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J1C.
SAMYAGDARSHAN ITS
IMPORTANCE IN JAIN PHILOSOPHY
Jain philosophy has
attached unique importance to Samyagdarshan. It is said to be the
foundation of Moksha Mahal (The palace of salvation). If devoid of
Samyagdarshan, all acts and conduct of a Jiva (Soul) are
insignificant and do not carry any meaning. In Chhah Dhala, Daulat
Ramji has rightly described,
Ekks{kegy dh izFke lh<h] ;k fcu Kku pfj= A
lE;drk u ygS] lks n’kZu] /kkjks HkO; ifo=k AA
It has also been affirmed that without Samyagdarshan all
knowledge and all conduct cannot be right, and Jiva can not
experience any happiness in the absence of
Samyagdarshan.
eqfuozr
/kkj vaur ckj] xzhod mitk;ks A
iS
fut vkre Kku fcuk] lq[k ys’k u ik;ks AA
In Tattvartha Sutra, too, Uma Swami has stated
lE;Xn’kZu&Kku&pfj= eks{kekxZ%
which means that
the unity of . Samyagdarshan, Samyaggyan and Samyagcharitra
constitute the path of salvation. To attach due importance to it,
Uma Swami has also placed Samyagdarshan first in the Sutra. If
your beliefs and
faiths are true (i.e.Samyagdarshan) then all
your knowledge and conduct become righteous (Samyag),
otherwise they are false (Mithya). There is no dearth of
Sutras or Shlokas in Jain Philosophy, which signifies the
importance of Samyagdarshan and tell us that without Samyagdarshan
a Jiva cannot destroy his karmik shackles. Therefore, one must
realise the importance of Samyagdarshan in Jain religion.
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In view of its
unparalleled importance in Jain Darshan, it is imperative to
understand Samyagdarshan and its attributes.
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SAMYAGDARSHAN AND
ITS ATTRIBUTES
Samyagdarshan has been
defined as right belief in 'Arhant Deva', "Jain Scriptures" and
the 'Guru'; and this belief should be free of three follies
(belief in wrong Deva, Guru and Scripture) and eight prides (Madas),
concerning learning, honour, family, caste, power, opulence,
penance and body.
Samyagdarshan has also
eight essential attributes or characteristics, which must be
attained and rigorously followed by a Samyagdrasthi person.
These eight essential attributes are:
(a) Nishankitatva, (b)
Nihkankshitatva,
(c)Nirvichiktsa tatva, (d)
Amudhdrastitava,
(e) Upaguhanatva, (f)
Sthitikaranatva,
(g) Vatsalyatva and (h)
Prabhavanatva.
A person who is
deficient in anyone of the above attributes can not be said to
be a Samayagdrasthi. All these attributes of Samyagdarshan can
be compared with the eight organs of the human body. The body is
said to be incomplete, if anyone of its eight organs are
missing. Similarly, Samayagdrasthi devoid of anyone of the eight
attributes becomes an ineffective vehicle in attaining our
objectives of right belief in Deva (Divinity), scripture and the
Guru (Preceptor).
The omission of even
one integral constituent of Samyagdarshan will inevitably clip
the wings of a man who longs to soar high in the realm of
spiritualism. All know that the pain arising from venom cannot
be eliminated by using an incomplete Mantra. Similarly,
Samyagdarshan with mutilated organ is incapable of ending the
disquietude permeating empirical existence.
In the absence of
Samayagdarshan, all intellectual
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knowledge and
ethical conduct would deprive the aspirant of spiritual
attainments of which he is potentially capable.
A Samyagdarshi must
recognise his self as the cause of his misery and the means
for its elimination. He must also recognise passions as his
main foes; though he may not know their names, yet he must
have the feeling that real happiness requires their
extirpation.
The eight organs or
qualities of Samyagdarshan may be defined as follows:
NISHANKITATVA
Nishankit Anga
implies firm belief in all that has been preached by our
Arhant Devas and has come down to us through Jain scriptures,
written by Jain Acharyas. Persons who follow this 'Anga' do
not doubt what has been said or is in the knowledge of the
omniscient. His inquisitiveness if pushed in a perverted
direction is bound to be suicidal; if pushed in the right
direction may lead to final certitude. Normally our limited
knowledge can not go beyond what has been seen and practised
by our Tirthankars. A person's unshakable faith in the
righteous path makes him free of all the seven kinds of fears
ordinarily present in the perverted soul. He remains
unaffected by the sorrows and agonies of life and the physical
and/or mental pleasures have no meaning for him. He has no
fear of death, discomfiture, disease, incidental or accidental
occurrence in his surroundings. He has no worry about his
safety or getting or losing any affluence. Thus, he becomes
self confident.
