Asatya

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Asatya" by Bechardas Doshi, focusing on the relationship between untruth (Asatya) and violence (Himsa):

The text "Asatya" by Bechardas Doshi explores the deep and inseparable connection between untruth (Asatya) and violence (Himsa). It argues that these two vices are mutually reinforcing, meaning where one exists, the other is likely to follow.

Initially, one might think that untruth is related to language and violence to harming living beings, suggesting no connection. However, the author contends that upon deeper reflection, it becomes clear that just as truth (Satya) and non-violence (Ahimsa) are intrinsically linked, so too are the vices of untruth and violence.

The text illustrates this point with two examples:

1. The Analogy of Brothers: The text uses the example of two brothers. If they understand and uphold their fraternal duty, experiencing joy in supporting each other and even being willing to sacrifice their lives for each other, they are practicing truth. This is because their understanding of their relationship (brotherhood) aligns with their conduct. However, when one brother, driven by desire (trushna), infringes upon this fraternal duty and resorts to violence (hitting the other brother), untruth also enters the picture. The brother who hits his sibling is not acting according to the truth of their brotherhood. Instead, he is disregarding the reality of their bond to satisfy his desires. This disregard for the truth, this deviation from the accurate understanding of their relationship, is untruth, and it is from this untruth that violence arises. If he had remained true to his understanding of brotherhood, he wouldn't have been overcome by desire and committed violence. Therefore, the author concludes that wherever violence occurs, untruth is present at its inception, making them intertwined.

2. The Merchant and Clerks: The author then presents the case of a wealthy merchant who needs eight clerks for his business to run smoothly. While he understands that eight clerks are necessary for efficiency, he is swayed by greed (lobha) and considers the monthly salary of eight hundred rupees too high. This greed leads him to hire only four clerks, saving four hundred rupees. This act of hiring fewer people than necessary is an instance of untruth, as it deviates from the factual requirement for the business's proper functioning. This decision then leads to violence. Just as overloading a bullock that can carry twenty maunds with thirty maunds or more causes suffering and is considered violence, the merchant, by assigning the workload of eight people to four, is causing them undue suffering or "violence." The suffering inflicted upon the clerks by making them do double the work is a form of violence, as "suffering" and "violence" are synonymous. Thus, the merchant's greed leads to untruth (not hiring enough clerks based on the truth of the business needs), and from this untruth, violence (the suffering caused to the fewer clerks) manifests.

Core Argument and Conclusion:

The text asserts that any human being driven by greed, anger, ego, or other vices, when they disregard the truth they understand and act in a way that suits their convenience and desires, is practicing untruth. This act of ignoring the truth inherently gives rise to violence. The author emphasizes that people often fail to recognize that engaging in violence due to the impulse of desire is also practicing untruth.

The fundamental message is that the practice of truth and non-violence requires a holistic approach. A spiritual seeker or devotee who wishes to renounce violence must also renounce untruth. Conversely, someone committed to renouncing untruth must strive to abandon negative tendencies like anger, greed, and ego. Without understanding the interconnectedness and permeation of truth and non-violence, and by viewing untruth merely as speaking falsehoods and violence as physical harm with no connection, true adherence to truth and non-violence cannot be achieved.