Jainism
Part-1
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There are three elements (tattva) in jainism.
Deva Tattva
Guru Tatva
Dharma Tattva
We will think and work on Dhamatattva.
There are five Percepts of religion.
Gyanachaar
Darshanachaar
Charitrachaar
Tapachaar
Viryachaar
Gyanachaar means the knowledge of religion and its ethics.
Darshanachaar means the faith in religion and its code of conduct.
Charitrachaar means following the religion and its ethics.
Tapachaar means physical hard life, sound (mental) meditation and following its code of conduct.
Viryachaar means interest and intensity in religious matters and abiding by its rules.
There are Eight rules of Gyanachaar.
a. Kaal
b. Vairay
c. Bahunaan
d. Upadhana
e. Aniknav
f. Vyanjan
g. Arth
h. Tadubhay
The first princple of Gyaanachaar is Kaal. It is known as time. We will get to know the system basd on time.
The time period set to learn the religious text should be fixed. As we have the fixed time for school, office, shop and bank so should be the set time for understanding the sacred books.
We are obliged with 4 options for setting the time. Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night. We shouls set our time for learning sacred books.
One should not read the Scriptures in the following given duration.
• 48 minutes before Sunrise.
• 48 minutes after Sunset.
• 48 minutes in the Middle of the day.
• 48 minutes in the Middle of the Night.
Within this duration one should not learn(Scriptures) Sutra.One can read value-based books and chant sermons. Why is it not allowed to read the Scriptures in the above mentioned time?
There are two kind of Deva.They are Uttam and Adham. Adham Deva move about in time period. Reading Scriptures may disturb them. Getting engaged and annoyed they may excommunicate. So one should prevent the recitation of sutra in the mentioned time period.
It is beneficial to set the fixed time for reading religious texts. Regularity is maintained. To study sacred texts-cannot be forgotten. One gets an opportunity to know something new. One grows well in religion.With effortless ease one learns which otherwise is difficult for others.One gets blessings of parents and teachers.
• How much time can one take out for sacred lerning? One should study for an hour or atleast for 15 minutes.Less than it; is not advisable.
• One must imbibe religious learning pathshala. There are teachers and students in Pathshala.Due to scared aura in pathshala one feels blessed.
• In Pathshala one can grow in many ways---
1.One can learn gathas.
2.One can recapitulate.
3.One can chant prayers.
4.One can learn the mathod of Pooja, Samayika and Pratikraman.
5.One can listen to the religious stories.
6.One can participate in the religious drama.
7.One can learn sacred dance.
8.One can ask ethical question.
9.One can discriminate between good deeds and sin.
10.One can be friend a morally sound friend.
What Should one not do in pathshala ?
• One should not get annoyed.
• One should not be naughty.
• One should not be louder.
• One should not eat.
• One should not drink.
• One should prevent oneself from any kind of honour, laughter or fun.
The way we study religious scriptures at pathshala; the same way we must study at home too along with the time management.
• We can read the sacred texts before sleeping.
• Early morning education is one of the best options.
• Compromising on some TV serial for sacred learning would be beneficials.
• We can reduce our playtime to study scriptures.
• We can compromise on our material education to some extent for the knowledge of the soul.
What are the benefits of religious learning?
• We come to know what is the most important things in our lives.
• We can differentiate well between temporal and spritiual education.
• We can understand that the knowledge of the soul is permanent whereas material education is time-bound.
• We understand that our activities are body oriented which is perishable and then we are enlightened with the knowledge that our permanent soulmate is our soul and we are motivated to befriend soul through inner journey.
• Thus we give priority to inner journey and comparatively the interest gets reduced in the outer life.
• We can set life pattern according to the new religion of soul.
• We can discuss the value-based system with our parents.
• We can practise the system of praying.
• We grow well-mannered, humble, modest, decent and obidient.
• We feel so humble and indebted that we are motivated to do something for others like Jivadaya and Jayana.
• Life style grows simpler and pure.
• Growth is visible--in the religious knowledge, faith and in the code of conduct.
• We can come out of the stage fear and can participate in religious and cultural fest.
• The one who studies daily for an hour;studies for 30 hours in a month and for 360 hours in a year; which is an achievement in itself.
The second discipline of Gyanachaar is Vinaya(Courtesy). Vinaya means not to do Aashatana, if we know what is Aashatana it would be easier to leave.
