8. Sheel Pahud
Acharya offers obeisance to last Tirthankara Vardhaman swamy
for auspicious beginning of Sheel Pahud:
Gatha 1. Acharya says that offering obeisance by means
of mind, speech and body to shri Vardhaman swamy who is visionary of all the
substances of the lok and has feet like red lotus flower; I narrate the sheel
i.e. the natural qualities of soul.
Sheel and gyan are not contradictory:
Gatha 2. Gyani people
have not told any contradiction between Sheel (virtue) and Gyan. However
the main thing is that without Sheel,
the subjects of the senses destroy the knowledge.
Its not so that where sheel is there the knowledge is absent
or where knowledge is there the sheel is absent. However without sheel the
subjects of the senses destroy the knowledge i.e. gyan is turned into
Mithyatva, raga-dwesha form Agyan.
The scarceness of detachment towards sensory subjects is
described:
Gatha 3. Knowledge is
attained with lot of difficulty and after attaining knowledge maintaining the
spirit of the same is even more difficult. The Jiva with the spirit of the
knowledge relinquishes the sensual subjects with greater difficulty.
It has already been told that the sensory subjects corrupt
the knowledge hence renouncing them only is Susheel.
Next it is told that so long as Jiva indulges in sensory
subjects, he does not know the knowledge and without knowing gyan, even if he
is detached from sensory subjects, he does not destroy the karmas:
Gatha 4. So long as the
Jiva is within the power of sensual subjects, till then he has not attained
knowledge. Without having the knowledge, the renunciation of sensual subjects
alone does not enable destruction of previously accrued karmas.
Even if without experiencing the knowledge, if he discards
sensory subjects, then he might have renounced present subjects but the karmas
which were accrued earlier, they cannot get destroyed without experience of the
knowledge. Therefore only with
accompaniment of knowledge, renunciation of sensory subjects is best.
The sequence of knowledge, adoption of Ling and tapa is
described:
Gatha 5. If someone accepts
knowledge without charitra , accepts the
attire of Muni without having Darshan, performs the tapa without having Sanyam,
then all those deeds are meaningless.
If one has knowledge of venerable-despicable but does not
adopt renunciation then the knowledge is useless. Accepting attire without
belief is meaningless. Sanyam is restraining the senses and compassion towards
jivas; without these performing tapa is also fruitless.
Therefore in right order even if less is carried out, it is
more benedictory:
Gatha 6. If knowledge
is purified with Charitra and Ling (attire of Muni) is purified with Darshan and Tapa is
accompanied with Sanyam, then even limited conduct gives great benefits.
Even with less knowledge, the pure conduct is highly beneficiary.
With right belief the attire of Muni gives great benefits. With compassion and
restraints even less tapa gives great benefits.
Those who continue to be desirous of sensual subjects in
spite of having knowledge, they wander in the world :
Gatha 7. Some ignorant
people deluded with sensual subjects, in
spite of having Gyan, obsessed with sensual pleasures, they wander in the four
Gati form world.
After attainment of knowledge, renunciation of passions and
sensual subjects is benedictory otherwise the gyan is equivalent to Agyan only.
After attainment of knowledge he should do as follows:
Gatha 8. Those Munis
who are detached from sensual subjects, knowing the nature of Gyan, and are continuously engaged in the spirit of the same; they
accompanied with Tapa, primary and
secondary qualities destroy the four Gati form world, there is no doubt about
it.
After attainment of knowledge, he should engage in the
spirit of the same with renunciation of passions and sensual subjects. Adopting
primary qualities he should perform tapa to attain salvation- this is the path
of knowledge with sheel for Moksha.
Jiva gets purified with knowledge accompanied with sheel .
This is elaborated with example:
Gatha 9. Just as gold
gets purified and shining with application of Suhaga ( borax) and salt, in the
same way, this Jiva also gets purified with the pure knowledge form water.
The prime quality of soul is knowledge but that is impure
due to presence of Mithyatva. Hence to remove the Mithyatva form impurity, he
has to contemplate of the soul in a concentrated manner so as to destroy the
karmas. Then he can be a pure soul with infinite-four qualities.
The one who remains engrossed in sensual subjects in spite
of having knowledge, it is not due to fault of knowledge, it is due to his
being evil natured:
Gatha 10. Those having pride of their
knowledge, get obsessed with sensual pleasures, it is not the fault of
knowledge, but they are evil people with weak intellect.
