Navtattva Prakaran - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Navtattva Prakaran" by Dakshvijay Gani, based on the provided catalog link and the text itself:

Book Title: Navtattva Prakaran (A Treatise on the Nine Realities) Author: Pujya Panyas Pravar Shri Dakshvijayji Ganivarya Maharaj Publisher: Shri Vijaylavanyasuri Gyanmandir, Betad (Saurashtra)

Overall Purpose: "Navtattva Prakaran" is a fundamental Jain text that systematically explains the nine essential truths or categories (Tattvas) that are central to Jain philosophy and practice. The author, Dakshvijay Gani, aims to elucidate these core principles in a detailed and accessible manner, often using a poetic (padyanuvad) and commentary (vivechan) style to make the complex concepts understandable to a wider audience. The text emphasizes the path to liberation (moksha) through right understanding, right knowledge, and right conduct, all rooted in the correct comprehension of these nine realities.

Key Concepts Explained:

The book is structured around the nine Tattvas, which are foundational to understanding the Jain worldview:

Jiva Tattva (Soul/Living Being):
- Definition: Characterized by consciousness (chetna) or the possession of life-force (prana). It is the sentient aspect of existence.
- Types: Explained in various ways:
  - By consciousness (chetna) – one type.
  - By movement (tras) and immobility (sthavar) – two types.
  - By sensation (vedana) – three types.
  - By destination (gati) – four types (hellish beings, Tiryancha, human, celestial).
  - By senses (indriya) – five types (one-sensed to five-sensed).
  - By biological structure (kaya) – six types (earth, water, fire, air, vegetation, and mobile beings).
- Fourteen States: Details the fourteen states of embodied souls (samsari jiva) based on factors like subtle/gross, sensible/non-sensible, undeveloped/developed senses, and incomplete/complete development (paryapti).
- Six Characteristics: Defines the soul by knowledge (jnana), perception (darshan), conduct (charitra), penance (tapa), energy (virya), and utilization (upayoga).
- Sixfold Development (Paryapti): Explains the six types of development necessary for a soul to attain a complete physical and functional form: nourishment, body, senses, respiration/movement, speech, and mind. It also details which souls possess which number of these developments.
- Ten Dravya-Pranas: Lists the ten vital life forces (five senses, three types of strength, lifespan, and respiration) and how many each type of soul possesses.
Ajiva Tattva (Non-Living/Inert Matter):
- Definition: Anything devoid of consciousness (chetna) or life. It is the insentient aspect of existence.
- Fourteen Types: Categorized into:
  - Dharmastikaya (Principle of Motion): Aids in motion, without which movement is impossible. It is formless and pervades the cosmos.
  - Adharmastikaya (Principle of Rest): Aids in rest, without which stability is impossible. It is formless and pervades the cosmos.
  - Akashastikaya (Space): Provides space for all substances (jiva and ajiva) to exist and move without interfering with each other. It is formless and all-pervading.
  - Pudgalastikaya (Matter): The only substance that is perceived by the senses (touch, taste, smell, color, sound). It exists in the forms of aggregates (skandha), parts (desa), points (pradesha), and ultimate particles (paramanu). It is characterized by color, taste, smell, and touch.
  - Kala (Time): The principle that measures change and duration. It is formless and exists everywhere.
- Detailed Description of Ajiva: Elaborates on the nature of Dharmastikaya, Adharmastikaya, Akashastikaya, and Pudgalastikaya, including their characteristics and the four forms of Pudgala.
- Time Units: Explains various units of time, from a 'samaya' (smallest indivisible unit of time) to 'sagaropama' and 'utsarpini/avasarpini' (cosmic time cycles).
Punya Tattva (Merit/Virtue):
- Definition: Actions that lead to happiness and favorable outcomes, often associated with auspicious karmic influx.
- Types: Categorized into various aspects, such as pleasant sensation (shata vedaniya), high lineage (uchcha gotra), favorable rebirths (deva, manushya, tiryancha ayu), and good qualities.
- Forty-two Types: Lists 42 specific manifestations of punya, including aspects related to the body, senses, qualities, lifespan, and virtues.
Papa Tattva (Demerit/Sin):
- Definition: Actions that lead to suffering and unfavorable outcomes, associated with inauspicious karmic influx.
- Types: Categorized by negative sensations (ashaata vedaniya), low lineage (neech gotra), unfavorable rebirths (naraka, tiryancha), and vices.
- Eighty-two Types: Lists 82 specific manifestations of papa, including knowledge-obscuring karmas, perception-obscuring karmas, delusion-causing karmas, lifespan karmas, status karmas, obstructive karmas, and forms of suffering.
Asrava Tattva (Influx of Karma):
- Definition: The process by which new karmas attach to the soul, driven by passions (kashayas), senses, activities, and worldly engagement.
- Forty-two Types: Lists 42 causes of karmic influx, primarily stemming from the five senses, four passions (anger, pride, deceit, greed), three types of yoga (mind, speech, body), and 25 specific actions (kriya). The text provides detailed explanations of these 25 actions, which are often rooted in passions and worldly attachments.