Akshar(alphabet) is knowledge. Akshar is a script. Akshar is phonic. Thus we must prohibit the Aashatana of both the forms of Akshar.
When is duerespect not given to alphbates?
Letters are on---
• Biscuits wrapper
• Chocolates
• Sweets
• Medicines etc.
When we eat these things our saliva touches those letters.Thus there is Aashatana of Lipiswarupakshar.
There are Akshar on---
• Clothes
• Napkins
• Towels
• Handkerchief
• Undergarments
• Rain-Coat
• Chappal
• Sandal
• Slipper
• Shoes
• Shocks
• Ribbons etc.
Whenever we use them our sweat touches the letter.We even go to the washroom. All these circumstances prevent us from giving due respect to alphabets and result in Aashatna of Lipiswarupakshar.
Akshar are on---
• Watch
• Toothbrush
• Footcloth
• Soap
• Tissue Paper
• Road
• Seat
• Chair
• Plates
• Lunch Box
• Mobile
• Calculator
• I-Pod
• Friendship Band
• Spectacles
• Goggles
• Bat
• Rocket
• Ball
• Water-bottle
• Water-glass
• Waterbag And there are many more things which have letters on them. It is Aashatana when---
• Letters are touched by our Sweat
• They are on the ground
• We sit on
• We sleep on
• We eat with them
• We go to the Washrooom
How do we disrespect phones? (Uchhar Swarup Akshar) When we---
• Speak
• Read
• Listen to religious discourse
• Listen to audio cassettes
• Write
• Recite Sutra
Without washing our mouth, Paper should be treated well.Knowledge is based on paper.
Its (Ashatana) disrespect when---
• We burn
• We store food items
• We keep things on paper
• We throw paper
• We hit with our legs
• Sweets are kept in the paper
• Chocolate is wrapped
• Medicines are wrapped
• Paper is thrown on the road
One must prevent himself from all the above mentioned Ashatana. Vinaya (Polite behaviour) is to stay away from Ashatana(disrespect).
We must respect paper and letter because we would have been ignorant without them. Lipiswarupakshar, Uchharswarupakshar abd paper are based on knowledge.
Book, Sap, Sthapnaji photo, Notebook, Pen, Pencil, Compass, Calculator, Letter Pad, White Paper Colour Box, Colouring brush etc.should be given due respect.
The third discipline of Gyanachaar is Appreciation.(Bahumman),We must have an intense and profound love for right knowledge and its process(Saadhan)
How to express the hearty appreciation?
• Gyaan should be respected with 51 Khamasaman(bowings). If not possible than 5 Khamasaman.
• Gyaan should be respected with 51 Kavsaga of Logassa. If not possible than 5 Kavsaga of Logassa.
• 51 Swastika should be made infront of Gyaan and 51-51 fruits should be. If not possible than 5 will do.
• 51 Pradakshina(Circumambolation)should be made around to respect GYaan.If not possible than 5 will do.
Why does Gyaan have '51' or '5' as its no?
There are 5 fundamental precepts of knowledge.
Thus 5 systems on which knowledge is based upon are---
Matigyaan(Intellect)-------------------28 forms
Shrutgyaan(Hearing)------------------14 forms
Avadhigyaan(time)--------------------- 6 forms
Manahparyagyaan--------------------- 2 forms
(Intuitive, Clairvoyence)
Kewala Gyaan-------------------------- 1 forms
(Enlightment) 51 forms
So number 51 is stressed upon,when we do not count 51forms then its number 5 is equally significant.
One can do Vakshakshepa pooja of the Granth(sacred book).Ashtaprakari pooja can also be done. Mantri Peru Shah has performed Gyaan pooja by dedicating 36000 gold coins.
One must bow to teachers who all teach religious knowledge, trustees who all help, the one who is interested in imbibing sacred knowledge and to the religious text also.
One must bow to Sarswati Devi because she takes care of sacred jain texts and help in comprehending religion.
We must praise, bow & bend to the knowledge.We must bow to Gnanadeva.We must pray to all different Granths.
We should also pray to Gyaan Bhandaara and should be helpful to management of it.We should donate generously. Mantri Vastupaal had donated 18crores for Gyaan Bhandara
4th Principle of Gyaanachaar is Upadhana.There are three types of Upadhana---
Pratham------ 47 days
Dwitiya-------
Tritiya--------
Upadhana Tapa is little difficult as one should follow strict disciplinarian measures but if done earnestly one achieves a lot. One gets right to spell and pronounce the Sutra after doing Upadhana Tapa.We pay rich tribute to strutgnanc through Upadhana Tapa.