On account of delusion and destiny, the person becomes evil and
the knowledge gets corrupted. Therefore in spite of having knowledge, he gets
engrossed in enjoying sensual subjects. The function of knowledge is to tell a
thing the way it is. But manifestation
correctly is the responsibility of the person. One should know that.
How does one attain Nirvana :
Gatha 11. When Gyan,
Darshan and Tapa form conduct is accompanied with Samyaktva, then Jivas with
pure Charitra attain complete salvation.
Right Conduct accompanied with right darshan and right gyan
eliminates raga-dwesha bhavas and the Jiva attains Nirvana. This is the path.
Now Nirvana from aspect of sheel is described:
Gatha 12. Those who are
detached with sensual pleasures, are protector of virtues, practitioner of
flawless and firm Charitra purified with Samyak Darshan, such people surely
attain Moksha.
Disenchantment from sensual subjects is protection of sheel.
With sheel only the samyak darshan gets purified and the Charitra gets
strengthened. Such people surely attain Nirvana.
Even if someone has not become detached but if he accepts
the path of Nirvana to be such then he would attain path also, but those who
believe enjoyments of senses only to be the path, then their knowledge is
meaningless:
Gatha 13. Those people
who are Gyani and are obsessed with sensual pleasures but they direct the true
path to others, they are said to be able to attain right path themselves. However
those who direct the faulty path to others, their knowledge is of no use.
Here the implication is that due to fruition of Charitramoha
a person with right knowledge, may not get detached immediately but if he
advocates the right path then he also would attain the path sooner or later.
But the one who projects false path as the right path, his knowledge is also
useless. That knowledge is Mithyagyan.
Those who praise the fraudulent scriptures, who are devoid
of sheel then in spite of having knowledge they cannot be devotee:
Gatha 14. Those people
who are quite knowledgeable of several scriptures but praise faulty dharma and
wrong shastras, they are devoid of sheel, vrita and knowledge, hence definitely
they are not worshipers of the same qualities.
Those who have lot of knowledge, but they praise false
faiths and fraudulent scriptures, then they are afflicted with Mithyatva and
their knowledge is also corrupted. They are Mithyadrishti.
Even if he is handsome with beauty etc. but if he is devoid
of sheel then his Manushya birth is useless:
Gatha 15. Those people
who are young, attractive, handsome with beauty of the body and proud of wealth
etc. but are devoid of sheel and such qualities, then their Manushya birth is
of no use.
They have misused the Manushya birth which is quite
difficult to achieve. They did not utilise it for attaining Samyak darshan etc.
Therefore in spite of great knowledge of scriptures, it is
the sheel which is paramount:
Gatha 16. In spite of
knowledge of shastras of grammar, verse, Vaisheshik, Vyavahara, Nyaya etc. and even
Jain Shastras also; practice of Sheel i.e. right conduct has been considered as the best.
In spite of knowing scriptures if one is interested in
sensual subjects only then the knowledge of scriptures is meaningless.
Those who are adorned with virtues are dear even to the
devas.
Gatha 17. Even Devas
like the Bhavya Jivas adorned with sheel form quality. Those who are devoid of
sheel and even if they are knowledgeable of entire scriptures, they are few in
the world since nobody likes them.
If one knows lots of
scriptures but if he is obsessed with
sensual subjects then nobody helps him since one does not assist thieves
and unruly people in the world. Those who are adorned with sheel are assisted
even by Devas, leave apart the human beings.
Those who have sheel, their Manushya birth is successful:
Gatha 18. Those who are
inferior in all possible ways, ugly and are aged; in spite of it if their sheel
is the best i.e. if they are not obsessed with sensual subjects then their
manushya birth is praiseworthy.
Even if they are most inferior from aspect of other
qualities but if their nature is best with sheel, then their taking manushya
birth is successful.
All noble activities
belong to the family of sheel only:
Gatha 19. Compassion
towards Jivas, conquering of the senses, truth, non-stealing, celibacy,
contentment, Samyak Darshan, Gyan and Tapa, all these qualities belong to the
family of Sheel, i.e. if Sheel is present then all these are automatically
present.
Sheel is the nature of Jiva while Mithyatva and passions are
Kusheel ( bad sheel) which are worldly nature. Susheel (good sheel) is directed
towards Moksha. Those who do not have it, they still have long to stay in the
world.
