Arjava

This Jain text, titled "Arjava" by Ramanlal C Shah, delves into the concept of Arjava, which translates to simplicity, straightforwardness, honesty, and sincerity in English. It is presented as a fundamental virtue within Jain philosophy.

Here's a comprehensive summary of the key points discussed:

• Definition and Meaning of Arjava:

  • Arjava is a Sanskrit word derived from "Riju," meaning straight or simple.
  • It encompasses various meanings like simplicity, straightforwardness, honesty, sincerity, uprightness, open-heartedness, and lack of guile.
  • While practical meanings are important, its spiritual and religious significance in Jainism is considered deeper and more crucial.

• Arjava in Jain Philosophy:

  • Arjava holds the third position among the ten cardinal virtues or Yati Dharma (vows of ascetics) in Jainism. These ten virtues are: Forgiveness (Kshama), Humility (Mardav), Straightforwardness (Arjava), Purity (Shauch), Truthfulness (Satya), Self-control (Sanyam), Austerity (Tap), Renunciation (Tyag), Non-possession (Akinchan), and Celibacy (Brahmacharya).
  • The attainment of these virtues to their highest degree through self-effort is essential for Samyakdarshan (right faith).
  • While householders can practice Arjava, monks have a greater scope for its purity and excellence due to their lifestyle. This is why the ten virtues are emphasized during the Paryushan festival.
  • These ten virtues are interconnected and mutually supportive.

• Interpretations and Definitions of Arjava:

  • According to Pujyapada Swami in "Sarvarthasiddhi," Arjava is the straightforwardness of Yoga (activity). Yoga is categorized into three types: mental, verbal, and physical. Therefore, Arjava means being simple and straightforward in mind, speech, and action – what is thought should be spoken, and what is spoken should be acted upon.
  • Another definition states that Arjava is the restraint of the rise of Maya (deceit, illusion, cunning).
  • It is further defined as the absence of crookedness or duplicity in the activities of mind, speech, and body.
  • A quoted English definition highlights sincerity as speaking as one thinks, doing as one professes, performing promises, and being what one appears to be.

• Arjava for Monks vs. Householders:

  • While simplicity is desirable for householders, it is considered absolutely essential for monks. A deficiency in straightforwardness for a monk is seen as a deficiency in their monasticism, similar to the example of Sadhvi Lakshmana.
  • Lord Mahavir, in the Dasavaikalika Sutra, states that monks who are aware of the five influxes of karma, possess the three restraints (guptis), protect the six types of living beings, control the five senses, and are patient are Nirgranthas (ascetics) with straightforward vision.
  • Acharya Kundakunda, in "Baras Anuvekha," states that a monk who abandons crooked thoughts and practices conduct with a pure heart, certainly attains the third virtue of Arjava.

• Understanding Crookedness (Vakrata) and Maya:

  • Arjava is the opposite of Vakrata (crookedness, duplicity, cunning) and Mayachar (deceitful conduct).
  • Mayachar involves having something in the mind but saying or doing something different, or hiding one's intentions.
  • Deceitful individuals resort to trickery to achieve their aims and fulfill their desires.
  • Even some respected spiritual figures may withhold certain information for the welfare of the world or speak ambiguously when necessary, attributing this to a less intense form of Maya.
  • The text mentions four types of Maya (kashaya): Anantanubandhi, Apratyakhyani, Pratyakhyani, and Sanjvalan, indicating different degrees of its intensity.

• Overcoming Maya and Cultivating Arjava:

  • Those who are not overcome by Maya express their quality of Arjava.
  • The Uttaradhyayan Sutra states that by conquering Maya, one generates Arjava.
  • By cultivating Arjava, one develops straightforwardness in body, mind, and speech, and avoids contradictions.

• The Practical Challenges and Perceptions of Simplicity:

  • Natural simplicity is a great virtue, but the world often misleads individuals.
  • Observing cunning people succeeding can inspire others to become more astute.
  • Unfortunately, traits like cunning, slyness, dishonesty, and immorality are sometimes equated with intelligence, and children are sometimes taught these traits by their parents.
  • There's a distinction between not deceiving oneself and not deceiving others. Deceptive advice is often given by cunning individuals.
  • In practical life, social activities, business, and politics, simplicity is often viewed as a weakness or foolishness.
  • The text differentiates between innocence (murdhvata) and simplicity, noting that even simplicity can be considered undesirable in politics.
  • Ancient political strategies and texts like Chanakya Niti advocate against excessive simplicity. For example, the analogy of straight trees being cut in a forest while crooked ones survive illustrates this point.
  • Proverbs like "the straight finger doesn't get the ghee, only the crooked one does" teach people cunning and mislead them. However, the text cautions that such policies have consequences, and crookedness may succeed temporarily but not permanently.
  • Simplicity is compared to a needle, while crookedness is like scissors, suggesting that simplicity can mend, while crookedness can cut or be fuel.

• The Value of Simplicity:

  • Despite worldly perceptions, the text emphasizes that simplicity is the ultimate excellence in character, manners, and style, as quoted from an unnamed source and attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson (though not explicitly named).
  • Acharya Hemchandracharya refers to Arjava as a great medicine in his "Yogashastra."

