Bhagavana Mahavira Ki Suktiya

This is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Bhagavan Mahavir ki Suktiya" (भगवान महावीर की सूक्तियां) by Rajendramuni, published by Tarak Guru Jain Granthalay. The book contains 1008 aphorisms (suktiyan) attributed to Lord Mahavir, compiled by Rajendramuni Shastri, Kavyatirtha.

Overview:

The book is presented as a collection of profound sayings of Lord Mahavir, intended to illuminate the path of Dharma. It aims to distill the essence of his teachings, which are considered invaluable jewels from the Agam literature. The compilation was undertaken on the occasion of the 2500th Nirvana centenary of Lord Mahavir.

Structure and Content:

The book is divided into two main sections:

1. Dharma aur Niti (धर्म और नीति) - Religion and Ethics: This is the larger section, covering a wide range of ethical principles and religious duties. It is further categorized into various themes, including:

   • Mangal (मंगल) - Auspiciousness/Benediction: Begins with auspicious invocations and greetings, emphasizing the importance of auspiciousness in religious practice.
   • Dharma (धर्म) - Religion/Duty: Explores the nature of Dharma, highlighting its role as a refuge, a light in darkness, and its foundation in virtues like humility and self-restraint. It stresses that Dharma is the true path to happiness and liberation.
   • Ahimsa (अहिंसा) - Non-violence: This is a central theme, emphasizing the paramount importance of non-violence in thought, word, and deed. It defines Ahimsa as the best form of donation and the core essence of spiritual practice, extending compassion to all living beings. It strongly condemns violence in all its forms.
   • Satya (सत्य) - Truth: Focuses on the virtue of truthfulness, emphasizing its purity, its ability to overcome obstacles, and its role as the foundation of other virtues. It cautions against falsehood and emphasizes speaking truthful, beneficial, and kind words.
   • Asteya (अस्तेय) - Non-stealing: Stresses the importance of not taking anything that is not freely given, even the smallest item without permission. It highlights the role of contentment and sharing in adhering to this principle.
   • Brahmacharya (ब्रह्मचर्य) - Celibacy/Chastity: Defines Brahmacharya as a supreme penance and the root of all virtues. It emphasizes control over senses, avoidance of temptations, and the importance of maintaining purity in thought and action.
   • Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह) - Non-possession/Non-attachment: Highlights the nature of attachment as a binding force and emphasizes the virtue of detachment and renunciation of possessions and desires, comparing them to an unquenchable thirst.
   • Sadgun (सदगुण) - Good Qualities: Discusses the importance of cultivating virtues and warns against vices like anger, pride, deceit, and greed. It emphasizes that virtues make one noble and respected.
   • Svadhyaya (स्वाध्याय) - Self-study/Scriptural study: Underscores the value of self-study and scriptural learning as a means to understand Dharma, overcome obstacles, and achieve liberation.
   • Krodh (क्रोध) - Anger: Warns against anger as a destructive emotion that leads to downfall and suffering. It promotes the practice of forgiveness and patience to overcome anger.
   • Man (मान) - Pride/Ego: Condemns pride and ego as obstacles to spiritual growth and emphasizes humility and self-reflection.
   • Maya (माया) - Deceit/Illusion: Highlights the detrimental effects of deceit and illusion, advocating for straightforwardness and sincerity.
   • Lobh (लोभ) - Greed: Denounces greed as a source of all ruin and suffering, emphasizing contentment as the antidote.
   • Vinay (विनय) - Humility/Respect: Stresses the paramount importance of humility, respect for elders and teachers, and the role of Vinay as the root of Dharma and a source of knowledge.
   • Sadhana (साधना) - Spiritual Practice: Emphasizes the need for diligent and mindful spiritual practice, including meditation, self-control, and detachment.
   • Samabhav (समभाव) - Equanimity: Promotes the cultivation of equanimity, maintaining a balanced attitude towards pleasure and pain, praise and criticism, gain and loss.
   • Vitaraag (वीतराग) - Dispassion/Freedom from passion: Focuses on detachment from worldly passions and desires as the path to liberation and inner peace.
   • Saralta (सरलता) - Simplicity/Straightforwardness: Advocates for honesty, directness, and avoiding any form of pretense or deceit in actions and speech.
   • Sanyam (संयम) - Self-control: Emphasizes the necessity of controlling the senses, mind, speech, and body as essential for spiritual progress and avoiding negative consequences.
   • Sadachar (सदाचार) - Good Conduct: Highlights the importance of good behavior and warns that even outward asceticism is futile without virtuous conduct.
   • Seva (सेवा) - Service: Stresses the virtue of selfless service, particularly to the sick and needy, as a means of spiritual merit.
   • Satsang (सत्संग) - Good Company: Emphasizes the importance of associating with virtuous people and spiritual guides for spiritual upliftment.
   • Santosh (संतोष) - Contentment: Promotes contentment as a key to inner peace and the avoidance of negative actions driven by desire.
   • Kartavya (कर्तव्य) - Duty: Reminds individuals to perform their duties diligently and avoid wrongful actions.

