) as means to give up dependence on other dravyas; follow the Samiti (attitude of carefulness), gupti (restraints), meditating of the form of five parameshti , keeping company of followers of such path, study of scriptures to learn specific subjects, thus traverse the Vyavahara path by self and help others to traverse, to preach and adopt the vyavahara path is meaningful.

Just because the Vyavahara naya is called untrue in certain aspect , therefore believing it to be totally untrue if someone gives it up then by giving up vyavahara of the form of shubhopayoga  without attaining shuddhopayoga , he would fall into ashubhopayoga and thus traverse indiscriminately and attain Narak etc and ultimately land in Nigod, and thus transmigrate in the universe for ever.

Hence till the pure soul is not achieved which is the subject of real shuddha naya , even vyavahara naya is meaningful – this is stated by gurus who are followers of Syadvad principles.

Now  the commentator Acharya adds a kalash here :

Shloka 4 : Although the subjects of Nishchaya and Vyavahara Nayas are opposite to each other , even so that difference is removed by the words of Jinendra Bhagawan recognized by the use of “Syat” term.  Those people who follow them, they practice it with great affinity.

How are those people ? Those who have on their own , without any other cause vomited the fruition of  Mithyatva karmas. They very soon experience the bright glory of Samayasar i.e the Shuddha Atma ( pure soul).

How is that Samayasar ? It has not been born new. So far it was obscured by the karmas. Now it has been revealed totally.

And how is it ? it is untouchable by all the onesided views of Kunaya (false nayas) i.e. it cannot be negated by false views hence is indestructible.

Explanation : The words of Jina are of the form of Syadvad. The subjects of two nayas appear contradictory to each other. For example what is existent cannot be non existent, what is one cannot be many, what is permanent cannot be transient, what is divisible cannot be indivisible, what is pure cannot be impure. In this manner the subjects of the Nayas contradict each other. Even so, the words of Jina remove the contradiction by use of right perspective between existent-non existent, one-many, permanent-transient, divisible-indivisible, pure- impure  and the true form of the substance is revealed without use of imagination. Therefore the words of Jina make use of Dravyarthik naya (aspect of the dravya) and Paryayarthik naya ( aspect of manifestation)  out of necessity and therefore Nishchaya is stated from the point of view of pure Dravyarthik naya and Vyavahara naya is stated from the point of view of ashuddha dravyarthika form Paryayarthik naya.

In this manner those people who absorb themselves in the words of Jina, they realize the pure soul in reality. Other faith followers like Samkhya etc who are ekantvadi ( having singular aspect view)  do not realise it because the substance is not subject of one sided view alone. Those ekantvadi accept only one side of the dharma alone and imagine a false form which is unreal, hence they are corrupted by Mithyatva only.

In this manner the twelve Gathas described above form the introduction of the granth Samayasara.

Now Acharya describe the from of Nishchaya Samyaktva ( true right belief) from the aspect of Shuddha Naya. Because in other scriptures generally the Ashuddha Naya i.e. Vyavahara Naya is the primary aspect from which belief in Jiva etc Tatva ( elements) is called Samyaktva. Whereas here in the Gatha it is stated that the knowledge of Jiva etc tatva from  real shuddha naya is cause for samyaktva. Therefore now the commentator ( Amritchandracharya) elaborate it by three shlokas. In the first he says that although Vyavahara naya is stated to be useful in some aspect even so it is not important.

Shloka 5 : It is regrettable that Vyavahara naya is said to be usable for support in the primary stage  for those who are attempting to realise the pure self. However for those people who observe the conscious real self devoid of other dravyas and their thoughts within themselves , believe in the same and remain stationary in their conduct, for them the vyavahara naya is irrelevant.

Explanation : After knowing the pure self , having its belief and conduct  then the Ashuddha  naya is irrelevant. It does not serve any purpose.

In the next shloka he describes the form of Nishchaya Samyaktva.

Shloka 6 : Observing the soul as different from all other dravyas and believing it to be so is Samyak darshan as a rule.

How is the soul ? It remains within its Guna-Paryaya ( qualities & modes).

And how is it ? From shuddha naya point of view it is stationary within itself.

And how is it ? It is like a dense block of knowledge. The extent of soul is the same as the extent of right belief. Hence Acharya wishes that discarding the practice of nine tatvas, this single soul be attained.

Explanation : In all the natural states and Nimittik states of the soul, it remains immersed within its qualities and manifestations, and by shuddha naya it remains within itself. By shuddha naya his form is singularly that of the knower and differentiating it with respect to all other dravyas and their bhavas and believing and seeing it in such a way alone is Samyak Darshan. The Vyavahara Naya describes the soul in many ways and thus Samyak darshan also becomes of many forms which is contradictory and not acceptable. All these anomalies vanish when we enter the territory of Shuddha Naya hence is correct.

How is the form of Soul which is subject of Shuddha Naya ? It is of the form of dense block of knowledge. He is of the nature of knowledge knowing all the Loka as well as Aloka. The belief in this entity is Samyak Darshan. There is no other substance in its domain and all as manifestations of the soul only. Hence Samyak Darshan is soul only and none else.

Explanation  : One should remember that nayas are part of sruta pramana; hence the shuddha naya is also part of sruta pramana. Further  sruta pramana is indirect knowledge which knows the substance based upon the omniscient described scriptural knowledge. This shuddha naya also describes indirectly, the extraordinary consciousness property different from all other dravyas, immersed within all the conscious manifestations of the soul, of the nature of omniscience with capability to know the loka –aloka. The householder jiva follower of Vyavahara naya believes this only and accepts the scripture of omniscient as the pramana (knowledge) and believes in that form of soul  and such belief alone is Nishchaya Samyak Darshan. So long as his belief is limited to the differentiated form of tatvas (Jiva etc ) which is subject of Vyavahara naya , till then he does not have Nishchaya Samyak Darshan.

Hence Acharya says that discarding the practice of nine tatvas, he is desirous of attaining the single pure soul subject of shuddha naya. He does not desire anything else. This is the prayer of Veetrag state and not acceptance of specific naya. Because if there is  prejudice to any specific naya then also it is Mithyatva.

Now someone enquires that if we believe the soul to be subject of experience of the conscious state , then whether it would be acceptable as Samyak Darshan ? 

Its reply : Except for the Atheists all others believe soul to be of the form of consciousness. If that alone is called  Samyaktva then all would have Samyak darshan. Therefore accepting the form of soul as described by the omniscient, believing in that alone is Nishchaya Samyaktva.

Now in the third shloka Acharya says now the bright illuminated soul appears which is different from all other dravyas and is subject of shuddha naya: 

Shloka 7: Now atma jyoti (bright illuminated soul) appears subservient to the shuddha naya. Although that atma jyoti belongs the nine tatvas but it does not abdicate its own oneness with itself.

Explanation : The soul in the form of nine tatvas appears of many forms but if we consider its own different nature then it does not relinquish its  celebrated conscious form atma jyoti and that alone is known with the Shuddha naya and that alone is Samyaktva.