Rules Concerning Speech In The Ayaranga And Dasaveyaliya Sutras - Book Summary

This document is an excerpt from a scholarly work by Collette Caillat, focusing on the rules concerning speech (bhāṣā) in two key Jain scriptures: the Āyāranaga-sutta (Ayar) and the Dasaveyāliya-sutta (Dasav).

Here's a comprehensive summary of the text:

1. The Importance of Speech in Ancient Indian Ethics:

The text begins by highlighting that abstaining from untrue speech is a major vow for ascetics across ancient Indian traditions (Brahmanic, Buddhist, and Jain).
Speech is considered to possess potent forces, thus necessitating strict rules about what, where, when, and how to speak, not only on solemn occasions but also in daily life.
While Dharmasastras (DHS) provide such rules for all social categories, Buddhist and Jain canons primarily focus on their religious communities.

2. Jain Canonical Sources and Scholarly Context:

The Svetambara Jainas have extensively discussed bhāṣā in various parts of their canon, including the Viyahapannatti and Pannavana.
Caillat's focus is specifically on the rules concerning speech within the Āyaranga (2.4.1-2) and Dasaveyāliya-sutta (Chapter 7), considering them from a disciplinary perspective.
She notes that scholarly debates exist regarding the relative age of these two texts.

3. Brahmanical (DHS) Approach to Speech:

General Approach: DHS sometimes offers general prescriptions for salvation through eradicating faults like anger, greed, hypocrisy, and lying, and cultivating virtues like truthfulness, uprightness, and peace with all beings.
Specific Categories: More often, DHS rules apply to specific individuals like the snātaka (a student who has completed his studies) or the brahmacārin (a celibate student).
Two Main Sets of Rules:
- Salutation (Abhivādana): Reverential salutation is seen as strengthening and leads to increases in glory, longevity, fame, and strength. DHS texts detail proper terms of address, gestures, intonation, and syntax based on age, sex, learning, and social status.
- Apotropaic Rules: These are rules designed to ward off danger, both visible and occult. Examples include:
  - Not speaking evil of gods or the king.
  - Not mentioning blemishes of cows, sacrificial gifts, or girls.
  - Avoiding specific statements about cows (e.g., not pointing out a cow's damage or its union with its calf).
  - Using euphemisms (e.g., "jeweled bow" instead of "Indra's bow" to avoid ill-omen).
  - The justification for these rules is often rooted in the idea that certain words can create negative consequences or attract enemies (e.g., saying "This person is my enemy").
Integration of Truth and Kindness: The DHS, particularly Manu, emphasizes the importance of speaking truthfully and pleasingly, avoiding both disagreeable truths and pleasant falsehoods. This is summarized as: "Let him say what is true, let him say what is pleasing, let him utter no disagreeable truth, and let him utter no pleasant falsehood; that is the eternal law."

4. Jain Approach to Speech (Āyaranga and Dasaveyāliya):

Centrality of Speech: The dedication of entire chapters to bhāṣā in Āyar and Dasav underscores its paramount importance in Jain tradition.
Core Principles: Jain teachings on speech are rooted in two fundamental principles:
- Observance of Truth (Saccā): This requires constant self-control (samyama).
- Respect for Ahimsa (Non-violence): Truth must be balanced with non-violence.
Classification of Speech: Both texts categorize speech into four types:
1. Truth (saccā)
2. Untruth (mosam)
3. Truth mixed with untruth (sacca-mosam)
4. Speech that is neither truth, nor untruth, nor a mix (asaccamosam).
Prohibitions and Recommendations:
- Condemned Speech: Speech inspired by the four passions (kasāyas: anger, pride, deceit, greed) is considered akin to lies and is prohibited. Rough, harsh, stinging, or destructive speech, even if factually true, is forbidden as it causes harm to living beings.
- Discriminated Speech: Jain monks are educated to use speech discriminately. This includes:
  - Avoiding speech that is true but should not be uttered, half-true, or entirely untrue, especially when such speech is practiced by "Jinas" (enlightened beings).
  - Using speech that is not exposed to doubt, is neither true nor untrue, or is true but not blameworthy or rough.
  - Avoiding personal remarks about defects or mutilations that could cause emotional distress.
  - Carefully choosing terms of address, even when speaking about animals and plants, to avoid causing harm or suggesting violence. This extends to the lowest forms of life (e.g., immobiles like plants).
  - Avoiding colloquialisms that confuse right and wrong, especially concerning festive occasions or river crossings.
  - Being cautious about actions or preparations that are described as "well done" or "well cooked" if they actually imply harm to living beings.
  - Not issuing inconsiderate orders or assertions.
  - Accurately describing natural phenomena (e.g., a cloud forming) without attributing divine qualities or using potentially misleading language.
  - Speaking about doubtful matters, future events, or the sex of animals with extreme caution, as false appearances can lead to lies and sin.
Grammar and Purism: Āyār emphasizes the fundamental constituents of grammar, suggesting that Jainas advocate a degree of linguistic purism, which contrasts with the Buddhist view that no fundamental connection exists between chaste speech and spiritual achievement.
Integration and Originality: Caillat argues that the Jainas, while drawing from DHS traditions, integrated these rules into a more consistent and systematic ethical framework. Their approach emphasizes intellectual and ethical grounding rather than superstitious fear. They connect these rules to their metaphysical system (doctrine of jiva-nikāyas) and strive for a synthesis of truth and non-violence.

Conclusion: The text concludes by asserting that the Jainas were aware of the DHS prescriptions concerning speech and adapted them, adding new rules stemming from similar sources. Their unique contribution lies in their explicit conceptualization of these rules, grouping them into an organic unity, and grounding them in their metaphysical and ethical doctrines. The Jain approach, as seen in Āyar and Dasav, is characterized by a focus on objective considerations, self-control, and a refined understanding of the impact of speech on oneself and others, aiming for a "well-disciplined" and blameless use of language.