Balbodh Pathmalal 3

This document is the third part of the "Balbodh Pathmala" (Child's Guidance Series) from the Todarmal Granthamala, Jaipur. Authored and edited by Pandit Hukumchand Bharilla Shastri, it is presented as a foundational text for Jain education, approved by the Shri Vitrag Vigyan Vidya Peeth Examination Board.

The text is presented in Gujarati and contains eight lessons designed to impart basic Jain principles and teachings to children. Here's a summary of each lesson:

Lesson 1: Dev-Darshan (Worship of the Divine) This lesson begins with a devotional prayer expressing gratitude for the sight of the divine and acknowledging past suffering due to ignorance. It emphasizes the pain caused by worldly attachments and the misunderstanding of true happiness. The prayer then shifts to seeking divine guidance, expressing a desire for righteous speech, associating with virtuous individuals, and studying scriptures. It progresses to aspirations for achieving equanimity, contemplation of the twelve reflections (anupreksha), renouncing worldly possessions, embracing the monastic life (digambar roop), adhering to the 28 root qualities, enduring 22 hardships (parishah), following the ten virtues, performing twelve types of austerities, and ultimately achieving liberation (moksha) and the state of a Jina (fully enlightened being). The lesson concludes by stating that the prayer outlines the complete path from a devotee to God.

Lesson 2: Shravak's Eight Root Qualities This lesson uses a dialogue between two characters, Prabodh and Subodh, to explain the importance of the eight root qualities for a householder (Shravak). The discussion starts with Subodh wanting to eat honey, which Prabodh explains is impure as it is produced from bee waste and involves harm to living beings. Prabodh clarifies that even a general Shravak should follow these qualities. The lesson defines "root qualities" as a shift in perspective from external objects to one's own soul, but practically refers to the abstention from honey, meat, alcohol, and the five Udumbar fruits. Each of these abstentions is explained with its underlying Jain principles:

• Honey: Impurity, harm to bees.
• Meat: Violence against mobile beings (tras jiva), and the constant generation of life within the meat. Eggs are also considered meat.
• Alcohol (Madya Tyag): Made from decaying substances, causes harm to many lives, and leads to loss of discrimination.
• Five Udumbar Fruits: These are the fruits of the Peepal, Umbar, Fig, Banyan, and Kathumbar trees. They are considered highly susceptible to harboring mobile beings.

The lesson reiterates that while self-knowledge is the ultimate path, these outward observances are essential steps for those aspiring to it.

Lesson 3: Panch Parmeshthi (The Five Supreme Beings) This lesson introduces the Panch Parmeshthi through the universal Namaskar Mahamantra: "Namo Arihantanam, Namo Siddhanam, Namo Ayariyanam, Namo Uvvajjhayanam, Namo Loye Savva Sahunam." It explains that these are the five supreme beings worthy of veneration in Jainism.

• Arihant: The liberated souls who have conquered their passions, anger, ego, deceit, greed, and senses, and have destroyed their four destructive karmas to attain infinite knowledge, perception, bliss, and vigor.
• Siddha: The souls who have achieved complete liberation from all karmas (both destructive and non-destructive) and reside in the highest realms of the universe, embodying their pure, intrinsic nature. They possess eight principal qualities.
• Acharya: The spiritual leaders who guide the monastic community, possess superior knowledge of scriptures, and practice virtues with great diligence.
• Upadhyaya: Teachers who are well-versed in Jain scriptures and are responsible for imparting this knowledge to disciples.
• Sadhu: Monks who have renounced worldly possessions and attachments, practice pure meditation, and observe the 28 root qualities.

The lesson details the qualities of Arihants and Siddhas, noting that while Arihants have external manifestations of their divinity (like 14 special attributes), their true essence lies in their infinite knowledge and bliss. Siddhas, having shed all karmas, exist in a state of pure consciousness. The lesson distinguishes between the general characteristics of monks and the specific roles of Acharyas and Upadhyayas.

Lesson 4: Indriyan (The Senses) This lesson explores the role of the senses in Jain philosophy through a dialogue between a mother and daughter. The daughter questions the definition of a Jain and the concept of "Jina" (one who has conquered). The mother explains that Jinas are those who have conquered passions and senses. The daughter then asks if the senses are enemies, as they aid in knowledge. The mother clarifies that while senses are instruments for worldly knowledge for a soul in the cycle of birth and death, they can also lead to entanglement in sensual pleasures. Therefore, conquering them is key to spiritual attainment. The lesson identifies the five senses: touch (sparshan), taste (rasana), smell (ghran), sight (chakshu), and hearing (karna). It explains what each sense perceives:

• Touch: Light-heavy, dry-oily, hard-soft, hot-cold.
• Taste: Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, astringent.
• Smell: Fragrant and foul odors.
• Sight: Colors like black, blue, yellow, red, and white.
• Hearing: Sounds and words.

The mother emphasizes that these senses only perceive qualities of matter (pudgal), not the soul, which is formless and possesses consciousness. Therefore, sensory knowledge is considered insignificant compared to self-knowledge. The lesson concludes by stating that just as sensory pleasures are to be renounced, so is sensory knowledge, and only supersensuous pleasure and supersensuous knowledge are to be pursued.

