11. Samayasar Gatha 31-33

Now how does one offer obeisance to the  Tirthankaras in real form, that is described. The first Nishchaya prayer is recited removing the fallacy of the difference between the  knower and the known.

Gatha 31 : Those who have conquered  the senses and know the soul as different from other dravyas due to its nature of knowledge, they are  called Jitendriya by the saints who know reality.

Commentary : Those munis who have separated self from Dravyendriyas (physical senses), Bhavendriyas (knowledge from the senses), and subjects of the senses; and experience their soul as different from all other dravyas are definitely Jitendriya.

How are the Dravyendriyas ? – Due to the eternal unlimited bondage, the differentiation of self and others has been obliterated ( i.e. it cannot distinguish between the self and others). And how is it ? – They are manifested in the form of the body i.e. they are so much mixed with the soul that one cannot distinguish between the soul and them. Differentiating those dravyendriyas by means of practicing  pure differentiating knowledge using the resources of the internally fine conscious nature is the conquering of the dravyendriyas.

How are the Bhavendriyas ? Each of the senses specializes in a specific subject and therefore they comprehend the subjects in a fragmented form i.e. the knowledge from them is produced in a fragmented form. Realizing these bhavendriyas as different from the experience of the unfragmented conscious nature itself is the conquering of the Bhavendriyas.

How are the subjects of the senses ? Due to the closeness of the knower and the known, they appear same as the experience of the self. Separating them  using the power of own conscious nature ,identifying them as incapable of being same as self, thus distinguishing those subjects of the touch etc senses known by bhavendriyas as different from self is conquering the subjects of the senses.

In this manner the sensory knowledge and the subjects of the senses were having fallacy of knower and the known. After separating it the soul established oneness with the self in an unshakable form like that of a stone carving which remains unchangeable at all times.

How does one know ? Floating over all the objects i.e. in spite of knowing them the knowledge does not become like them. It is ever illuminant within the self , indestructible, siddha (independent). Such nature of knowledge is in reality different from all other dravyas because the knowing nature does not exist in other  insentient   dravyas. Therefore it is different from all ; the one who knows the soul to be like that , he is Jitendriya Jina ( conqueror of the senses).

This concludes the first prayer in real form. Here the known were the subjects of the senses and the knower was the soul. Due to the extreme closeness of them, they used to appear as same. By means of differentiating knowledge they were identified as different which removed the fallacy of the knower and the known.

Now the second real prayer removes the fallacy of Bhavya- Bhavak  in next gatha :

Gatha 32 : The Muni who overcomes delusion and knows his own soul to be different from all other dravya-bhavas because of his knowing nature; he is called Jitamoha by the knowers of reality.

Commentary : The Moha karma which is ready to fructify and give its results, is called Bhavak, and the one who responds  and acts accordingly – such a soul is called Bhavya. Separating that Moha by means of differentiating knowledge, overcoming it and conquering the Bhavya-Bhavak anomaly , the one who experiences the soul as one within himself , is called Jita Moha Jina since he has overcome delusion.

How is that soul ? -  Floats over the entire universe and is ever illuminant, permanently lit within himself, indestructible and Siddha; in reality due to its nature of knowledge is different from the other bhavas generated due to other dravyas – such knowing nature is not present in all other bhavas. Such knowing nature soul is experienced by the Jita Moha Jina.

Explanation : Our soul functions as Bhavya i.e. follows the dictates of the Bhavak – Moha on its fruition. He who experiences self differently  by means of differentiating knowledge is called Jita Moha Jina. In this manner by overcoming the Bhavak-Bhavya Bhava , the second Nishchaya prayer is conducted. Here the scenario of the Muni climbing the spiritual ladder called Upasham Sreni is under consideration wherein the Moha is not experienced since it has been suppressed ; he is called Jita Moha. Here Moha is overcome but not destroyed.

Although in this gatha only Moha has been named but, this should be described by replacing Moha with 16 subjects namely : attachment, aversion, anger, pride, deceit, greed, karma, nokarma, mind, speech, body,( these 11) and five senses namely hearing, vision, smell, taste, touch and then considered similarly for others.

Now the third real prayer is described which destroys Bhavya-Bhavak bhava:

Gatha 33: The saint who has conquered Moha i.e. whose Moha has been depreciated and finally removed from existence, that saint is called Ksheena Moha by the knowers of Nishchaya naya.

Commentary : This third Nishchaya prayer describes the saint who has overcome Moha by means of differentiating knowledge as described above by experiencing the knowing nature  to be different from other dravyas; now further by immersing himself into his own nature he reaches a stage wherein the Moha is destroyed totally such that it does not fructify again.

In this manner the Bhavak karma of Moha has been diminished first and later it is destroyed.  At the same moment the soul gets rid of the Vibhava form  Bhavya bhava also. By establishing oneness with the absence of Bhavya-Bhavak bhava and becoming one with the unperturbed own self of permanent nature, he is called Ksheena Moha jina which is the third Nishchaya prayer.

Explanation : The Muni firstly makes effort to suppress and conquer the Moha. Later he returns to Kshayopasham bhava and with greater effort he destroys Moha from existence altogether and attains the Paramatma form of knowing nature. Then he is called Ksheena Moha Jina. Here also, like the  previous gatha , the word Moha should be replaced with attachment, aversion, anger, pride, deceit, greed, karma, nokarma, mind, speech, body,( these 11) and five senses namely hearing, vision, smell, taste, touch to generate 16 sutras and considered in the same manner.

Now this prayer of Nishchaya and Vyavahar is explained by the kalash next:

Shloka 27: Although the body and soul have oneness from the aspect of Vyavahara naya, there is no unity from the aspect of Nishchaya naya. Therefore the prayer of the body represents that of the soul or the person only in the aspect of Vyavahara naya , not from Nishchaya viewpoint. In reality the prayer of consciousness alone is can be the worship of consciousness. That consciousness is worshiped here as Jitendriya, JitaMoha and Ksheena Moha as described above. Hence it establishes that the question asked by the ignorant in the context of worship of Tirthankara has been replied by means of the system of Nayas that soul and the body are not one from real point of view.

Further,the next kalash says that  by understanding it one learns the differentiating knowledge :

Shloka 28: In this manner those saints, who realizing the true nature of reality, separated the unity of soul with body by means of the system of Nayas; such that the true knowledge is revealed immediately. How is it revealed ? With high speed , filled with blissful experience, having unity with self.

Explanation : Here by the distinction of Nishchaya naya from Vyavahara naya, the great difference between the soul and the other dravyas has been clarified. Who will remain ignorant after knowing this i.e. he attains differentiating knowledge. Because when knowledge learns his own nature by his own experience then definitely it projects soul as distinct from all other entities, unless one is having extremely long worldly journey ahead of him, in which case there is nothing to be said.

In this manner the statement of ignorant that “ I am sure that the body itself is the soul “ has been rejected.

Now Acharya says that the ignorant was deluded due to presence of eternal sanskara(practice) of Moha which made him believe body and soul to be the same. However now he has been illuminated by the flame of knowledge of the substance. Just as a person had defect in his eyesight which made him see the colours etc. in a false manner, now that the defect is removed and he sees the reality as it is. In the same manner, the  ignorant has removed the obscuration due to karmas and has become a knowing person. Such a person , knowing his own self, understanding reality and with right belief, he now desires to conduct within his own nature.