Thus is the nature of
Arhantas, etc., it is full of passionlessness with
perfect knowledge. By means of that only, the
Arhantas, etc., are supreme and
worthy of invocation and adoration. Because from
Jiva Tattva
(sentient-being) point of view, all
Jivas (souls) are alike but because of
attachment, etc., psychic maladies and feeble knowledge,
Jivas become
censurable and due to lessening of attachment, etc., and increase of knowledge
deserve adoration; so in
Arhantas and
Siddhas due to complete absence
of attachment, etc., and perfectness of knowledge, the manifestation of absolute
passionlessness with perfect knowledge (omniscience) is possible. And in
Acharyas,
Upadhyaya and
Sadhus i.e., in all real
Digamber Jain monks, due to partial lessening of attachment, etc., and
speciality of knowledge, the manifestation of partial passionlessness with
discriminative right knowledge is possible. Hence
Arhantas etc. are to be
known as Supreme, worthy of invocation and adoration.
Further, it should be remembered that amongst these
Arhantas etc., (five
ranks) mainly
Tirthankaras and generally all omniscients are termed
Arhanta in
Prakrit and
Arhat in
Sanskrit. And just after
the last moment of fourteenth
Gunasthana (stage of spiritual development) the
Arhantas become
Siddhas. Further, those monks who have been installed
as
Acharyas irrespective of whether they live in the congregation of monks or
solitarily do self-mediation or live solivagantly or might have attained the rank of
Gandhara by getting principalship among the
Acharyas also, all of them
are called
Acharyas. Further, reading & teaching work is done by other monks
too but those on whom
Upadhyaya rank of monk is conferred by
Acharyas,
they only, even besides doing the work of self-meditation etc., get the name of
Upadhyaya. And all those monks who do not possess any rank are called
Sadhus.
Here, there is no such rule that
Acharya's rank is attained or termed by
observing
Panchaachara (five types of observances),
Upadhyayas rank
by doing teaching-preaching and
Sadhu's rank by practising
Moolgunas
basic-rites) because these observances, rites, etc., are common to all monks, but
from the
Shabda-Naya (verbalistic standpoint) their literal meaning is
derived so. From
Samabhirudha-Naya (conventional standpoint) the
Acharya etc. names are to be known by the graduation of ranks only. As for
example, by
Shabda Naya, that which moves is called the 'cow', likewise the
human beings, etc., also make the movement but from
Samabhirudha Naya the
names are so given from the
Paryaya (embodied state) point of view.
Similarly, one must understand here also.
Question: what is the reason of offering salutation to
Arhantas prior
to
Siddhas?
Answer: Salutation is offered with the object of getting our purpose
accomplished and because the purpose of sermons etc., chiefly gets accomplished from
the
Arhantas, therefore, the salutation is offered first to them.
Thus, the characteristics of
Arhantas, etc., have been reflected on, because
by reflecting on their characteristics the specific object gets accomplished.
Further, these
Arhantas, etc., are called
PanchParmeshtis (the five
utmost beneficial Supreme souls) because that which is utmost beneficial is named as
Parameshta . The
Panch (five) who are
Parameshta are thus
collectively named and called
Panch Parmeshtis.
Further,
Rishabha, Ajita, Sambhava, Abhinandana, Sumati, Padmaprabha, Suparshva,
Chandraprabha, Pushpadant, Sheetal, Shreyansa, Vasupujya, Vimal, Ananta, Dharma,
Shanti, Kuntha, Ara, Malli, Munisuvrat, Nami, Nemi, Parshva, Wardhamana - so
named 24
Tirthankaras - have been the pioneers of the presently existing
Dharma Tirtha (spiritual voyage) in this
Bharat-Kshetra; they are
specifically adored by
Indras (Heavenly gods), etc., during their attaining
auspicious occasions of conception, birth, asceticism, omniscience and salvation,
and are now situated in
Siddhalaya (the abode of liberated souls at the
summit of the universe); I bow to them all.
Further,
Seemandhara, Yugamandhara, Bahu, Subaha, Samjataka; Swayamprabh,
Vrishabhanana, Ananta-virya, Surprabha, Vishalkirti, Vajradhara, Chandranana,
Chandrabahu, Bhujangama, Ishwara, Nemiprabha, Veersena, Mahabhadra, Devayash,
Ajitvirya - so named 20
Tirthankaras - who are at present situated with
omniscience in
Videhakshetras of
Panch-merus (the five highest mounts),
I bow to them all.
Although these are included in the
Parameshtis rank, nevertheless, in the
present time, knowing their significance and supremacy, salutation is offered
separately.
Further, the naturally existing unartificial idols of
Jinas (
Arhantas)
that are situated in
Triloka (three worlds of the universe) and the
artificial '
Jinas' idols that are installed with ritual-ceremony in the
middle world, whose
Darshan (sighting and invocation) etc., only, even
without getting any (discernible) sermon from them, the accomplishment of our
benediction takes place as is accomplished by the
Darshan of
Tirthankara-Kewali (embodied omniscients); I bow to all these '
Jinas' idols.
Further, the
Anga-prakeernakas (the sacred scriptures containing omnicient's
commandments) created by
Ganadharas according to the sermons given in
Divya-dhwani (omrnscient's preachings) and according to those
(
Anga-Prakeernakas) the
Granthas (sacred books) written by other
Acharyas etc., all those are
Jina-vachanas (omniscient's preachings)
which are worth recognising through the emblem of
Syadvada (the theory of
relative or conditional predication) and are non-contradictory to path of justice,
therefore, are authentic and are the cause of
Tattva-Jnana (true knowledge of
substances) for
Jivas; therefore, are benefical; I bow to them.
Further, the
Chaityalaya (Jina's temple),
Aaryika (Jaina-nun),
Shravaka (the right-faithed house-holder) of the highest vows and rank, etc.,
substances (
Dravyas), the
Tirthankshetras i.e., sacred pilgrimatic
places, etc., lands (
Kshetras), the
Kalyanaka-Kalas benedictory
periods etc., periods (
Kalas) and
Ratnatraya (right faith, knowledge
and conduct), etc., pure dispositions (
Bhavas) which are worth saluting, I
bow to all of them. And I pay due respect to them also who deserve some respect.
Thus the invocation is done by giving due respect to our benefactors.
Now we discuss as to how these
Arhantas, etc., are the benefactors. The
purpose (objective) is the name of that act or deed due to which happiness is
obtained and misery is ended, and that by means of which the accomplishment of the
purpose takes place is our benefactor.
Presently, obtaining the passionless
discriminative-knowledge, is the purpose, because by means of that, imperturbable
real happiness is attained and all sorrows and miseries, which are full of
perplexities, are ended.