JAINA CODE OF CONDUCT
It is a common human experience that if
a man has to undertake any work or scheme and be successful in it, he must
have a good faith in it, and faith or belief is nothing but a firm
persuasion of the mind regarding the utility and fruit, etc., of the thing
or act to be believed in. Jainism has systematically worked out this
common-sense view4l in the conception of its first jewel of the
trio viz., samyag-drsti or samyaktva--Right Belief. Samyaktva is defined
in various ways by different Acaryas, but the main point carried through
these definitions is more or less the same. Some Acaryas like Camundaraya
define it as, "Faith in the path to liberation shown by the Jina."42
Others like Haribhadrasuri define it as, "Faith in the truths
enunciated by the Tirthankara.''43 Some other Acaryas like
Samantabhadra, Vasunandi etc., describe it as faith in the three articles
agama (the scriptures) and
tattvas and padarthas44
Hemacandra calls it, "Faith in the right
deva, the right guru and the right dharma."45
The discussion of samyaktva:
Right Belief has been the essential part
of any portion of the work connected with the householder's conduct or of
special treatises on the same, because Right Knowledge and Right Conduct
(the other two jewels of the trio) are founded on Right Belief. The
Uttaradhyayana-sutra announces that Right Knowledge cannot be attained in
the absence of Right Belief; acquirement of Right Conduct is impossible
without Right Knowledge; and without Right Conduct there can be no
liberation.46 The Yasastilaka of Somadevasuri explains: Right
Belief "is the prime cause of Salvation, just as the foundation is of the
main-stay of the palace, good luck that of beauty, life that of bodily
enjoyment, royal power that of victory, culture that of nobility and
policy that of Government.47
With a view to describing samyaktva in
all possible details and through different angles of vision, the Jaina
Acaryas have brought it under different categories which are as follows:
gunas (characteristic qualities),
bhusanas (excellences) and
While guna, anga and dosa are the
Digambara concepts, linga and bhusana are presented by Hemacandra. The
category of aticara; however, is common to both the Digambara and
svetambara texts. R. Williams has systematically tabulated these
categories with the following observation 49 "The subject of
samyaktva is too vast and too imprecise to lend itself readily to
numerical categorisation and there is considerable confusion and
over-lapping in the lists of qualities and defects conceived to describe
it." I think it is natural to have been so, because the categories are
conceived and laid down by different Acaryas, in different periods and
with different practical needs.
Now let us pass our eyes over the
various catagories of samyaktva. The following are the eight gunas (
characteristic qualities ) given by Camundaraya, Amitagati, Vasunandi
etc., in their respective treatises:
samvega spiritual craving
gama, upasama tranquility
vatsalya loving kindness
Following are the eight angas (organs)
or smayaktva listed by Acaryas like Samantabhadra, Somadeva, Amrtacandra
etc., in their respective works:
nihsanka freedom from fear
nirvicikitsa overcoming of repugnance
amudha-drsti unswearing orthodoxy
prabhavana good works
sthiti-karana strengthening of faith
vatsalya loving kindness
Following are the eight dosas
(blemishes) enumerated by several Dig. authors in their works; and they
are just the negations of the angas:
mudha-drsti blind orthodoxy
aprabgavaba not doing good works
asthiti-darana not strengthening the
Following are the five aticaras
(infractions) listed in all the concerned works of the Digambara as well
as the Svetambara authors. These aticaras can be equated with the first
para-pasandi-prasamsa admiration of
adherenst of other creeds
para-pasandi-samstava praise of
adherenents of other creeds
Hemacandra's list of the five lingas
(characteristics) is as follows. These almost stand in rank with the gunas
samvega spiritual craving
astikya outright acceptance of
jina-mata as the veritable creed
His list of the five bhusanas
(excellences) is as follows. The last element is common with the fifth of
the angas listed above:
kausala being well versed in the Jaina
tirtha-seva frequentation of the
tirthas- holy places
prabhavana good works
While describing samyaktva, and perhaps
with a view to heightening its importance, mithyatva false belief is also
described bringing it under different classifications with varied number
of divisions: five, three and seven. Following is the one with three
agrhita an inherent attitude
grhita an acquired attitude
samsayika an attitude of doubt or
Some Acaryas have envisaged samyaktva
from a negative angle of vision i.e., samyaktva which is free from
twenty-five dosas (blemishes): eight kinds of madas (vanities), three
mudhatas (foolish ideas or superstitious beliefs), six anayatanas (disrepects)
and eight dosas (defects). The Ratnasara of Pujyapada raises the number of
these blemishes to forty-four by adding the following nineteen: seven
bhayas (fears), seven vyasanas (vices) and the five aticaras
Samyaktva is also classified with
various number of divisions. But the classification with three divisions
i.e., ksayika, aupasamika and ksayopasamika, has been found to be much in
vogue in the treatises on the householder's code of conduct, particularly
by the Digambara authors. It may be noted that each of the divisions
indicates the extent to which the karmic matter has been eliminated from
the soul or jiva.50
Some Jaina texts, both canonical and
non-canonical, have also mentioned in the course of their dealing with
samyaktva, the sources through which it could be acquired, cultivated and
consolidated. The Uttaradhyayana-sutras51 mentions ten such
sources: nisarga, (natural or spontaneous effort of the mind), upadesa
(advice), ajna (precepts laid down in the scriptures), sutra (study of
sacred texts), bija (logical inference), abhigama (comprehension of the
meaning of the Sacred Law), vistara (extensive study), kriya (practice of
rules of conduct), samyaktva (exposition in brief) and dharma (righteous
behavior). In his Atmanusasanas52 Gunabhadracarya too
enumerates these ten sources, with rather different terminology in respect
of some, in the course of his elaborate discussion on samyaktva.
