Padmanand Ka Vairagyashatak

Here is a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Padmanand ka Vairagyashatak" by Dr. Prabhudayal Agnihotri:

The article introduces Padmanand as a distinguished Jain poet whose Vairagyashatak (Century of Detachment) holds an excellent place in the tradition of Sanskrit shataka (century) poetry, even if not widely renowned.

The Significance of Numbers in Indian Literature and Culture: The author begins by discussing the historical fascination with the numbers seven (sapta) and hundred (shata) in ancient Vedic traditions, citing numerous examples from Vedic literature and their persistence in societal practices like the seven steps in marriage and the concept of a hundred sons. This numerical preference is seen in influential texts like the Bhagavad Gita, Durgasaptsati, Gahasattasai, and Aryasaptashati, and later influenced Hindi poetry with works like Bihari Satsai and Matiram Satsai. The number three (tri) is also highlighted as popular, leading to poetic forms like trishati (threescore) and famous shataka trilogies.

The Evolution of Shataka Poetry: The shataka form in poetry is traced back to Amarushataka, initiating a tradition of shringara (erotic) shatakas. The article notes that many duta-kavya (message poems) are also essentially shataka works. It lists various examples of shataka poetry on diverse themes such as ethical examples (drishtanta-kalika-shatak), eroticism (shringarakali trishati, shringara-shatakas), indirect suggestions (anyoktishatak), and even specific subjects like a sword (khadga-shatak).

Jain Contribution to Vairagya Literature: Vairagyashatakas are identified as a distinct category within shataka poetry. Several poets like Appaya Dikshit, Dhanada, and Janardana Bhat are mentioned as having composed Vairagyashatakas. While works like Somaprabhacharya's Suktirmuktavali and Gumani Kavi's Upadeshshatak are also relevant, Padmanand's Vairagyashatak is considered significant from a purely literary perspective. The author emphasizes the unique contribution of Jain poets to vairagya (detachment) literature.

Contrast between Vedic/Puranic and Jain Poets on Detachment: A key distinction is drawn between Vedic/Puranic poets and Jain poets in their approach to vairagya. Vedic/Puranic poets, often householders, tended to weave together ethics, eroticism, and detachment, with a focus on life's stages. Their vairagya compositions, often written in old age, leaned more towards devotion. In contrast, Jain poets, typically ascetics, engaged in a more profound internal struggle against the mind and senses. Their expressions of vairagya are characterized by greater sincerity and intensity, stemming from their spiritual practice rather than mere intellectual indulgence. Padmanand is presented as a poet embodying this deeper spiritual struggle.

About the Poet Padmanand: Padmanand is believed to have resided in or near Nagpur. His father, the merchant Dhanadeva, inspired by his guru Jinavallabha, built a temple for Neminatha in Nagpur. The text quotes a verse by Padmanand that indirectly refers to his father's piety and his own creation of the shataka for the joy of scholars. Padmanand's era is estimated to be after the 17th century CE. He was familiar with tantric terms and influenced by poets like Jayadeva, Bhartrihari, and Panditraj Jagannath. The article highlights a verse from the end of the shataka where Padmanand claims the joy derived from his work surpasses worldly pleasures, drawing a parallel with Panditraj Jagannath's praise for the sweetness of chanting Krishna's name. A subtle difference is noted: Padmanand's disinterest in worldly beauty ("rambhadhar" - a part of the female anatomy) is seen as a distinct Jain trait compared to the broader appeal in Vaishnava poetry.