Samvara Tattva (Stoppage of Karma):
- Definition: The process of preventing new karmas from attaching to the soul. It is achieved through virtuous actions and self-control.
- Fifty-seven Types: Details 57 means of samvara, including:
  - Five Committees (Samiti): Careful conduct in walking, speaking, eating, taking and putting, and excretion.
  - Three Guardships (Gupti): Control over mind, speech, and body.
  - Twenty-two Great Sufferings (Parishaha): Voluntary endurance of hardships like hunger, thirst, cold, heat, insects, dresslessness, lack of comfort, celibacy, illness, etc.
  - Ten Virtues of a Monk (Yati Dharma): Forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, contentment, penance, restraint, truthfulness, purity, non-possession, and chastity.
  - Twelve Reflections (Bhavana): Contemplations on impermanence, helplessness, the cycle of birth and death, loneliness, impurity, influx, cessation, liberation, the world, the rarity of enlightenment, the nature of reality, and the purity of the Jina's teachings.
  - Five Types of Conduct (Charitra): Samayika, Chedopasthapana, Pariharavishuddhi, Sukshmasanparaaya, and Yathakhyata Charitra, which represent stages of spiritual discipline.
Nirjara Tattva (Shedding of Karma):
- Definition: The process of eliminating accumulated karmas from the soul, leading to purification.
- Twelve Types: Achieved through:
  - Six External Penances (Bahya Tap): Fasting (anashan), reduced intake (unodari), controlled consumption (vritti sankshepa), taste renunciation (rasa tyaga), self-mortification (kaya klesha), and solitude (samlina).
  - Six Internal Penances (Abhyantara Tap): Expiation (prayshchitta), humility (vinaya), service (veyavachchya), study (swadhyaya), meditation (dhyana), and detachment (kausarga).
Bandha Tattva (Bondage of Karma):
- Definition: The state where karmic particles attach to the soul due to its activities, passions, and ignorance.
- Four Types:
  - Prakriti Bandha: The nature or type of karma that attaches.
  - Sthiti Bandha: The duration for which the karma remains attached.
  - Anubhaga Bandha: The intensity or potency of the karma's effect.
  - Pradesha Bandha: The quantity or extent of karmic particles that attach.
- Eight Karmas: Details the eight primary karmas (Jnanavaraniya, Darshanavaraniya, Vedaniya, Mohaniya, Ayushya, Nama, Gotra, Antaraya), their natures, number of sub-types (158 in total), and their maximum and minimum durations of bondage. The text uses allegories (like blindfolds for Jnanavaraniya, doorkeepers for Darshanavaraniya) to explain the nature of each karma.
Moksha Tattva (Liberation):
- Definition: The ultimate state of the soul, free from all karmic bondage, characterized by infinite knowledge, perception, bliss, and energy.
- Nine Means of Understanding Moksha: Explains Moksha through nine aspects or "gates": Truth description, substance amount, space, touch, time, interval, proportion, quality, and enumeration of types.
- Fourteen Categories of Moksha: Discusses various ways to attain Moksha, referencing categories like destination, senses, body, yoga, passions, knowledge, conduct, etc., and identifying the ten categories through which Moksha is possible.
- Path to Moksha: Explains the attainment of Moksha through specific paths like correct perception (samayakva), right knowledge (samya-jnana), and right conduct (samya-charitra).
- Karma's Role: Emphasizes that even a brief association with right perception (samaktva) significantly reduces the remaining karmic cycle (pudgalapravarta).
- Fifteen Types of Siddhas: Lists and provides examples of the fifteen types of liberated souls, categorized by the path they took, their state before liberation, and their gender or nature.

Author's Contribution and Style:

Poetic Translation (Padyanuvad): The author has rendered the original verses into a poetic Gujarati form, making the philosophical concepts more engaging and memorable.
Detailed Commentary (Vivechan): Each Tattva is accompanied by a thorough explanation and commentary, often referencing other Jain scriptures and providing analogies to clarify difficult points.
Comparative Approach: The author sometimes draws parallels with scientific concepts or common understanding to make the spiritual principles more relatable.
Dedication: The work is dedicated to Shri Vijaynemisurishwarji Maharaj and published by Shri Vijaylavanyasuri Gyanmandir, indicating its place within a specific Jain lineage and educational tradition.
Support: The publication acknowledges various donors who supported its printing, highlighting the community's commitment to disseminating Jain knowledge.

Significance: "Navtattva Prakaran" serves as an essential guide for Jain learners and practitioners. It provides a structured and comprehensive understanding of the nine core realities, laying the groundwork for deeper spiritual study and practice leading to liberation. The book aims to instill right faith, knowledge, and conduct by clearly defining the nature of the soul, the non-living, the causes of bondage, and the path to freedom.