2. Adhyatma aur Darshan (अध्यात्म और दर्शन) - Spirituality and Philosophy: This section delves deeper into philosophical concepts and spiritual insights. Key themes include:

   • Atma (आत्मा) - Soul: Explores the nature of the soul as eternal, unchanging, and distinct from the body. It emphasizes self-realization and the soul's inherent power.
   • Vairagya (वैराग्य) - Renunciation/Detachment: Highlights the transient nature of worldly life, body, and possessions, encouraging detachment and renunciation as the path to true happiness.
   • Shraman (श्रमण) - Ascetic/Monk: Defines the characteristics of an ideal ascetic, emphasizing self-control, renunciation, equanimity, and adherence to Dharma.
   • Shramanoapasak (श्रमणोपासक) - Lay Disciple/Follower: Describes the qualities of a devoted lay follower.
   • Gyan (ज्ञान) - Knowledge: Emphasizes the importance of right knowledge (Samyak Gyan) as a foundation for spiritual liberation.
   • Samayagdarshan (सम्यग्दर्शन) - Right Faith/Perception: Highlights the crucial role of Right Faith in understanding the true nature of reality and as a prerequisite for other spiritual practices.
   • Charitra (चारित्र) - Right Conduct: Stresses the necessity of Right Conduct as the practical application of knowledge and faith, leading to liberation.
   • Vanivivek (वाणीविवेक) - Discretion in Speech: Advocates for mindful and truthful speech, cautioning against harsh, deceitful, or unnecessary words.
   • Karma (कर्म) - Action and its consequences: Explains the law of Karma, emphasizing that actions have consequences and that liberation is achieved by understanding and transcending the cycle of Karma.
   • Yoga (योग) - Spiritual Union/Discipline: Refers to practices of spiritual discipline and self-control.
   • Mahapurush (महापुरुष) - Great Souls/Enlightened Beings: Describes the characteristics of enlightened beings who have conquered their passions and achieved liberation.
   • Anityata (अनित्यता) - Impermanence: Underscores the impermanent nature of the physical body and the material world, encouraging detachment.
   • Tattvaswarup (तत्त्वस्वरूप) - Nature of Reality/Principles: Discusses the fundamental Jain principles (Tattvas) such as soul, non-soul, bondage, karma, etc.
   • Moksha (मोक्ष) - Liberation/Salvation: Defines Moksha as the ultimate goal, achievable through right knowledge, faith, and conduct, leading to freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
   • Bhichari (भिक्षाचरी) - Alms-seeking: Describes the practice of alms-seeking as a means of sustenance for ascetics, emphasizing the importance of ethical conduct and detachment in this practice.
   • Upadesh (उपदेश) - Counsel/Admonition: Offers guidance and advice for spiritual progress.
   • Prashant (प्रशस्त) - Praiseworthy/Excellent: Highlights commendable qualities and actions.
   • Sneh Sutra (स्नेह सूत्र) - Threads of Affection: Discusses the binding nature of worldly affection and encourages detachment.
   • Ajnan (अज्ञान) - Ignorance: Warns against ignorance as the root of suffering and the cause of being trapped in the cycle of rebirth.
   • Apramad (अप्रमाद) - Vigilance/Non-negligence: Emphasizes the importance of constant vigilance and diligence in spiritual practice, warning against complacency.
   • Anasakti (अनासक्ति) - Non-attachment: Encourages freedom from attachment to worldly pleasures and relationships.
   • Manonigraha (मनोनिग्रह) - Mind Control: Stresses the importance of controlling the mind, the root of all desires and actions.
   • Ragadvesh (रागद्वेष) - Attachment and Aversion: Identifies attachment and aversion as the primary causes of suffering and emphasizes the need to overcome them.
