Updhan Tap Margdarshika

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Updhan Tap Margdarshika" based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Updhan Tap Margdarshika (A Guide to Updhan Tap) Author(s): Punyankar Mitra Parviar Publisher: Punyankar Mitra Parviar Catalog Link: https://jainqq.org/explore/005644/1

Overall Purpose:

The "Updhan Tap Margdarshika" is a comprehensive guide explaining the significance, procedures, and rules for observing "Updhan Tap," a rigorous spiritual practice within Jainism. It aims to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and guidelines to undertake this disciplined observance for spiritual purification and advancement.

Key Themes and Highlights:

• Significance of Updhan Tap (Page 2): The text extols Updhan Tap as a golden opportunity to cultivate detachment ("virati") within the soul. It describes it as a chance to experience reality beyond mundane comforts (like footwear, vehicles, fans, phones, mirrors, money, comfortable seating), fulfill a debt to the Navkar mantra, and provide an ideal "inning" (spiritual retreat) comparable to popular tourist destinations. It's presented as a grand gathering of purifying rituals such as Pratikraman, Pratilekhan, Devavandan, Kayotsarg, Jap, Khamasaman, and listening to Jinavani (Jain scriptures). It encourages stepping beyond position, possession, and profession to delve into the soul, temporarily freeing oneself from worldly distractions and embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle. It's a call to shift from sin and a significant step towards soul evolution.

• Event Details (Page 3 & 4): The guide is associated with the Shri Ambawadi Jain Sangh and organized by the Punyankar Mitra Parviar. It is held at "Shri Prem-Bhuvanbhanu Suri Updhan Vatika, Ocean Park, Satellite Road, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad." The spiritual lineage and guiding figures are acknowledged, including Revered Acharya Shri Vijaybhuvanbhanu Surishwarji Maharaj, Acharya Shri Vijay Jayghosh Surishwarji Maharaj, Upadhyay Shri Vimalsen Vijayji Maharaj, Pravartak Shri Dharmagum Vijayji Maharaj, Muni Shree Jinvallabh Vijayji Maharaj, Nyas Shri Mukti Vallabh Vijayji Maharaj, and Muni Shree Udayvallabh Vijayji Maharaj.

• Duration and Types of Updhan (Page 5): The text outlines different durations and segments for the Updhan Tap. It mentions two main entry dates (October 29 and October 31, 2007) and a "Malnaropan" ceremony on December 20, 2007. The primary types of Updhan are categorized by the number of days:

  • 47-day Updhan: Divided into four segments: 18 days of Navkar Mahamantra, 18 days of Iriyavahi-Tasya Uttarishutra, 4 days of Arihant Cheiyanu-Annath Sutra, and 7 days of Pushkarvar-Siddhanam Buddhanaum Veyavachagaranaum Sutra.
  • 35-day Updhan: Focuses on the Namuththun Sutra.
  • 28-day Updhan: Focuses on the Logas Sutra.

• Fasting and Rituals (Page 6): The guide details the fasting schedules associated with each Updhan type, including the number of fasts (Upvas) and Ayambil (a specific type of fasting). It specifies "Nivi" and "Ayambil" practices for certain days and mentions daily rituals like waking up early, chanting Navkar, performing Iriyavahi Kayotsarg, and 100 Logas Kayotsarg.

• Daily Rituals and Practices (Page 7-10): A detailed daily schedule is provided:

  • Morning: Waking up, Navkar remembrance, changing clothes, performing Iriyavahi and Gamanagamane Kusuminin Dusuminin Kayotsarg, and 100 Logas Kayotsarg.
  • Mid-morning: Pratikraman, taking Poushadh (a vow of celibacy and austerity for a day), performing specific Chaitya Vandans (worship of temples), Pratilan (cleaning and purifying utensils and clothes), Devavandan (worship of deities), and listening to Jinavani.
  • Afternoon: Devavandan, breaking fasts (Pachakkhan parvan), and midday discourse.
  • Evening: Pratilan, Devavandan, performing rituals with the Guru, and evening Pratikraman.
  • Night: Santhara (preparing for sleep) and sleeping.
  • General Conduct: Emphasis on mindful movement, avoiding harm to living beings, not touching plants or grains, carefulness in eating, abstaining from worldly conversations with relatives, and maintaining purity. It also stresses the importance of recollecting vows and ensuring all actions are performed with awareness and reverence. Specific rules regarding clothing, hygiene, and personal adornments are also outlined.

• Precautions and Specific Rules (Page 8-13): This section provides crucial instructions for maintaining purity and adhering to the vows:

  • Protection from Living Beings: Avoiding stepping on or harming any living creature, including insects.
  • Hygiene: Strict rules on washing hands, feet, and mouth, using minimal water, and avoiding damp cloths.
  • Food and Water: Rules regarding the purity of food and water, and the use of lime water.
  • Personal Grooming: Prohibitions on using oil, applying makeup, styling hair, and shaving.
  • Speech and Thoughts: Avoiding gossip, slander, and impure thoughts.
  • Possessions: Not using external items, not taking anyone else's belongings without permission, and maintaining cleanliness of personal utensils.
  • Time Management: Strict adherence to the schedule, avoiding daytime sleep, and limiting night sleep.
  • Mindfulness: Performing all actions with full attention and correct pronunciation.

• Specific Ritualistic Procedures (Page 14-26): This is a detailed section outlining the exact steps for various rituals, including:

  • Khamaasaman: Explaining the number of Khamaasaman to be performed during different stages of Updhan.
  • Kayotsarg: Detailing the procedure for performing Kayotsarg, including specific mantras and durations.
  • Poushadh: The ritualistic process of taking Poushadh vows.
  • Samayik: The process of observing Samayik.
  • Pratikraman: The steps involved in Pratikraman.
  • Pardilehan: Detailed instructions for purifying and cleaning various items like the Muhapatti (mouth cloth), Charvalo (broom), Katoran (seated mat), and clothing.
  • Devavandan: The specific chants and procedures for worshipping deities.
  • Pachakkhan: The methods for taking and breaking fasts.
  • Mandala: The ritualistic creation of Mandalas.

• Mathematical Breakdown of Tap (Page 16): A table summarizes the number of days, total "Tap" (ascetic practices like fasts and Ayambil), and when specific recitations ("Vachna") are completed for different types of Updhan.

• Daily Schedule Summary (Page 16-24): This section consolidates the specific rituals and their timings throughout the day, including morning and evening practices, breaking fasts, and preparing for sleep.

• Praise and Significance (Page 27): This section reiterates the profound benefits of Updhan Tap, describing it as a path to peace through austerity, a safe haven from worldly miseries, an environment free from attachment and aversion, a way to ignite the lamp of right faith, a blend of knowledge and action, an experience of living in a Gurukul (monastic school), a spiritual laboratory to break old habits, a sacred journey from experiment to experience, a garden blooming with the flowers of the fivefold conduct, a disciplined routine, and a self-influencing observance that leaves a lasting impact on one's life.

• Historical Context and Summary of Practices (Page 28): It mentions that Revered Acharya Shri Maldevsuriji Maharaj authored a text on the Updhan Vidhi for lay followers. It also provides a quantitative summary of the practices involved in Updhan, listing the number of Upvas (fasts), Ayambil, Tivihar (a strict fast), Poushadh, Logas Kayotsarg, Khamaasaman, and Navkar mantra chanting.

In essence, the "Updhan Tap Margdarshika" is a meticulously detailed manual for undertaking a significant Jain spiritual discipline. It emphasizes renunciation, self-control, purity, and a deep engagement with religious rituals and scriptures for the ultimate goal of spiritual purification and liberation.