Sheel only is tapa:
Gatha 20. Sheel only is
pure Tapa, Sheel only is purity of Darshan, Sheel only is purity of Gyan, Sheel
only is enemy of sensual subjects and Sheel only is the ladder for climbing the
palace of Moksha.
Susheel is renunciation of Mithyatva and passions. It is the
nature of soul hence if one is on the path to Moksha then he would be adorned
with sheel, tapa, darshan, gyan etc.
Next it is told that poison of the form of sensual subjects
is extremely strong:
Gatha 21. Just as a
person under the influence of sensual subjects gets killed by the subjects
themselves, in the same way the poison of all the deadly trasa and sthavar jivas kills other jivas.
However amongst all the poisons the poison of sensual subjects is the
strongest.
Although the poison of snakes etc. or stahvar plants kills
people, the poison of sensual subjects is the strongest.
On consuming poison, one dies once only but sensual subjects
make him traverse endlessly:
Gatha 22. Jiva
suffering with pains of poison dies only once but the Jiva being destroyed by
poison of sensual pleasures wanders in the forest form world endlessly.
The obsession towards sensual subjects cause such karma
bondage that one undergoes several birth and deaths.
The obsession towards sensual pleasures causes misery in all
four gatis:
Gatha 23. Jivas
obsessed with sensual pleasures suffer the miseries of Narak Gati and undergo various griefs in Tiryanch and
Manushya Gati. Even in Deva Gati they find misfortune being lowly Devas and suffer.
The Jivas obsessed with sensual subjects does not have
happiness anywhere. Sensual enjoyments are accompanied with distress and
restlessness, still the Jiva imagines pleasure in them. However the Gyani is
detached form them.
There is no harm in relinquishing the sensual subjects:
Gatha 24. Just as in blowing
away of the husk, Manushya does not lose
anything, in the same way the wise people engaged in sheel and tapa discard the
sensual pleasures form poison like the oilcakes and throw it away.
Just as after squeezing juices out sugarcane the husk is
useless and can be thrown; in the same way Gyanis know the pleasures to be like
husk. The sensual subjects were subjects of knowledge which are known to
Gyanis, then the subjects remain like husk which can be thrown. Blessed are
those Gyanis who knowing the sensual subjects to be merely subjects of knowledge, do not get
obsessed.
Out of all the body parts the most beautiful is sheel only:
Gatha 25. In the human
body some parts are beautiful which are round and some which are half-round, some
which are straight and some which are broad, but amongst all the parts the
sheel has been considered to be the most beautiful. Without sheel, even a
person with beautiful parts of his body is not presentable.
A person even though he is beautiful is denounced by all if he
is kusheel. Therefore in this lok sheel only is most cherishable.
Those who are foolish with perverse knowledge and are
obsessed with sensual subjects, are kusheel who traverse in the world:
Gatha 26. Ignorant
people having faith in Mithya Dharma and obsessed with sensual pleasures keep
wandering in the world like the Noria ( water-bucket wheel) and make others
also to suffer in the world endlessly.
There are several people who imagine the enjoyments of
sensual subjects are beneficial and are
of service to their religion. They spread the same philosophy to others also.
They operate like the bucket-wheel which keeps going round without any end to
their journey. Not only they suffer, they cause others also to be miserable.
The bondage of karmas accrued due to sensual enjoyments is
shattered by gyani people by means of tapa themselves:
Gatha 27. The knots of
the karmas which have been tied to the soul on account of obsession with
sensual pleasures and moha bhavas, the wise people break them with qualities of
Tapa, sheel and Sanyam.
Soul only has accrued these karmas on account of raga
bhavas. By means of differentiating knowledge, identifying ragas and self
differently with the tools of tapa, sanyam, sheel, one breaks those bondages.
The soul is glorified with sheel which is demonstrated with
an example:
Gatha 28. Just as a
ocean filled with jewels is glorified
only with water, in the same way soul having tapa, vinay, sheel, daan etc.
qualities form jewels is glorious with sheel only.
Although the sea has several jewels but still water gives it
its name. In the same way even with several qualities the sheel only enables soul
to attain Nirvana.
Now it is propagated that people with sheel only attain
Moksha:
Gatha 29. Acharya asks
that have dogs, donkeys, cows etc. animals and women have been observed to
attain Moksha? Surely not. Only those who can make efforts for the fourth Purushartha(Moksha) are seen to
attain Moksha.
The four purusharthas are well known as dharma, artha, kaam
and Moksha. Of these the Moksha is attained by purush only that is why the term
is called purushartha. The others are incapable of having sheel that is why
they cannot have Moksha.
