Acharya Mahaprajna
6.40 je acele parivusie saṃcikkhati omoyariyāe.
The monk without clothing is the practiser of the penance of attenuation (of passions, clothing, food etc.).
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 40
Now starts the topic of the practice of nudity. The person who has undertaken nudity, dwells in attenuation, 'Attenuation' means shortening. The shortening of the clothing[1] etc. and food is physical attenuation,[2] the shortening of anger and the like is spiritual attenuation. The outfit such as clothing and the like become the cause of anger and the like, and, therefore, they are abandoned by him. Thus, the monk practises the attenuation spiritually too.
6.41 se akkuṭṭhe va hae va lūsie vā.
Sometimes he is abused, struck or hurt
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 41
The possibility of the hardships increases in the state of nudity. On seeing a nude monk, someone may abuse or beat or multilate his limbs. The nude monk should bear the hardships of abuse and assault,[3] and continue his discipline without break.
6.42 paliyaṃ pagaṃthe aduvā pagaṃthe.
Some people abuse him, reminding him of his past activities, and others abuse him in discourteous terminology.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 42
'Paliya' means act. 'Pagantha' means abuses. Some people remind[4] him of his past actions and abuse him or use uncivilized terminology against him.[5]
Look at yourself! Call yourself a sādhu? What about the heap of wood you used to bear on your shoulders only until the other day? Tut! Tut!"
6.43 atahehiṃ sadda-phāsehiṃ, iti saṃkhāe.
People may create hardships by unbecoming words and there may create hardships due to physical discomfort. The monk should ponder over such situation and tolerate them.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 43
Some people cause trouble by unbecoming words and physical torture. 'Words' means abuse, rebuke and revile. 'Physical torture' means injury, imprisonment and beating etc. At that time, the wise monk, remembering that he was engaged in attenuating the passions, and pondering over his practice, or concentrating his mind[6] on proper object, he should endure those privations regarding the abuses and assaults.
6.44 egatare aṇṇayare abhiṇṇāya, titikkhamāṇe parivvae.
Confronted with similar and dissimilar hardships, he should tolerate them and keep himself engaged in practising the discipline.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 44
'Similar' means of same class. 'Dissimilar' means of different classes.[7] Tolerating these hardships, he should practice his discipline. The hardships related to words are of the same class such as abuse, rebuke etc. The hardships related to different classes are cold and hot touches, bites of gnats and mosquitoes, travel, dwelling place, physical assault, sharp grass etc.
6.45 je ya hirī, je ya ahirīmaṇā.
The monk should tolerate the hardships that arouse shyness and also those that do not.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 45
In the Sthānāṅga, five classes of people are mentioned:[8]
- A person who is not cowardly even in a horrible situation, out of shyness.
- A person who is not cowardly even in his mind in such situation.
- A man with shaky spirit.
- A man with unshaky spirit.
- Person whose spiritual power is on the increase.
There are some people who are mentally shy and others who are not so. For the former person, the hardship of nudity is unbearable. For the people who are not mentally shy, the hardship is tolerable. The monk practising nudity should properly tolerate the hardships of shyness, cold-touch and the like.[9]
6.46 ciccā savvaṃ vesottiyaṃ, phase phase samiyadaṃsaṇe.
The monk of right faith, giving up all kinds of mental agitations should tolerate all sorts of touches equanimously.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 46
'Agitation' means restlessness of the mind. To the nude monk, some hardships originate naturally. He should not become restive with regard to them. But he should avoid all restiveness. The monk possessed of right view[10] should endure whatever hardships arise for him with equanimity.
6.47 ete bho! ṇagiṇā vuttā, je logaṃsi aṇāgamaṇadhammiṇo.
"O (disciple)! in the field of monastic code of conduct, the genuinely nude are only those who, having renounced the world do not return to householder's life."
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 47
(The Lord said to the disciples:) "Those alone who are determined not to return to the worldly life,[11] that is, they who do not desire to return to householder's life overcome by restiveness, O disciple! are called really nude. They are not called naked on account of their (physical) nudity alone.
