Chapter 7 : Bandh Adhikar

38. Samayasar Gatha 237- 249

Now bandh enters the stage.

First of all, commentator recites the glory of Samyakgyan which knows all the substances in reality and appears separating the bandh from self, by means of the following kalash for auspicious beginning:

Shloka 163: Samyakgyan makes appearance.

How does it make appearance? – blowing the bandh (bondage) away it makes appearance.

How is the bandh ? – Which is of the form of erruption  or fructification of ragas filled with its intensity, making the entire world careless and sozzled with different types of effects , dances wildly all round- such bandh is blown away by right knowledge.

How is the knowledge? – Which feeds on nectar of bliss regularly. It makes appearance revealing its own natural knowing nature. It is equanimous, tolerant, stationary and has vast capacity. It is unperturbed since there is no cause for perturbation. It is without blemish and without possessions. It does not have any acceptance or rejection related to  other substances. – such knowledge is revealed.

Explanation: Now the bandh tatva enters the stage which will be blown away by knowledge revealing itself and then dance; its glory is described in this kalash and preyed that such knowledge-bliss form soul remains ever explicit.

Now the nature of bandh tatva is considered, there firstly the cause of bandh is described:

Gatha 237: It is explained by means of an example. Just as some person exercises, practices with weapons after application of oil etc. on his body in a ground where there is a lot of dust.

Gatha 238: There he penetrates and chops several Tal trees, banana plants and bamboo trees etc. and destroys several sentient and unsentient  dravyas.

Gatha 239: In this manner engaged in destruction by means of several tools and special activites, one should consider seriously that why does that person get covered with dust ?

Gatha 240: There the application of oil etc. on the person is the cause for bondage of dust – this should be known definitely; therefore there is no bondage of dust due to other activities of body – this is definite.

Gatha 241: In the same manner the Mithyadrishti jiva is engaged in different kinds of activities. In his upayoga he engages in bhavas of raga and gets covered with the dust of karma form and attracts bondage.

Commentary : In this world, in reality, just as a person after application of oil on his body, practices with different weapons in a place where there is lot of dust and in the process of destroying several sentient-insentient dravyas with different tools, he gets covered with dust.

Now consider that what is the cause for collection of dust ?

First of all the ground having lots of dust is not the cause for the collection of dust. If ground were the cause then those who have not applied oil etc. and are practicing in that ground should also have collected the dust, but such is not the case.  Practicing with lot of weapons etc activities also is not the cause for dust bondage. If practicing with weapons were also the cause for dust bondage then those who have not applied oil etc. also should have dust bondage due to practicing with weapons. Different types of tools or equipments are also not cause for bondage of dust since if that were the cause then even those who have not applied oil etc. should have dust bondage due to the same equipments. Further the destruction of sentient insentient dravyas is also not cause for dust bondage since if that were the case then those who have not applied oil etc. should have dust bondage due to destruction of sentient insentient dravyas.

Hence with the force of logic it is established that the application of oil etc. slippery liquids are cause for bondage.

In the same way the Mithyadrishti Jiva engaging himself in raga etc. form bhavas in his soul, indulging in activities of mind-speech-body in this loka full of pudgalas of  karma kind naturally, and indulging in destruction of sentient –insentient things by means of different tools, gets bonded with dust of karmas.

Here it should be considered that what is the real cause for the bondage?

First of all, the loka filled with pudgalas of karma type naturally ( karmana vargana) are not cause for the bondage. If Karmana vargana were the cause then even the Siddhas who are also residing in this loka, should have bondage. Activities of mind-speech-body of the yoga form also are not cause for bondage. Since if such were the case then the Samyami people (people with restraint) holder of  Yathakhyat Charitra who have activities of mind-speech-body should also have bondage. Different kinds of tools and situations are also not cause for bondage since if such were the case then the Kevalgyani people  having the eight types of auspicious tools would have bondage. The destruction of sentient and insentient things also is not cause for bondage since if such were the case then the Sadhus who practice Samiti (restraints of 5 types), and move  with lot of care should also have bondage due to destruction of sentient insentient things.

Hence with the force of logic it is established that indulging in raga etc. in upayoga alone is the cause for bondage.