Further it is told that without sheel, with knowledge alone
one cannot get Moksha:
Gatha 30. If the Gyani
people obsessed with sensual pleasures are believed to attain Moksha then why
did Satyaki son- Rudra having knowledge of ten Poorvas go to Narak ?
With dry (spirit-less) knowledge alone one cannot get Moksha
just as Rudra, in spite of having knowledge of ten poorvas went to Narak since
he practiced kusheel.
Without sheel, with knowledge alone the bhavas do not get
purified:
Gatha 31. If wise
people have declared that shuddha bhava can be attained by knowledge only and
without having sheel, then why were the bhavas of Rudra having knowledge of ten
Poorvas not purified ? Therefore for attaining purity of bhavas, sheel only is
the prime cause.
Knowledge only described the subjects of knowledge which
becomes contrary with presence of Mithyatva and passions. Hence elimination of
Mithyatva and passions only is sheel. If someone becomes Muni without sheel
then also he gets corrupted. Therefore treat sheel as Primary.
If one adopts sheel even in Narak then being detached from
sensual subjects, he can attain Tirthankara state after returning from there:
Gatha 32. The one who
is detached from sensual subjects, does not suffer the miseries of Narak also .
Coming out of there he attains Tirthankara state, thus has been told by Jina
Vardhaman Bhagwan.
In Jain scriptures it is told that even from 3rd
Narak one can return and become Tirthankara. This is the glory of sheel only.
There with Samyaktva, he suffers the miseries of Narak also to very small extent and later he can attain
Arihant state and subsequently Moksha. All this is due to glory of sheel.
Same is now concluded:
Gatha 33. In this way,
Jinendra Bhagwan who has seen and known
all the substances of the Lok by means of Keval Gyan, has described in
detail the form of Moksha which is
blissful beyond senses, which is attained by means of Sheel.
Omniscient has told that sheel provides the blissful Moksha
state. Bhavya Jivas should therefore adopt sheel. More need not be told.
Further it is told that sheel causes Nirvana in several ways
as follows:
Gatha 34. Five types of
conducts namely Samyaktva, Gyan, Darshan, Tapa and Veerya destroy the
previously bonded karmas with the assistance of soul. Just as fire burns the
old fuel with support of wind.
Here sheel is described to be like wind which enables fire
of the form of five conducts to destroy the forest of old karmas. Here sheel
only is primary.
Next it is told that those who have destroyed the eight
karmas, they have attained Siddha state:
Gatha 35. Those Jivas
who have conquered the senses, who are detached from sensual subjects, accompanied with Sheel,
Tapa, Vinay and patience they have attained Moksha; they are called Siddhas.
Here detachment and conquering the senses indicate presence
of sheel only.
Those Munis who are equipped with sheel and right attitude
are praiseworthy:
Gatha 36. The Muni whose birth is like a tree which is pleasant to all, who is expert in practice of Sheel by means of own soul experience, he alone is Mahatma with Sheel and his glory spreads in the entire world.
Gatha 37. Gyan, Dhyan
(meditation), Yog ( Samadhi) and unblemished Samyak Darshan, all these
qualities are dependent upon Veerya (strength) hence one should adopt them
according to their capabilities. Further Samyak Darshan leads to jewel-trio –
this has been stated in Jina order. This jewel-trio is nature of soul which is
also described as Sheel.
Gatha 38. Those
Jivas who have realised the real nature of substances by means of preachments
of Jina Bhagwan, who are detached with the sensual subjects, swami of the
wealth of the forms of Tapas, patient and have taken bath in the water of the
form of Sheel i.e. purified their soul, they attain the indestructible bliss of
Moksha.
Gatha 39. Where the
karmas are weakened by means of primary and secondary qualities, which is
devoid of happiness-unhappiness, where mind is purified and karma form dust has
been destroyed- such four Aradhana ( prayers) of the form of Gyan, Darshan,
Charitra and Tapa are revealed by means of Sheel only.
Gatha 40. Supreme
devotion towards Arihant Bhagwan is
called Samyaktva which is pious with the right belief of Tatvas. The detachment
with sensory subjects is Sheel and the knowledge of the substances along with Samyaktva
and Sheel only is Samyak Gyan. There is no knowledge without Samyaktva and
Sheel i.e. knowledge in absence of them has been declared as Mithya Gyan.
The
End
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