Acharanga Bhasyam: Sūtras 49-56 : Equality

Published: 19.11.2010
Updated: 02.07.2015

2.49 se asaiṃ uccāgoe, asaiṃ ṇīyāgoe. ṇo hīṇe, ṇo airitte, ṇo pīhae.

Frequently a soul is born with high, frequently with low status. So it is neither high nor low (intrinsically). One should not therefore covet status.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 49

The most visible goods of possession are accumulation of money and hoarding of property. But minutely viewed, the desire for honour and respect too is nothing but a kind of possession. This Sūtra is concerned with contemplation on freedom from such possession. The worldly soul transmigrates from higher to lower pedigrees and vice-versa, time and again; therefore, truly speaking, he is neither low nor high. In other words, the distinction between high and low is only arbitrary. As such, the hankering for a high pedigree is futile.

High pedigree - it refers to one whose pedigree is worthy of honour and respect. The opposite of this is low pedigree.

This Sūtra  should be explained from the standpoint of substance. From the standpoint of substance or the ultimate standpoint the soul is neither low nor high. The high or low is understandable only from the standpoint of modes.

2.50 iti saṃkhāya ke goyāvādi? ke māṇāvādī? kiṃsi vā ege gijjhe?

Knowing this truth about status, who would speak of his status, who would be proud of it and who would remain attached to a particular thing or object?

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 50

Knowing that he himself as well as others have passed through high and low pedigrees, why should one uphold the doctrine of pedigree and position of pride? What should one covet for? The doctrine of pedigree relates to the caste, family, power, beauty, penance, learning, acquisition and fortune. The doctrine of pride originates from the imaginary view of one's personal qualifications and merits. One has already experienced all this in the past. Why should, therefore, one feel elated on getting to a high position or feel depressed when failed down to a low status?

2.51  taṃhā paṃḍie ṇo harise. ṇo kujjhe.

And therefore the intelligent person should neither be happy nor angry.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 51

Therefore, the wise man should be equanimous. He should not feel elated when accorded respect and honour due to his high pedigree. Nor should he be depressed when subjected to insult due to his low pedigree.

2.52  bhūehiṃ jāṇa paḍileha sātaṃ.

See and ponder over the karma and its result in living beings, and reflect on the elimination of karma.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 52

The experience of low pedigree is suffering. While pondering over the cause of suffering, one should first of all know about the soul and then about how the karma is bound and produces its result.

Look at the wearing off[1] of karma and the process of such wearing.

2.53 samite eyāṇupassi.

A person of right world-view reflects on karma and its results.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 53

The person who has comprehended the truth through investigation into the nature of the desirable and the undesirable is a person of right world-view. Such person can see the result of karma.

2.54 taṃ jāha - aṃdhattaṃ bahirattaṃ mūyattaṃ kāṇattaṃ kuṃṭattaṃ khujjattaṃ vaḍabhattaṃ sāmattaṃ sabalattaṃ.

Such as blindness, deafness and dumbness, one-eyedness, lameness, dwarfness, hunch-backedness, leprosy and white leprosy.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 54

Blindness, etc. are the illustration of the result of karma.

There are two meanings of the word khujja: Hunchback???[2] and dwarf.[3] The meaning of the word vaḍabha is also hunch-back.[4] In the context of the configuration of the body, this is corroborated.[5] The meaning of samatta is leprosy[6] and sabalatta is white leprosy.[7]

2.55 sahapamāeṇam   aṇegarūvāo joṇīo   saṃdhāti,   virūvarūve  phāse paḍisaṃvedei.

On account of his non-vigilance he undergoes various births and miseries.

The investigator of the results of karma reflects on the truth of rebirth in different species on account of one's own non-vigilance and suffers in multifarious ways.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 55

One who investigates the fruition of karma perceives the truth that is expressed in the present, Sūtra.

2.56 se abujjhamāṇe hatovahate jāi-maraṇaṃ anupariyaṭṭamāṇe.

Ignorant about karma and its results, injured and insulted, he passes through cycles of birth and death.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 56

Not knowing about pride arising from possessions, and violence due to such pride, as well as the karmic results born of such pride and violence, a person exposes himself to insults and injuries on account of failures and ailments in life. Such person accumulates karma and subjects himself to cycle of birth and death.

Footnotes
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Sources

Publishers:
Jain Vishwa Bharati

Ladnun- 341 306 (Raj.) India © Jain Vishva Bharti

ISBNS 1-7195-74-4

First Edition:2001

Courtesy :
Shree Chhotulal Sethia Charitable Trust Sethia House, 23/24,
Radha Bazar Street, Kolkata-700 001 (INDIA)

Printed by:
Shree Vardhaman Press
Delhi (INDIA)

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Page glossary
Some texts contain  footnotes  and  glossary  entries. To distinguish between them, the links have different colors.
  1. Body
  2. Contemplation
  3. Cūrṇi
  4. Karma
  5. Pride
  6. Soul
  7. Sūtra
  8. Violence
  9. Vṛtti
  10. Ācārāṅga
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