Lastly, it is worth noting that the
category of the 3 salyas (darts) is closely associated with samyaktva.
These salyas are:
mithyatva false belief
nidana desire or longing for future
These darts or 'harmful stimuli or
stings'53 distract one who has acquired right belief and make
him shaky in his approach to the ethical discipline. So, one has to be
free from them before accepting the vows To stress this, thus runs the
ancient precept; nihsalyo vrati-- a vower should be dartless.54
All these categories, classifications,
sources, etc., of samyaktva very well reflect the magnitude of the width
and depth of thought given by the ancient Jaina Seers and later Acaryas to
this first jewel of the trio, which has been almost raised to the status
of a vrata (vow), preliminarily quite essential to the householder on the
eve of undertaking his vows. Some of the Acaryas have convincingly brought
out the importance of samyaktva in the scheme of the householder's conduct
as a whole. Svami Samantabhadra says that Right Belief acts as a pilot (karnadhara)
to Right Knowledge and Right Conduct on the path leading to Liberation and
hence, is entitled to precedence over the two.55 Moreover, he
points out that one should acquire samyaktva in its perfect form, i.e.,
with all its eight angas (organs) intact. Because just as an incomplete
mantra (a magical formula) is incapable of removing pain and suffering
arising from venom, so belief, which is imperfect in its organs, is unable
to accomplish emancipation.56 The author of the Savaya-
pannatti tells that samyaktva is the foundation for the householder's code
of conduct which is twelve-fold: savaya-dhamma duvalasaha eyassa mulavathu
sammattam.57 Somadevasuri in his Upasakadhyayana, which
comprises 46 chapters (kalpas), allots 20 of them for the discussion of
samyaktva alone,58 which fact shows the extent of importance he
gave to it.
In the Jaina stories also we get
glimpses of the householder's ethical discipline, wherein samyaktva or
samyag-drsti too is found to have been given its due place. I can present,
in support of this fact, one or two references from the Voddaradhane, a
collection of stories, the earliest available Kannada prose work belonging
to the first quarter of the 10th century A.D.59 (i) In story No
560 Annlkaputra, son of a merchant goes to a wandering monk
staying then in the park outside the town, listens to his preaching and
teaching or sermon (dharma), and (consequently) adopts the householder's
rules of conduct (sravaka- vratas) as preceded by samyaktva (samyaktva-purvakam).
(ii) In story No. 6,61 almost all people of the town move to
listen to the sermon being delivered by the Bhatara (eminent teacher)i
they all listen with great adoration and (consequently) those, who were of
false belief (mithya-drstigal) acquire samyag-drsti and adopt the
householder's vows; and those, who were (already) householders, have their
samyag-drsti made firm (drdha-samyag-drstigalagi) and then return home
after adoring the revered one.
These two relevant references from the
two stories in the Vaddaradhane clearly indicate the following points
regarding samyaktva: (i) In those days, that belonged to the golden period
of Jainism in Karnataka, the Jaina teacher or wandering monk infused
through his instructive sermon (dhamma or dharmu-katha) right belief in
persons with religious bent of mind like Annikaputra and, then,
administered the partial vows. (ii) He eliminated false belief from some
persons (possibly non-Jains), infused in them right belief and
administered to them the partial vows. (iii) He also consolidated the
right belief already possessed by the regular householders attending his
sermon. (iv) He was thus the principal spring and protector of right
belief for the masses in general.
41. Prof. Hermann Jacobi at some other
context remarks that the Jainas have always sided with common-sense views.
Vide op. cit, p. 60.
42. (i) CaritraSara, p. 2. (ii) It may
be noted that this Camundaraya, a monk, is different from General
Camundaraya, the author of the Camunduraya-Purana in Kannada.
43. Sravaka-dharma-puncasaka, v. 3.
44. (i) Vasunandi-5ravakacara, v. 4.
(ii) Padarthas are 9, with the addition of punya (merit) and papa (sin) to
the 7 tattvas (principles) which are the categories brought under the
ethical classification of Reality as follows: jiva (soul), ajiva
(non-soul), asrava (inflow of karmic matter into the soul), bandha
(bondage), samvara (stoppage), nirjara (elimination) and moksa
(liberation). The householder must have perfect belief in the nature of
all these as enunciated by the Jina.
45 Yogasastra, v . 2.
46. Ch. 28, gaha 30.
47. Yasastilaka and Indian Culture, by
Dr. Hanqigi, p. 248.
48. All English terms used for
translation here cannot, of course, cover the exact meanings of the
49 Op. cit., p. 41.
50. R. Williams, Op. cit., p. 50.
51. (i) Ch. 28, gaha 16. (ii) Some
scholars interpret all these ten as divisions of samyaktva. But the
suffixed term rui (ruci ) - taste, relish, close application to, to each
one here (like dhamma-rui), rather indicates that they are sources.
52 Sacred Books of the Jainas, Vol. VII,
53. As translated by R. Williams, Op.
cil. p. 50.
54. Tattvartha-. utra, VIII-18.
55. (i) Ratna Karandaka Sravakacaraa v.
31. (ii) Prof. Padmanabh Jaini, California University, Berkely (U.S.A.),
observes that Samyaktva is the seed of perfection and "it is the single
most sacred thing for the Jain. And upon this foundation he has built a
very elaborate network of holy practices for the realisation of his true
nature." Vide his erudite paper, Jaina Concept of the Sacred, appearing in
the Ahimsa-Voice, April-July number, 1990.
56. Ratna Karandaka Sra, v. 21.
57. Verses 6 7.
58. Nos. 2 to 21.
59. By so far an unknown author, a
60. Op. cit, pp. 71 -72.
61. Op. cit., pp. 82-83.