Explanation: Here the statement is made from the primacy of Nishchaya naya. What is proved with indisputable logic alone is Nishchaya. Therefore in consideration of  the bondage it is proved unequivocally  that the bhavas of raga-dwesha-moha in the upayoga of the Mithyadrishti jiva are cause for bondage. Further the loka filled with pudgalas of karma type, yoga activities of mind-speech-body, different types of tools- situations or destruction of sentient-insentient etc. are not cause for bondage.

If those were also cause for bondage, then Siddhas, holders of Yathakhyat charitra, Keval gyanis, Munis practicing Samiti  also  should have bondage. But since they do not have bondage then those reasons suffer from the fault of inconsistency. Hence cause for bondage are raga etc. only – this is for sure.

Here the Munis indulging in practices of Samiti are included but the Avirat-Deshavirat (4^th and 5^th gunasthana) people are not included since they do not practice external Samiti. They do accrue certain bondage due to raga of charitra moha kind hence in the context of total lack of bondage, they have not been included. However from the point of view of internal bondage they can also be deemed to be bondage free.

Same is described by the kalash next:

Shloka 164:  What is the cause for karma bondage?  The loka filled to the brim with pudgalas of karma type is not the cause; Vibration form yoga i.e. activities of  mind-speech-body  are also not the cause; different types of tools and situations are also not the cause and destruction of sentient-insentient are also not the cause.

Then what is the cause for karma bondage? – The upayoga of the soul which indulges in oneness with bhavas of raga etc., those raga etc. alone are the cause for bondage of the jivas.

Explanation: Here from the point of view of Nishchaya naya only raga etc are described as cause for bondage.

Now Samyakdrishti person does not indulge in raga etc in upayoga. Knowing the difference of upayoga and raga etc. he does not accept ownership of raga etc. Hence he does not accrue bondage due to the above described reasons, as told next:

Gatha 242:  Just as the same person, removing all applications of oil etc., practices with weapons in a place full of dust.

Gatha 243: In the same way that person, penetrates and chops the ground underneath the Tal tree, banana trees, and bunch of bamboos ; thus indulges in destruction of sentient and insentient objects.

Gatha 244: Thus indulging in destruction and usage of different types of equipments, it should be considered from the point of view of reality that why that person does not accrue bondage of dust?

Gatha 245: The lack of application of oil on that person, that alone is definitely is the cause for non accrual of dust and not all other  activities of the body.

Gatha 246: In the same way, the Samyakdrishti Jiva is engaged in  several types of yoga activities, still he does not engage in raga etc. in his upayoga and therefore he does not accrue bondage of karma dust.

Commentary : Just as the same person, after removal of oil and such slippery materials, practices with the same weapons in the same  naturally dusty ground, using the same different kinds of tools, indulges in destruction of the same sentient – insentient objects and still does not accrue bondage of dust since he lacks the application of oil which was the cause of dust bondage. In the  same way the Samyakdrishti person, without indulging in raga in his soul, in the same loka filled with pudgalas of karma type, indulging in same activities of mind-speech-body, using the same kind of tools, engaged in destruction of the same sentient-insentient objects, does not accrue karma dust bondage, since he lacks the yoga of raga which is the cause for bondage.

Explanation: Samyakdrshti lacks the indulgence in ragas in spite of engaging in all other activities described above hence he does not accrue bondage of karma dust. The same has been explained earlier also.

Same is described by the kalash next:

Shloka 165: With above reasons, even though the loka is filled with karmana vargana so let it be; yoga of the form of vibration activities of mind-speech-body is there so let them be;  above described tools such as body, senses etc. are there so let them be; destruction of sentient-insentients is there so let them be; still this samyakdrishti does not bring ragas into the activities of upayoga and remaining only of the form of knowledge, does not accrue bondage for any of the above reasons. – such is the unshakable  samyakdrishti.  Oh see! Such is the great glory of samyakdarshan.

Explanation: Here the awesome glory of samyakdarshan is described. Loka, yoga, tools and destruction of sentient-insentient are not called cause for bondage. This should not be misconstrued as ‘ killing of other jiva is not himsa (violence)’, hence freely one can indulge in violence. Here the meaning is that if unintentionally the other jivas are harmed then there is no bondage accrued. However where intentionally other jivas are harmed , then definitely there is presence of raga etc. in the upayoga, then due to such harmful bhavas the bondage would accrue for sure. Where the intent of saving a jiva has been called Mithyatva from the aspect of Nishchaya naya then why the intent of killing would not be Mithyatva ? It would surely be. Therefore the statement should be understood using the principle of nayas and believed accordingly. Believing singularly is just Mithyatva.