   • Papapunya (पापपुण्य) - Sin and Merit: Explains the concepts of sin and merit and their role in the karmic cycle.
   • Manav Jivan (मानव जीवन) - Human Life: Highlights the preciousness and rarity of human life, emphasizing its potential for spiritual liberation.
   • Abhay (अभय) - Fearlessness: Promotes fearlessness and the practice of Abhay Dan (giving fearlessness).
   • Adharm (अधर्म) - Unrighteousness: Condemns unrighteous actions and their negative consequences.
   • Anishta Pravritti (अनिष्ट प्रवृत्ति) - Undesirable Actions: Warns against harmful conduct.
   • Kamadi (कामादि) - Desire and other passions: Identifies desire and other passions as major obstacles to spiritual progress.
   • Bal aur Pandit (बाल और पंडित) - The Foolish and the Wise: Differentiates between the ignorant and the wise, highlighting the path of the wise.
   • Kshama (क्षमा) - Forgiveness: Emphasizes forgiveness as a powerful virtue that leads to inner peace and spiritual strength.
   • Guru-Shishya (गुरु-शिष्य) - Teacher and Disciple: Highlights the importance of the guru-disciple relationship and the virtues of a devoted disciple.
   • Indriya Nigraha (इन्द्रिय निग्रह) - Control of Senses: Stresses the necessity of controlling the senses to prevent them from leading one astray.
   • Mrityu (मृत्यु) - Death: Reflects on the inevitability of death and the importance of living a virtuous life.
   • Parlok (परलोक) - The Afterlife: Discusses the consequences of actions in the afterlife.
   • Moh (मोह) - Delusion/Attachment: Identifies delusion as a root cause of suffering and bondage.
   • Durlabh (दुर्लभ) - Rare/Hard to attain: Highlights the rarity of certain spiritual attainments like human birth, right knowledge, and right faith.
   • Leshya (लेश्या) - Soul-color/Disposition: Explains the concept of Leshyas (soul colors) and their influence on one's disposition and destiny.
   • Asharan (अशरण) - Helplessness/Lack of Refuge: Discusses the ultimate helplessness in the face of death and the need for spiritual refuge.
   • Shad-aavashyak (षड़ावश्यक) - Six Essential Duties: Details the six essential daily duties for Jain monks, such as Samayika (meditation), Stuti (praise), Vandan (salutation), Kayotsarg (meditative posture), Pratikraman (repentance), and Pratyakhyan (renunciation).

Publisher's Note:

The publisher, Shri Tarak Guru Jain Granthalay, expresses joy in publishing this collection. They mention that the original compilation contained approximately 2500 aphorisms, but due to the size of the book, only 1008 have been included in this pocket-book edition. They credit Shri Rajendramuni Shastri for his meticulous work and mention that further volumes may be published if the collection is well-received.

Editor's Note:

The editor, Rajendramuni Shastri, states that aphorisms are like bright stars in the literary sky, transcending time and space. He describes them as possessing the sweetness of sugar and the essence of grapes, offering diverse life experiences. He credits his spiritual teachers, Shri Pushkar Muni Ji and Shri Devendra Muni Ji, and his elder brother, Shri Ramesh Muni Ji, for their inspiration and support in completing this collection.

Overall Theme:

"Bhagavan Mahavir ki Suktiya" serves as a guide to living a righteous and spiritual life, rooted in the core principles of Jainism. It emphasizes ethical conduct, self-discipline, detachment, and the pursuit of liberation through knowledge, faith, and righteous action, all stemming from the profound wisdom of Lord Mahavir.