The 5th Principle of Gyaanachaar is Anihanava.Who teaches us religion should be considered as Gyaandaata and we should be grateful and thankful to him.
We are educated religiously by---
• Parents
• Guru
• Motivators
• Publisher of the religious texts
• Compiler of the religious texts
• Donor for the publication. So we should be heartily thankful and grateful to them.
Some 'Dharmik Sutra' are composed by some Acharya. We should know their names and should be indebted and thankful to them.
• Shri Manatunga Suriji has composed Bhaktamar Sutra.
Laghushanti Sutra has been composed by shri Manadeva Suriji.
• Ajitshanti Sutra has been composed by Shri Nandishena Munivarji.
• Shri Jivavijayaji Maharaj has composed Sakal-Tirth Sutra.(and many more) We must remember them and pay rich tribute by bowing and chanting beads of their names.This will help us to succeed gracefully onto our path.
• If the name of the respective Acharya is not known than it is comprehended that those are composed by Ganadhar Bhagavant. We must be grateful to them.
• Jain religion has survived after 2600 years of Lord Mahavira.Throughout many obstructions and difficulties were faced.We ought to remember those men who kept alive the vidya through ShrutaGnana in those difficult times.
One must be indebted do great men.
• Pujya Acharya Shri Bhadrabahu Suriji has protected Gyaan in Veer Sanvat 160.
• Pujya Acharya Shri Suhasti Suriji has protected Gyaan in around Veer Sanvat 245.
• Pujya Acharya Shri Susthit Suriji has protected Gyaan around Veer Sanvat 303.
• Pujya Acharya Shri Aryarakshit Suriji Maharaj has protected Gyaan around Veer Sanvat 592.
• Pujya Acharya Shri Skandil Suriji Maharaj has protected Gyaan around Veer Sanvat 827.
• Pujya Acharya Shri Nagarjuna Suriji Maharaj has protected Gyaan around Veer Sanvat 827.
• Pujya Acharya Shri Devardhigani Kshamaksramanji has protected Gyaan around Veer Sanvat 980.
How was ancient sacred knowledge protected?
• As many Sutra were found;those were compiled with the consent of all Gurus.This is called 'Vachhan'.
• There was a possibility of change to Sutra.
• They could not have remained intact.
• Respective Acharyas have taken utmost care and so we should be wholeheartedly grateful and thankful to them. Pujya Umaswamiji Maharaj; Pujya Acharya Shri Haribhadra Suriji Maharaj; Pujya Acharya Shri Hemachandra Suriji Maharaj; Pujya Upadhyaya Shri Yashovijayji Maharaj etc..have created and composed new Granths and saved GYaan.We should be thankful and remember them always.
6th Principle of Gyanachaar is Vyanjan(Consonant).
Sutra is called Vyanjan.Every letter of Sutra is called Vyanjan.Gaatha is called as Vyanjan.Sutra is called as Tirtha.
Great Saints have created Sutra. As are Gyaani Acharya Bhagavant respected;so should be Sutra.
Sutra must be---
• learnt
• Read
• Written
• Printed
• Comprehended
• Recapitulated
Sutra should be Pronounced clearly.There are---
• Letter(akshar)
• Words(Shabda)
• Sentences(Vakya)
• Phrase(Pada)
• Gaatha in Sutra.
• Sutra should be correctly read and written.Every letter should be separated and read.Pronunciation should be very clear. No letter should be left,missed or skipped.No letter should be repeated.Letters should not be into any kind of form split.
• One should well understand the letters and words in the Sutra.Every word needs a pause.No two words should be mixed, Pronunciation, diction, modulation,and intonation should be perfect of every word.
• There are sentences in Sutra.One must understand all the sentences.Every sentence should be learnt while reciting the sutra.
• There are many pharase and they all need a pause.
• Gaathas should be learnt in sequence or the Sutra would be incomplete.
Special attention should be given to joint letters.There are three types of joint letters.
1) There are some joint letters which start in the beginning.
2) Some are in the middle.
3) Some joint letters are in the end.
When these are not connected then it ends with a slant.These last joint letters should be separated from the first letter of the next word, while reciting the sutra.These semi letters are called Halant(--) or Vyanjanant(---).