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NIHKANKSHITATVA
Nihkankshitatva implies absence of desire for any pleasure,
earthly or heavenly. A person, observing this Anga never
hankers after worldly opulence and ephemeral pleasures. He is
convinced that all of these earthly or heavenly pleasures and
enjoyments are impermanent, fraught with miseries, procreative
of sin and evil, and are caused by the filth of Karmas. Also
he ' does not cling to one sided views.
NIRVICHIKITSATATVA
Nirvichikitsatatva signifies that there should be no feeling of
disgust concerning various bodily conditions caused by
disease, hunger, thirst, cold, hurt or at the sight of any
foul excretions of the body. He firmly believes that the body
is impure by nature and is rendered venerable by its
association with the triple jewels of right belief, right
knowledge and right conduct. He does' not entertain a scornful
attitude towards body even if it is diseased and unclean and
concerns himself to the spiritual super-empirical' qualities.
AMUDHDRASTITVA
Amudhdrastitva
consist of steering clear of all perversity and in
dissociating oneself from people pursuing wrong paths.
According to Kartikeyanupreksha, one who even being
overwhelmed by fear, inferiority and greed for profit, does
not recognise Himsa as Dharma, is free from stupidity. Also
Amudhdrasti Anga insists upon the abandonment of false Guru,
false Deva, false conduct and false conceptions.
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UPAGUHANATVA
This Anga has two names:
Upabranhana and Upaguhana. He, who develops in himself
spiritual qualities by dwelling upon pure thoughts is said
to practise Upabranhana Anga. He also does riot speak of his
own merits nor the demerits of other spiritual persons. He
also does not disclose the shortcomings of spiritual persons
to save the spiritual path from blasphemy. Though the two,
by nomenclature, are seen different, the practising of one
implies inevitably the other i.e. the cultivation of
spiritual qualities
ipsofacto
-inspires one to veil the defects of the spiritual persons.
STHITIKARANATVA
Sthitikaran implies the
strengthening of the conviction of those who are faltering
in their loyalty to Dharma and also saving himself from
lapses. There may be some persons, who oppressed by the
overwhelming intensity of passions like anger, pride, greed
and deceit or by other seductive causes, may be constrained
to deviate from the path of righteousness. Re-establishment
of such persons in their true path by reminding them of
their innate glory and magnificence is Sthitikaran.
VATSALYATVA
Vatsalya implies deep
affection for spiritual matters, principles of non injury,
and spiritual brotherhood. One, who is devoted to pious
persons, follows them with great respect, and speaks to them
nobly is said to possess Vatsalya Anga.
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PRABHAVANATVA
Prabhavana signifies the imperativeness of glorifying one's own
self with the ten Dharmas or the triple resplendent jewels.
!t also implies the dissemination of the religion propounded
by the conqueror of passions through exceptional charity,
austerity, devotion, profound learning and other means best
suited to time and place.
All of these eight limbs of Samyagdarshan are observed by all the
Samyagdarshti Jivas. But there are certain persons who got
fames in observance of particular organ of Samyagdarshan. So
in Jain Shastras names of Anjan Chor, Anantmati, King Udayan,
Revati Rani, Jinendra Bhakt Seth, Varishen Kumar, Vishnu
Kumar
&.
Vajra Kumar have
been highlighted in observance of Nihshankitatva,
Nihkankshitatva, Nirvichikitsatatva, Amudhdrashitava,
Upaguhanatva, Sthitikaranatva, Vatsalyatva, and
Prabhavanatva Anga
of Samyagdarshan respectively.
Dharma begins
from Samyagdarshan and Samyagdarshan basically is Dharma. It
is very very necessary for everyone, to know the real
Dharma, the definition of Dharma and its qualities.
Belief should be in 'Padarthas',
not in ordinary things, but the belief in Veetrag Deva,
Nirgrantha-Guru and Siddhanta-Shastras, is called as Right
belief. Right-belief has eight Angas or organs. These eight
Angas are defined and described in stories.
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