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SADHUS OR MONKS

 There are twenty seven qualities of the Jain Saints.

A. Observance of five major vows:

1. Non-violence (Ahinsa)  
2. Truthfulness (Satya)  
3. Non-theft (Achaurya)
4. Celibacy (Brahmacharya)  
5. Non-attachment to riches (Aparigrah)

B. Control over five senses:

1. Control over sense of touch  
2. Control over sense of taste  
3. Control over sense of smell
4. Control over sense of sight  
5. Control of hearing

C. Victory over four passions or kashyas:

1. Victory over anger  
2. Victory over pride  
3. Victory over deceit  
4. Victory over greed

D. Control over three media:

1. Control over mind  
2. Control over speech  
3. Control over body

E. Ten pious duties (Dharma):

1. Highest forgiveness (Uttam Kshama)  
2. Humility (Mardava)
3. Straight forwardness (Arjava)  
4. Truth (Satya)  
5. Purity (Souch)
6. Self control (Sanyam)  
7. Penance (Tap)  
8. Renunciation (Tyag)
9. Non-attachment (Akinchanya)  
10. Chastity (Brahmacharya)

Let us move towards the remaining four qualities of the Navkar Mantra. I humbly wish to clear that Right Penance is so important that it deserves separate mention, although some scholars treat it as a part of Right Conduct.

The Navkar Mantra leads us to "tumso ma jyotirgamaya" and 'asto ma satorgamaya' i.e. from darkness to light and from untruth to truth in the pilgrimage to the realization of the Soul.

Right Vision, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct are termed as the three jewels of Jainism. These three contain the Jain philosophy and ethics or in a nutshell Jain religion. Honoured Umaswati has described in Tatvarth Sutra "Samyag Darshan, Gyan, Charitrani Moksh marg". Right Vision, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct - together constitute the gateway to liberation.