Lesson 5: Sadachar (Right Conduct - Discussion on Edibles and Non-Edibles) This lesson, through a conversation between Prabodh and Subodh, delves into the Jain concept of Abhakshya (non-edibles). Subodh is eager to eat potato fritters, but Prabodh explains that potatoes are Abhakshya. He elaborates that Abhakshya items are those that should not be consumed because they cause the downfall of the soul. The lesson categorizes Abhakshya items into five types:

1. Trasghat: Causing harm to mobile beings. This includes the five Udumbar fruits mentioned previously, which are constantly home to mobile organisms.
2. Bahughat: Causing harm to a multitude of immobile beings. This includes root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onions, which are densely populated with microscopic immobile beings (nigodiyas).
3. Anupasevya: Those considered undesirable or impure by respectable people, such as saliva, urine, and feces. Consuming these requires strong attachment and leads to violence.
4. Nashakarak: Intoxicating substances like alcohol, opium, cannabis, and tobacco, which impair judgment and lead to violence.
5. Anishtakarak: Items that cause illness. These lead to mental distress and are consumed with strong attachment, hence considered Abhakshya.

Subodh expresses his gratitude to Prabodh for saving him from the sin of consuming Abhakshya.

Lesson 6: Dravya, Guna, Paryay (Substance, Qualities, Modes) This lesson uses a dialogue between a teacher and student to explain the fundamental Jain metaphysical concepts of Dravya (Substance), Guna (Quality), and Paryay (Mode/Modification). The discussion begins with the student's concern about nuclear bombs and world destruction. The teacher explains that the world is composed of six substances, and substances, by their nature, cannot be destroyed; only their modes change. The core concepts are defined:

• Dravya: A collection of qualities.
• Guna: Qualities that exist in the entire substance (all its parts and all its states) and are inseparable from it. For example, knowledge is a quality of the soul.
• Paryay: The continuous changes or modifications that occur in a substance.

The teacher clarifies that a substance is not merely a container for qualities but is intrinsically made of them. Qualities are categorized into:

• Samanya Guna (General Qualities): Qualities present in all substances, such as existence, existence as a thing, substantiality, knowability, neither too heavy nor too light, and extension.
• Vishesh Guna (Specific Qualities): Qualities that are unique to a particular substance, like knowledge, perception, conduct, and bliss for the soul, and touch, taste, smell, and color for matter.

The lesson elaborates on the six general qualities:

• Astitva (Existence): The power due to which a substance never ceases to exist.
• Vastutva (Objectivity/Functionality): The power due to which a substance performs purposeful actions.
• Dravyatva (Substantiality): The power due to which a substance is constantly undergoing change.
• Prameyattva (Knowability): The power due to which a substance is an object of knowledge.
• Agurulaghutva (Neither too heavy nor too light): The power due to which a substance remains a substance and does not transform into another substance or its qualities become separate.
• Pradeshatva (Extension): The power due to which a substance has some form or spatial extent.

The lesson concludes by explaining the benefits of understanding these concepts: it helps in realizing one's own inherent nature as a substance of qualities, dispels feelings of helplessness, and leads to fearlessness by understanding the indestructibility of the soul.

Lesson 7: Bhagwan Neminath (Lord Neminath) This lesson recounts the life story of Lord Neminath, the 22nd Tirthankar, through a conversation between a sister and brother. The sister misunderstands that Neminath abandoned his wife. The brother clarifies that Neminath was a lifelong celibate (brahmachari) and did not marry. He explains the incident: Neminath, a prince, was on his way to marry Rajula (Rajmati). Upon seeing the innocent animals destined for slaughter at the wedding feast, he experienced intense renunciation (vairagya). He immediately abandoned his royal life, attachments, and embraced the path of a mendicant, heading towards Mount Girnar. The brother also clarifies Rajula's fate: she, too, was inspired by this event and renounced worldly life, becoming an Ajika (nun) and dedicating herself to spiritual practice. The lesson then provides biographical details about Neminath: son of King Samudravijaya and Shivadevi, cousin of Lord Krishna. He achieved enlightenment (Kevala Jnana) just 56 days after his initiation. He preached for about seven hundred years and attained liberation from Mount Girnar, which is also mentioned as a holy site where Krishna's sons, Pradyumna and Samba, also attained liberation.

Lesson 8: Jinvani-Stuti (Praise of Jin's Teachings) This lesson is a devotional hymn praising Jinvani – the teachings of the Jinas (Tirthankaras) and the path to liberation they have shown. The hymn compares Jinvani to the sacred Ganges River, originating from the "Himalaya of Lord Mahavir" and flowing through the "confluence of knowledge" in Lord Gautam Gandhar. It describes Jinvani as a divine light that dispels the darkness of ignorance and suffering in the world. The hymn expresses profound reverence and gratitude for these teachings, acknowledging their role in revealing the true nature of reality and guiding beings towards spiritual upliftment.

In essence, "Balbodh Pathmala - Part 3" serves as an introductory guide to fundamental Jain principles, covering devotion, ethical conduct, veneration of spiritual beings, understanding of the senses, dietary regulations, metaphysical concepts, and the lives of Tirthankaras, all presented in an accessible manner for young learners.