"Such naked monks alone live in solitude and are capable of uprooting their dispositions of desires etc.; they do not produce new dispositions.[12] But those who intend to return home cannot have their dispositions destroyed. Therefore, I have approved life-long monkhood."
6.48 āṇāe māmagaṃ dhammaṃ.
He comprehends the monastic code of conduct prescribed by me, accepts it and observes monkhood till the end of his life.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 48
I have prescribed the practice of monastic discipline for the whole life. Therefore, those who have accepted my discipline[13] should not waver on account of the hardships but should follow it up to the end of life.[14]
6.49 esa uttaravāde, iha māṇavāṇaṃ viyāhite.
(The Lord says:) "This discipline of nudity is the highest one that has been enjoined for human beings by me."
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 49
"The discipline of nude life is a transcendental discipline, and not an ordinary doctrine. Living in nudity and the endurance of the hardships of cold etc. is the highest injuction enjoined by me for human beings."[15]
6.50 etthovarae taṃ jhosamāṇe.
The aspirant detached from sensual objects practises this highest discipline.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 50
Detached from them, that is, abstaining from the sensual objects, the monk observes the prescribed discipline. A person attached to the sensual objects or one who is upholder of the comfortable way of life is not able to practise this transcendental discipline.
6.51 āyāṇijjaṃ pariṇṇāya, pariyāeṇa vigiṃcai.
Fully conversant with āyāṇijjaṃ (clothing) he renounces it for the whole life.
Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 51
The monk properly knowing ādāṇiyaṃ, i.e., clothing should renounce it throughout his whole state of monkhood.
The word ‘Āyāṇiya’,[16] translated as clothing, has also been explained in the sense of karma. In the context of shaking off of the passions, the shaking off of the karma is not irrelevant. The monkhood[17] is the best means of getting rid of karma.
- (a) Cūrṇau (p.213) acelapadasya mauliko'rtho vidyate—dawe titthagara asaṃtacele, bhāve rāga-dosavijao, sehāvi celehiṃ acelā.
(b) Vṛttau (patra 219) alpacela iti uttaravartī arthaḥ pratīyate - acelaḥ alapacelo jinakalpiko vā. - Saṃcikkhati iti mūlapadam, Cūrṇau (p.213) - saṃmaṃ vikkhamāṇe saṃvikkhamāṇe.
- (a) Uttarajjhayaṇāṇi, 2.24,25,26,27.
(b) See, Dasaveāliyaṃ 10.13. - Ācārāṅga Cūrṇi, p.213: paliyaṃ ṇāma kammaṃ, so ya kammajuṃgito pavvaio, ṇa tahā, kaṭṭhahāro vā, desaṃ vā pappa ṇillevagādi ṇikkamaṃti, so ya keṇai sayakkheṇa parῑkkheṇa vā asūyāe pagaḍaṃ vā pagaṃthati, asūyāe tāva ṇāvi - aṇillevago taṇahārago, pagaḍaṃ tumaṃ taṇahārao tahāvi ṇa lajjasi mamaṃ saha virujjhamāṇo, sarῑrajuṃgite vā soyāevi ahaṃ kāṇo kuṃḍo vā pagaḍaṃ koḍhiga kujjo vā, evaṃ orālāhiṃ bhāsāhiṃ pagaṃthaṃti.
- People from all walks of life used to be ordained in the order of the Arhat (Mahāvīra). Some of them who were engaged in mean occupations during their household life were mocked at by people (who referred to their pre-ascetic vocations) with the derisive remarks such as "O weaver! So, you've become a sādhu, eh! What on earth do you know?" "Listen ye, woodcutter!
- 'Dispassionate thinking' here means that in the event of revilement, beating or mutilation, a muni should think on these lines:
1. The poor fellow must be influenced by evil spirit.
2. He must be mad.
3. That person must be arrogant.
4. All this must be due to my own past actions, which are now coming to the fore. That is why this ignoramus is calling me names, binding me hand and foot, or beating me up.