Themes and Style of Padmanand's Vairagyashatak: The summary then delves into the content and style of Padmanand's work:

• Praise for the Jina: Padmanand begins with a eulogy of the Jina, who is free from earthly attachments and whose devotees have conquered desires and vices with their wisdom and discipline.
• Condemnation of Worldly Desires: He praises ascetics who have renounced sensuous pleasures and worldly possessions, treating attractive women like vipers and luxurious palaces like anthills. He values those who are silent in backbiting, blind to others' women, and lame in stealing others' wealth.
• The Ideal of Equanimity: The poet champions a state of equanimity, where one is not agitated by criticism, pleased by flattery, bothered by foul smells, or attracted by pleasant ones, and remains unaffected by feminine beauty or even a dead dog.
• Defining the True Yogi: Padmanand offers a clear definition of a yogi: one whose pure heart is not elated by a friend's praise or distressed by an enemy's slander, who is not greedy for enjoyment or averse to austerity, and who is indifferent to jewels and stones.
• Novelty in Expression: While many of Padmanand's themes echo traditional Indian spiritual discourse, his style is marked by novelty and originality. He employs a variety of verbs to express similar meanings, avoiding repetition, and uses evocative metaphors.
• Addressing the Power of Kāma (Lust): The text explains that the condemnation of women in vairagya literature is not a derogatory view of women themselves, but a strategy for ascetics to control their minds and overcome the powerful allure of kama. It is the urge and its triggers that are condemned, though this often appears as criticism of women. Padmanand, like many others, begins with this theme, describing the artificialities of female beauty that still captivate the deluded mind.
• The Impermanence of Life: He uses the example of aging to illustrate the futility of attachment, noting how even after beauty fades and the body weakens, people remain engrossed in thoughts of their beloveds.
• Powerful Metaphors: The article highlights Padmanand's use of potent metaphors. One describes the "great delusion" as an elephant whose legs are the four passions (anger, pride, deceit, greed), its trunk is delusion, its tusks are attachment and aversion, and its rut is the formidable Mara (desire). Mastering this elephant with the hook of true knowledge leads to victory over the three worlds. Another metaphor likens true conduct to a tree with knowledge as its root, perception as its branches, watered by faith, yielding the fruit of liberation.
• The Inevitability of Death: Padmanand emphasizes the transient nature of life and possessions, urging readers to recognize the approaching specter of death. He illustrates that children, wealth, and homes do not accompany one at death; only merit and demerit do. The text reiterates this point with examples of great figures like Ravana, Hanuman, and Rama, who all succumbed to time.
• Lost Opportunities for Self-Reflection: The article quotes Padmanand's poignant observation, echoed by Shankaracharya, that childhood is lost in play, youth in love, and old age in worries, leaving no time for self-reflection. He laments the wasted human life due to being immersed in worldly illusions and desires.
• The Value of Right Association: Padmanand emphasizes that association with deceitful people makes life futile, just as a sandalwood tree becomes useless to travelers due to the presence of snakes.
• The True Beloved: For those seeking love, Padmanand proposes a different kind of beloved: Virtue (Shila), adorned with modesty, character, faith, meditation, wisdom, compassion, good knowledge, and patience. Loving such a "beloved" leads to nirvana (peace/liberation).
• The True Meaning of Renunciation and Austerity: Padmanand asserts that charity and austerity are meaningful only when accompanied by a detached mind. He believes that true wisdom and discernment are the ultimate goals, and external practices are merely means.
• Discernment as the Differentiator: He questions the value of acquiring all arts, performing severe austerities, or gaining spotless fame if the "bud of discernment" does not blossom. Discernment, he argues, is what truly distinguishes humans, just as it differentiates swans from cranes, cuckoos from crows, and gold from turmeric, despite superficial similarities in color.
• Overcoming Passions: With the attainment of discernment and knowledge, the four passions (kama, krodha, lobha, moha) lose their power. This is the highest achievement of spiritual practice.
• The Triumph of Knowledge over Youthful Delusion: Padmanand concludes by stating that even with the presence of beautiful women, spring, pleasant forests, and friends, the heart, illuminated by the "lamp of truth," no longer succumbs to the intoxicating play of youth but laughs at it. This is likely a response to famous erotic verses.
• The Power of Truthful and Measured Speech: The article commends Padmanand's advice on speech: to be refined, truthful, clear, connected, and measured. Such speech, he states, becomes effective and impactful. The author concludes by asserting that Padmanand was indeed a poet of "सिद्धवाक्" (true/effective speech).