Jethalal S. Zaveri
Prof. Muni Mahendra Kumar
jaiyā imeṇa jῑveṇa appaṇo āsavāṇa ya taheva.
ṇādaṃ hodi visesaṃtaraṃ tu taiyā ṇa baṃdho se..3
ṇāduṇa āsavāṇāṃ asucittaṃ ca vivarῑdabhāvaṃ ca.
dukkhassa kāraṇaṃ tti ya, tado ṇiyattiṃ kuṇadi jῑvo..4
ahamekko khalu suddho ya ṇimmamo ṇāṇadaṃsaṇasamaggo.
tamhi ṭhido taccitto savve ede khayaṃ ṇemi..5
jῑvaṇibaddhā ede adhuva aṇiccā tahā asaraṇā ya.'
dukkhā dukkhaphalā tti ya ṇādūṇa ṇivattade tehiṃ..6
(Jaiyā) When (imeṇa jῑveṇa) this jῑva (appāṇaṃ taheva ya āsavāṇa visesaṃtaraṃ ṇādaṃ hodi) is able to distinguish between the self and the causes of influx [i.e. is enlightened], (taiyā tu se baṃdho ṇo) then there is no fresh bondage.
(Ṇāduṇa) Knowing that (āsavāṇāṃ) causes of influx are (asucittaṃ ca vivrῑdabhāvaṃ caya dukkhassa kāraṇaṃ) also causes of defilement, vitiation and misery (tti jῑvo tado ṇiyattiṃ kuṇadi) the soul abandons them.
The enlightened soul contemplates that (ahaṃ khalu ekko suddho) I am a pure singularity (ya ṇimmamo) and free from all possessive desires, (ṇāṇadaṃsaṇasamaggo) I am replete with knowledge and intuition; (ede savve khayaṃ ṇemi) I am able to eradicate all [aforementioned] causes of influx by (tamhi thido taccitto) meditating, concentrating and focusing my full attention on my own pure and perfect self.
(Ede) These [aforementioned causes of influx] are (jῑvaṇibaddhā) distinct from the self, (adhuva) destructible (aṇiccā) transitory (tahā ya asaraṇā) and incapable of providing refuge; (ya ṇādūṇa tehiṃ ṇivattade) knowing this, the enlightened soul abandons them.
Annotations:
In the preceding verses, we studied the discretion between the self and the cause of influx, i.e., bhāva āśrava and concluded that anger and the like, which are, undoubtedly, causes of influx of karmic matter, are different and distinct from the self and can, therefore, be positively abandoned.
Now in these verses, Ācārya Kundakunda recounts what benefits accrue by this knowledge. First and foremost is the obvious but great benefit, viz., the cessation of the bondage of karma, because, if the cause of influx is absent, there will be no influx, and hence, no bondage.
This is further reinforced by pointing out that not only the causes of influx are distinctly different from the self, they are also causes of pollution, defilement and corruption of the self. They are produced by the fruition of the deluding karma and, in turn, produce suffering and misery.
Further contemplation of the distinction between them (anger etc. on the one hand and the self on the other) result in the conviction that not only they are alien factors, but also transitory, impermanent, and can be eradicated. Far from providing any shelter from danger to the self, they are themselves the causes of sorts of afflictions and miseries, suffered by the self in the worldly life. Convincing distinction and transitoriness of the causes of influx (viz., passions and psychological distortions such as anger, pride, fear, hate etc.) results in enlightenment. And once the enlightenment dawns, the enlightened self makes a solemn policy declaration "I am pure and perfect singularity, nothing except my own self, animate or inanimate, is mine or possessed by me. My characteristic quality which is truly mine is consciousness (knowledge and intuition) alone and I am replete with it." To destroy and eradicate all the causes of influx of non-self and consequent misery, all that is required is to concentrate on the transcendental self which is free from all defilement as well as causes of defdement.
These verses indicate the supreme potency of the self-meditation, not only to stop all painful suffering but also to eradicate the roots of suffering. Along with its enlightenment, the soul develops the capacity for self-meditation, i.e, concentrates upon the self as distinct and separate from all non-self. When one is fully convinced of the distinction between the body and the soul, one is capable of rising still higher and concentrate upon and realize the transcendental self which is free from all the limitation of the empirical self, i.e., the latter itself becomes the transcendental self by self-meditation.