5. Let me bear these insults. Only by so doing shall the sharp edges of my past actions (misdeeds) be whittled down. - (a) Ācārāṅga Cūrṇi, p.214: egatarā ete saddā phāsā ya, tattha saddo ekko akkosa parῑsaho, sῑta uṇhaṃ daṅsamasaga caritā sijjā vaho taṇaphasa jalla ete phāsā, taṃ ete saddaphāsā egatarā.
(b) Ācarāṅga Vṛtti, patra 219: egatarān - anukūlān, anyatarān - prartikūlān parῑṣahān. - Aṃgasuttāṇi I, Ṭhāṇaṃ, 5.198.
- Vṛttau 'hirῑ' padasya vyākhyā savikalpā dṛśyate - ye ca parῑṣahāḥ satkārapuraskārādayaḥ sādhor-hāriṇo—mana ālhādakāriṇo ye tu pratikūlatayā ahāriṇo—manaso'niṣṭā, yadi vā hrῑrūpāḥ - yācanā'ce- lādayaḥ ahrῑmanasaśca alajyākāriṇaḥ śitoṣṇādayaḥ ityetān dvirūpānapi parῑṣahān samyak titikṣamāṇaḥ parivrajediti. (Ācārāṅga Vṛtti, patra 219)
- Ācārāṅga Vṛtti, patra 220: samyag itaṃ gataṃ darśanaṃ yasya sa samitadarśanaḥ samyag-dṛṣṭirityarthaḥ.
- Ācārāṅga Vṛtti, patra 220: asmin manuṣyaloke anāgamanaṃ dharmo yeṣāṃ te'nāgamana-dharmmāṇaḥ, yathā"ropitapratijñābhāravāhitvānna punargṛhaṃ pratyāgamanepsavaḥ.
- Apte, nagnaḥ - Naked uncultivated, uninhabited, desolate.
- Cūrṇau dharmasya vaikalpikorthaḥ svabhāvaḥ kṛtosti - 'ahavā mamago sahāvo, so ya ahaṃ suha-ssabhāvo, eteṇa aṇumāṇeṇaṃ annevi te ṇūṇaṃ suhasabhāvā, teṇa tavvivakkhaṃ aṇṇesiṃ ṇa kujjā asuhaṃ. (Ācārāṅga Cūrṇi, p.214)
- The commentator has interpreted this aphorism in two ways:
(a) Muni should follow the Way of life in accordance with my exhortation (ājñā).
(b) Nothing belongs to me except the disciplined Way of life, hence let me carry out the instructions of the Tῑrthaṅkara and follow aright this path.
However, the traditional interpretation which is more prevalent is; "My religion can be practised only if one acts according to my commandments."
We have translated here the word 'āṇāe' as 'ājñāya', for 'māmagaṃ dhammaṃ' is in the accusative case. - If, after having accepted the ascetic way of life, one goes back to his family life, he is said to be an ‘āgamana dharma’. The reason for going back to one's family life is inability to forbear various kinds of rigours and hardships. A person who withstands enticements of sensual pleasure, etc., rigours like being up-braided, nudism and begging alms, does not return to his family life. He becomes what is known as "anāgamma dharma."Bhagavān Mahāvῑra laid down the principles of non-violence, and forbearance of hardships as the Way of life. Only if a person is conversant with it, can he remain completely unperturbed by the onset of various hardships; and it is only that person who remains unperturbed by them unto his last breath, can truly lead a life of asceticism. The ability to forbear all kinds of hardships and not to relinquish the ascetic way of life, inspite of them is called the "Uttaravādda” (i.e. The Golden Principle).
- (a) Ācārāṅga Cūrṇi, p.215: ādijjati āyatte vā ādāṇῑyaṃ, jaṃ bhaṇitaṃ - saṃsārabῑjaṃ paliyaṃ bhaṇiyaṃ taṃ jahā - pralῑyate bhavaṃ yena, ādānameva palitaṃ.
(b) Ācārāṅga Vṛtti, patra 220: ādῑyat ityādānῑyaṃ - karma. - Ācārāṅga Cūrṇi, p.215: pariyāo ṇāma sāmaṇṇapariyāo.