• Simplicity and Related Virtues:

  • Simplicity is closely related to gentleness (Mruduta). Gentleness is a prerequisite for simplicity; without it, simplicity cannot exist or endure. Gentleness helps in removing crookedness from one's life.
  • Tolerance is a test of simplicity. When facing difficulties, threats to reputation, fear of slander, or the possibility of great loss, people tend to abandon simplicity and resort to falsehood, hypocrisy, and deceit.
  • Mahatma Gandhi stated that self-suffering is the truest test of sincerity. A simple person should be willing to endure. Such individuals are or should be fearless.

• Overcoming Attachments for True Simplicity:

  • Until attachments (attachment to worldly things, greed, etc.) are present in the mind, true, profound simplicity cannot be attained.
  • While common forms of simplicity may be found, it needs to be refined through spiritual practice.
  • Subtle attachments are particularly difficult to shed. The text uses an analogy of gourds in a pond to illustrate how giving up one attachment leads to another. Significant mental effort is required to overcome these attachments, and simplicity can aid in this process.
  • Those who abandon simplicity and resort to deceit cannot achieve their true welfare.

• Types of Simplicity and Crookedness:

  • The text categorizes individuals based on the proportion of simplicity and crookedness: Simple, Nearly Simple, Crooked-Simple, and Crooked.
  • Crookedness itself is described in four types, increasing in intensity, like bamboo shoots, ram's horns, cow's urine stream, and sickle.
  • Crookedness is also compared to the crescent moon, which gradually diminishes its crookedness until it becomes full. Similarly, a spiritual aspirant should strive to remove crookedness and move towards completeness.
  • The analogy of a snake's movement illustrates that while a snake moves crookedly, it must straighten itself to enter its hole. Similarly, simplicity is essential in the spiritual path.
  • Philosopher Immanuel Kant is quoted stating that sincerity is the indispensable ground of all conscientiousness and heartfelt religion.

• Self-Interest and Simplicity:

  • Humans are inherently self-interested. To satisfy their self-interest, they resort to untruths or half-truths, silence, evasive speech, or misrepresentation.
  • They use exaggeration or understatement. Where actions or speech are motivated by self-interest, simplicity is absent.
  • For self-interest, individuals may not hesitate to commit violence, theft, or other major sins. Such people are far from being simple.

• Inner Purity and True Simplicity:

  • Where self-interest is absent, and the intention is for the welfare of all beings, there is nothing to hide. This naturally leads to inner and outer sincerity, honesty, and transparency. True simplicity shines forth.
  • The proportion of simplicity and crookedness in ordinary individuals varies according to circumstances. It's not difficult to remain simple as long as self-interest doesn't arise in the mind.

• Endurance of Simplicity:

  • Simplicity found during times of abundance may not withstand economic difficulties. However, there are exceptional individuals, including saints and lay practitioners, who maintain and enhance their simplicity.

• The Deception of Temptation:

  • Just as one can move from crookedness to simplicity, one can also become crooked after being simple, driven by other thoughts.
  • The story of the old woman and the horse rider illustrates how greed can quickly manifest as cunning. The human mind is fertile in finding new tricks for self-interest.
  • Therefore, maintaining simplicity in the face of temptations requires significant mental fortitude and self-strength.

• Historical Context of Simplicity in Jain Monasticism:

  • It is believed that ascetics during the time of Lord Rishabhadeva were simple. Those from the time of Ajitnath to Parshvanatha were wise and simple. However, from the era of Lord Mahavir onwards, some ascetics began to exhibit dullness and crookedness.
  • Two anecdotes illustrate the simplicity of the ascetics of Lord Rishabhadeva's time:
    • When disciples were delayed returning from answering nature's call, they admitted to stopping to watch a street performer. The guru gently pointed out that this was also a form of entertainment they should avoid.
    • In another instance, a disciple brought only one vada (a type of fried bread) as alms. He explained that he had eaten most of the vadas given to him, anticipating sharing them with the guru and then consuming his share too. When the guru questioned how he ate so many, the disciple, in his simplicity, ate the last one as well.
  • These examples are presented as illustrative of a naive or unintelligent simplicity. Simplicity varies among children, fools, simpletons, ordinary people, and wise individuals.
  • The simplicity that results from self-knowledge and leads towards self-knowledge holds the highest value on the path to liberation.

• The Indispensable Nature of Simplicity for the Soul Seeker:

  • For a soul-seeker (Atmarthi) and one desiring liberation (Mumukshu), simplicity is not just necessary but indispensable.
  • Simplicity fosters other virtues and helps in eradicating vices. It leads to purity.
  • A crooked individual cannot easily achieve their self-interest. A person with simple inclinations can quickly grasp the essence of reality.
  • Internal, faultless, spiritual simplicity is more beneficial for turning inward and achieving self-welfare than external, worldly simplicity. Therefore, spiritual simplicity is to be embraced.
  • When Arjava reaches its highest degree, it is invariably accompanied by Samyakdarshan.
  • Simplicity leads to virtues like generosity, equanimity, and broad-mindedness.
  • A simple person observes their own faults, accepts them, and remains vigilant to avoid repeating them. Such a person becomes likable to others.
  • A crooked person defends their faults instead of accepting them. Even if they understand their faults intellectually, they lack inner inclination to change, causing them to lose the affection of others.

• Arjava as the Soul's Nature:

  • From the perspective of truth, Arjava is the inherent nature and quality of the soul.
  • As a soul quality, it exists in all beings, from the most basic life forms (nigoda) to the liberated souls (Siddha). It is veiled in the nigoda state and fully manifest in the Kevalis (omniscient beings) and the liberated souls.
  • The goal of soul-seekers should be to fully manifest this innate quality of Arjava within themselves.