Now to consolidate the same meaning and promoting activities of Vyavahara naya the next kalash is stated:

Shloka 166: Although loka etc. are not decribed  as cause for bondage and only ragas are called as cause for bondage , even then the wise ones should not indulge in unlimited and uncontrolled reckless activites. Since the activites without restraints are surely cause for bondage. The gyani does indulge in karmas or activities without desire, which is not described as cause for bondage. He knows also and indulges in karmas also , are these two activities not contradictory ? – knowing and doing are definitely contradictory.

Explantion: In the previous gathas the loka etc. has not been called cause for bondage hence it should not be understood that external activities of Vyavahara have been totally denied as cuase for bondage. Gyanis indulge in unintentional activies without desire, hence they don’t incur bondage , however they should not  indulge in  carelessness. Indulgence without restraint is cause for bondage. There is contradiction between knowing and doing. If one remains knower then there is no bondage, and if he is doer then there would be bondage too.

Now it is told that the one who knows does not do, and the one who does, does not know. This is because one who does, has attachment for karma; the attachment is  ignorance and ignorance is cause for bondage. Same is described in kalash next:

Shloka 167: The one who knows, does not indulge in doing and the one who indulges in doing, does not know. This is so because, the one who indulges in doing has attachment towards karmas definitely. That attachment is called by Munis as adhyavasan of ignorance. Such adhyavasan is a trait of Mithyadrishti  and as a rule it is cause for bondage.

Now the conviction of Mithyadrishti is revealed in next gatha:

Gatha 247: The person who believes that ‘ I kill other jivas or harm them and I am killed by other jivas or they harm me’ ; that person is oblivious, deluded, ignorant and opposite to that is gyani since they do not believe so.

Commentary : ‘ I kill other jivas and other jivas kill me’ – those who have such adhyavasaya i.e. definite belief, in reality it is ignorance. The one who has such adhyavasaya is ignorant. Due to such ignorance, he is mithyadrishti, and the one who does not have such ignorance is gyani and Samyakdrishti.

Explanation: ‘ I kill other jivas and other jivas kill me’ – such belief is ignorance. Those who have such belief, he is ignorant Mithyadrishti and those who do not believe this are gyani, samyakdrishti. Here it should be known that from the aspect of Nishchaya naya, the definition  of karta is such that the one who manifests independently in whichever bhava, he is called the karta  of that bhava. In reality no one can kill anybody. Those who believe that one can kill another is agyani. Calling karta from aspect  of nimitta-naimittik bhava is statement of Vyavahara naya; therefore believing rightly is samyakgyan.

Now it is enquired that why the adhyavasan is ignorance? – It is answered by the next gatha:

Gatha 248: Jivas die due to loss of Ayukarma – so is told by Jina deva. Hence  O brother! Your belief that ‘I kill other jivas’ , this is ignorance since you cannot take away  their ayukarma hence how can you kill them? 

Gatha 249: Further death of Jivas occur on loss of Ayukrama- so is told by Jina deva.  Hence o brother! You belief that ‘ I am  killed by other jivas’, this is your ignorance since other jivas cannot take away your ayukarma hence how could they kill you?

Commentary: Definitely the death of Jivas occur due to loss of their individual ayukarmas. If the ayu has not expired then nobody is capable to cause their death. Nobody can take away ayukarma of somebody else, since ayukarma expires only on our own usage. Hence no one is capable of killing somebody else. Those who believe or think that ‘I kill others or others kill me’ – such adhyavasaya is definitely ignorance.

Explanation: ‘ Whatever be the belief of Jivas and if things do not happen as per that belief’, then that alone is ignorance. My death cannot be caused by others and I cannot cause death of others, even then this jiva believes otherwise, then that alone is ignorance- this is statement from primacy of Nishchaya naya. From the aspect of nimitta-naimittik bhava the loss-gain of paryaya is called death-birth. There the person with whose nimitta the act was carried out is called responsible for the act (killing of someone else) but such a statement is Vyavahara. Here it should not be misunderstood that the Vyavahara naya is totally negated. Those who do not know Nishchaya, to remove their ignorance only, such statement is made. After knowing this, knowing the two nayas without contradiction, the form of nayas should be properly understood.