Acharanga Bhasyam: Sūtras 31-34 : Abandonment Of Possessiveness By Ascetic

8.31 soccā vaī mehāvī, paṃḍiyāṇaṃ nisāmiyā. samiyāe dhamme, āriehiṃ pavedite.

Listening to the words of the preceptors that the Jinas have proclaimed the religion of equality, the intelligent person, awakened by the Jina,^[1] appreciates the religion and accepts initiation in the middle period of his life, (see 5.40).

8.32 te aṇavakaṃkhamāṇā aṇativāemāṇā apariggahamāṇā ṇo pariggahāvaṃtī sawāvaṃtī ca ṇaṃ logaṃsi.

Such people, becoming detached from sensual objects, not indulging in injury to living beings and abstaining from possessiveness, become the observers of non-violence and non-possession, everywhere in the whole world.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtras 31,32

'Attachment' means greed which is the root of violence. Possessiveness, that is, accumulation of fortune is rooted in violence.

Only those who have overcome the circle of attachment, violence and possessiveness are really conversant with the essence of non-possession in this world. It has been quoted in the Cūrṇi - 'people with attachment are betrayed and those with non-attachment are liberated'.^[2]

8.33 ṇihāya daṃḍaṃ pāṇehiṃ, pāvaṃ kammaṃ akuvvamāṇe, esa mahaṃ agaṃthe viyāhie.

The person who refrains from injuring living beings and does not commit any evil act is called unfettered.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 33

The person abstains^[3] from, that is, avoids^[4] injuring living beings and does not commit any evil act such as violence and the like. Such non-violent person is noble being free from bondage. He is called unfettered. Really speaking, one who is not devoid of violence is not devoid of possession.

8.34 oe jutimassa kheyaṇṇe uvavāyaṃ cavaṇaṃ ca ṇaccā.

The monk who is free from attachment and conversant with the essence of self-restraint knows the cycle of birth and death, and practises non-violence and non-possessiveness.

Bhāṣyaṃ Sūtra 34

Now the Sūtra explains the reason for the practice of non-possession. One who has no attachment, who is alone being devoid of any possession and shelter. Moreover, he is the knower^[5] of the resplendent self-restraint. He knows that the birth and death of the soul is due to karma.^[6] A soul transmigrates to a lower form of life on account of virulent violence and massive possessiveness. Knowing this, he takes to the practice of non-possession and non-violence.

Here, it is clear on the basis of the Cūrni that 'arriving at' and 'departing from' stand for birth and death. In the other Āgamas, these two words are found to have technical meaning.^[7] Thus, in the Cūrni, we find^[8] upapāta and cyavana used for the birth of infernals and gods, and the word jamma for animals and humans, uvattana for vyantara and bhavanavāsī gods. In the Vṛtti, the words upapāta and cyavana are explained to stand for gods only.^[9]