Sthirta

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Sthirta" (Stability) by Yashovijay Upadhyay and Jitendravijay, based on the provided pages:

This work, "Sthirta" (Stability), is the third "ashtak" (an octet of verses) in the "Jnanasara Granth" series published by Navjivan Granthmala. It is authored by the highly revered Mahamahopadhyaya Shri Vijayji Maharaj and commented upon by Muniaraj Shri Jitendravijayji Maharaj. The publication acknowledges the support of the trustees of Shri Chandraprabhaswami Jain Derasar in Mumbai.

The central theme of "Sthirta" is the paramount importance of mental and spiritual stability for achieving liberation and true happiness. The text argues that while the soul wanders through countless lifetimes, the ultimate treasure of peace and bliss lies within oneself. This treasure can only be discovered and accessed through a stable mind.

Here's a breakdown of the key messages conveyed through the verses and their commentary:

Verse 1: Stability reveals the true treasure within.

• Message: The soul, restless and wandering, seeks happiness externally. However, true prosperity and peace are readily available within. Stability of mind is the key to unlocking this inner treasure.
• Commentary: The soul has been wandering in the cycle of birth and death due to its inherent instability. It searches for happiness everywhere, engaging in actions without considering right or wrong, leading to suffering in lower realms. Even in the precious human birth, the tendency to be restless persists. True liberation and the attainment of one's own wealth (the soul's true nature) are only possible by striving for a stable abode in Siddhashila (the abode of liberated souls). The text emphasizes stopping the wandering towards external objects and finding stability within, which naturally leads to detachment from external possessions and a desire for inner wealth.

Verse 2: Stability is essential for preserving knowledge.

• Message: Just as an impure substance spoils milk, instability, coupled with greed and agitation, corrupts pure knowledge, rendering it useless. Therefore, one should cultivate stability.
• Commentary: Knowledge is a quality of the soul. Immersion in pure knowledge helps define the path to self-welfare. However, if instability enters during the pursuit of knowledge, greed and agitation increase. The mind, instead of contemplating the self, gets drawn to worldly distractions, preventing peace. This leads to the degeneration of pure knowledge, akin to a vast ocean diverting its flow into a puddle, becoming stagnant and contaminated by the mire of greed and desire. Instability corrupts knowledge, making it unusable, much like curdled milk cannot be consumed.

Verse 3: Instability makes noble actions fruitless.

• Message: Just as a deceitful woman's attempts to feign chastity are ultimately revealed and cannot impress virtuous men, so too, even rigorous penances and religious practices performed with an unstable mind yield no beneficial results and cannot lead to true welfare.
• Commentary: True victory lies in conquering the mind. Religious practices performed with a wandering or disgusted mind, perhaps done out of obligation or show, will not bring desired fruits. True religious practice leads to internal purification and stability. The text compares an unstable mind to a faithless woman who, though attempting to appear virtuous, cannot impress the truly virtuous. Such actions lack sincerity and therefore cannot lead to liberation. Just as a child may initially find going to school difficult, consistent practice with understanding will eventually lead to mastery.

Verse 4: Without removing the inner ailment of instability, no remedy will work.

• Message: If the deep-seated ailment of instability, born from attachment to external objects, is not removed, then even the best spiritual remedies (actions) will not be effective. Therefore, this great ailment of instability must be removed first.
• Commentary: The soul, accustomed to external sensory pleasures for an immeasurable time, becomes enamored with them. Even when initiated into righteous paths by spiritual guides, the mind can be pulled back by the allure of temporary worldly pleasures. Any action, spiritual or mundane, performed with a scattered mind will not lead to success. Just as a festering wound needs to be treated before applying any medicine, the inner malady of instability must be addressed. If this deep internal splinter of instability remains, even potent spiritual remedies will not heal the soul.

Verse 5: Those whose speech, mind, and body are stable are equanimous yogis.

• Message: Yogis whose speech, mind, and body have attained stability, and who exhibit consistency in thought, word, and deed, remain equanimous and content in all circumstances, whether in villages or forests, day or night.
• Commentary: Inner purity is reflected in the virtuous actions of mind, speech, and body. Without the confluence of these three in stability, liberation is not achieved. The stability of these yogis is as profound as the ocean. Their words are pleasant, beneficial, truthful, and meaningful. Their bodies are maintained with detachment, solely for the purpose of spiritual practice. In today's fast-paced world, true peace and stability are elusive. The text emphasizes that stable thought is the foundation of liberation.

Verse 6: Stability is the radiant lamp; illusory thoughts are mere smoke.

• Message: Stability is like a self-luminous gem-lamp. Why then resort to a lamp of intentions filled with the smoky impurities of illusory thoughts and desires? Such intentions are unnecessary.
• Commentary: After an immeasurable period of ignorance, the soul gains the capacity for action in human birth. This leads to various intentions and counter-intentions, trapping the soul in intense meditative states. Stability, however, is like a natural, self-illuminating gem-lamp that guides one to liberation. Many rely on the dim lamps of intentions filled with the smoke of desires and external influences. When these desires lead to attachment and a wandering mind, the soul loses its path and gets entangled in the smoke of illusions. True inner wealth and accomplishment lie in the lamp of stability, not in the flickering lamps of fleeting intentions.

Verse 7: Instability destroys the clouds of virtuous meditation.

• Message: If you generate the wind of instability from your inner being, you will scatter the clouds of the virtuous meditative state, known as "Dharmamegha Samadhi," thereby impeding the attainment of omniscience.
• Commentary: Attaining right faith (Samyaktva) is crucial for liberation. Instability, however, can disrupt the meditative state (Samadhi) that leads to omniscience. The text likens this to scattering the "Dharmamegha" (rain cloud of virtue), which nourishes the soul towards omniscience. By succumbing to instability, one is like a fool who throws away a precious jewel. The soul's inherent nature is pure, but karma obscures it. Stability, through virtuous meditation, can remove these impurities. However, worldly desires and external temptations generate the wind of instability, scattering the clouds of spiritual progress and obstructing omniscience.

Verse 8: Stability is the essence of conduct; strive for its realization.

• Message: Conduct (Charitra) is synonymous with stability. Therefore, strive diligently to achieve stability, as it is considered the very nature of conduct, even in the state of liberated souls.
• Commentary: Stability is the second name for conduct. Just as conduct leads to liberation, a lack of stability in conduct can even lead to rebirth in lower realms. Just as ghee and sugar are essential for sweets, stability and disciplined conduct are essential for liberation. When substance-conduct is adopted with stability, it naturally leads to inner-conduct. When the soul is stable in inner-conduct, it reaches its true abode of liberation quickly. Liberation means eternal peace and bliss, where the soul resides in its own nature, experiencing infinite knowledge and perception. Instability is the cause of worldly existence, while stability leads to liberation.

Overall Conclusion (Page 21): The text concludes by reiterating that to overcome instability and manifest stability, it is essential to integrate the quality of stability into one's life like threads woven into fabric. Greed and attachment to fleeting pleasures compromise stability, making spiritual remedies ineffective. Even adopting righteous conduct without stability will not halt the cycle of rebirth. True fulfillment is achieved through inner absorption, which is born from stability. By relinquishing the "crow's nature" of restlessness and becoming self-illuminating like a gem-lamp, one must engage in small but sincere spiritual practices with stability. This is how the stability attained by liberated souls can be reflected within oneself during meditation. The text urges true aspirants to repeatedly strive for this highest, imperishable, and eternal state.