Bindi and Visarga should be well comprehended.
• We have seen a bindi on a word.
Eg.-------
• When the words end with color it is called Visarga.
Eg.-------
We have read all statements from 46 to 53.Only reading and self understanding is not enough.IT needs profound interpretation so one should get it from the Guru.It is must to study Scriptures under the supervision of experienced Guru.
Few Sutra are in Prakrit, Snaskrit, Gujrati and Hindi.Our Sutra are not written in English.
It takes around 15 minutes to learn a Gaatha;so one should fix the time for it.Before learning Sutra one should be familiar with its pronunciation and this should be done humbly under learned Guru.This is called 'Gaatha lena'.
The one who does not follow the process of giving Gaatha commits a mistake.We can learn more than a single Gaatha in a day. Pujya Acharya Shri Bappbhatti Suriji Maharaj used to learn 1000 Gaathas in a day.
Pujya Durbalika Pushpamitraji Munivaraji used to learn 700 Gaathas in a day.
Pujya Acharya Shri Dharma Ghosh Suriji Maharaj used to learn 500 Gaathas in a day.
Pujya Atmaramji Maharaj used to learn 300 Gaathas in a day.
Pujya Acharya Ramchandrasuriji Maharaj had learnt 2000 Gaathas in 20 days.
We can learn and make such records.
• Which Sutra is useful in which kriya should be known.
• We must learn---
• Pratikraman Sutra
• Panch Pratikraman Sutra
• Navasmaran Sutra
• Atichaar Sutra
• Stuti
• Chaitya Vandana
• Thoya
• Stavana
• Sanjhaya
• Dohre of Pradakshina
• Navangi and Snatra Puja
• We mest learn new sutra, we must recapitulate and remember. It is sin- not to learn new Sutra. - forget the old Sutra.
• One book should be kept exclusively for sutra.Recapitulation becomes easier if every sutra is written only in one book. One book should be maintained exclusively for Gaatha.
• The book in which Sutra are written should never be kept on the floor or on the lap.It should be placed on Sapda. There should be a seperate carry bag for Sapda and book.Book and Sapda help us in getting knowledge so they should not be kept with Muhpatti,Karasana and Charawala.Niether Saliva nor breadth should touch the book while learning Sutra.One clothes and legs should not touch our books.
• Akshar of Sutra are as sacred as mantra.We should recite Sutra with faith, devotion and dedication. We get the blessings of Saraswatiji, if we have right faith.
The 7th Principle of Gyaanchaar is 'Artha'(meaning / interpretation).There is the different meaning of every.
• Letter
• Phrase
• Sentence
• Gaatha of Sutra. So,while learning Sutra one must understand the meaning and its interpretation.
Memory plays crucial part in learning Sutra.One must comprehend the Sutra well.Though we have not learnt the Sutra still we should understand the meaning of it.
• We must understand and comprehend
• Panch Pratikraman Sutra.
• Jeev Vichar Grantha.
• Navtattva Grantha.
• Pratham Karma Grantha.
• Teen Bhalya.
Pujya Acharya Shri Ramchandra Suriji Maharaj said, 'Whenever we recite Sutra;the meaning should come naturally in our mind. Correct pronunciation of Sutra is one of the process which is too important to ignore.Clear pronunciation will come naturally; Once the meaning of the Sutra,is well comprehended'.
Gyaanchaar --- 8th principle is Tadubhaya. With the help of Sutra;we can understand the meaning.Along with the meaning an auspacious thought develops.When we fill our mind with good thoughts; the process is called Tadubhaya.The most auspacious thought which could be comprehended while understanding Sutra;is also called as 'Rahasya(mystery) and 'Tattva'.
1] Before Sutra,a clear explanation is written in Sanskrit or in Gujarati;is called 'Tadubhaya'.
2] There is Vachhana before Sutra.This is also called as Tadubhaya.
3] Discourses are based on Sutra which is called as Tadubhaya.
4] Ethical advice based on Sutra which we read in religious texts; is called as Tadubhaya.
Throughout the day,we think of reforming ourselves and following the religious path.Whatever we read and recall for our reformation is called Tadubhaya.
It is our utmost(important)duty to follow 8 Principles of Gyaanachaar. We are Jain. Jain means the conquere of the senses.We will follow 8 Principles-(certainly / Surely).
Namoh Jinanam Jiya Bhayanam
