ऐसे मिथ्यादृग-ज्ञान-चरण, वश भ्रमत भरत दुख जन्म-मरण।
तातैं इनको तजिये सुजान, सुन तिन संक्षेप कहूँ बखान।।१।।
The jiva being overwhelmed by wrong belief, wrong knowledge and wrong conduct wanders in the world and suffers the pain of birth and death. Therefore, after knowing them well we should leave them.I( the author) describe them in brief,listen.
The main cause of jiva’s wandering in this world is the trio of wring belief, wrong knowledge and wrong conduct.these are the great diseases which destroy the spiritual health of the jiva in various ways.before we apply means to get rid of these,it is necessary that a thorough diagnosis of the ill health of the soul should be made.
In others words, the achievement of this aim requires an analysis of the present situation of the soul followed by the application of right means to attain the ideal. It is why the author has now taken up an exposition of wrong faith, wrong knowledge and wrong conduct.
On the path to liberation the categories like the jiva etc are relevant to our purpose. A wrong believer posits this faith in their antitheses. The jiva is characterized by consciousness in action. It is an embodiment of consciousness, and it does not possess form and is matchless.
Generally speaking the faculty of right faith, being transitive, must have the entire universe for its subject matter nothing in the universe can refuse to come into the above relationship with the conscious soul. But on the path of liberation belief in the seven principles-soul (jiva), non soul(ajiva),influx of karmas(asrava),bondage of karmas(banndha),stoppage of asarva(samvara),purging of karmas(niriara) and final freedom from karmas(moksa)- has been considered very essential. The statement can be understood in two ways.
Firstly, the seven principles are formulated with a clear aim of the salvation of the soul. This aim has a direct concern with each one of these seven principles. Hence a belief in them is considered necessary for the emancipation of the soul.secondly, we may hold that there lies nothing in the universe beyond the seven categories as just enumerated.
hence the right faith includes a belief in what exists in the universe hence to suit all level of spiritual evolution a belief in the seven principles has been prescribed as the initial step on the path of liberation.
जीव तत्त्व का विपरीत-श्रद्धान
पुद्गल नभ धर्म अधर्म काल, इनतैं न्यारी है जीव-चाल।
ताकों न जान विपरीत मान, करि करै देह में निज पिछान।।३।।
The process of functioning of the jiva is different from that of matter( Pudgal),space( akara),medium( of motion (dharma) ,medium of rest( adharma) and time(kala). A wrong believer, being ignorant of the fact and holding it to be its opposite ,identifies his body as his self.
Such is the unfortunate tendency of a wrong believer ,that he is not able to distinguish between the soul and the non soul. Being deducted by the effect of vicious karmas he accepts his body as his spiritual self or soul.
A wrong believer think I am happy , I am unhappy, I am poor, I am rich, I possess wealth, house, animal wealth and influence, I have son and wife, I am powerful, I am helpless, I am ugly, I am handsome, I am foolish and I am wise.
If the body is born, he thinks he is born. If the body is destroyed, he thinks he is destroyed. Attachment etc. are the clear source of suffering, but the wrong believer indulges in them and reckons them as comfortable .
The adverse effect caused by the karmas is so damaging that the jiva becomes totally ignorant of his nature . so much so that he identifies his soul with everything extraneous to it.
The ties of family , property and prosperity becomes so strong that they are accepted by him to be his self . by this delusion he is rendered incapable to see the true aim of life; he does not at all feel even the necessity of his soul’s salvation and / is falsely satisfied with the condition in which he happens to be placed.
He forgetting his own (pure) status likes the fruits of the auspicious karmas and dislikes those of the inauspicious one. Knowledge free from attachment and aversion is beneficial to the soul; but he thinks it a source of suffering for himself.
The intoxication caused by the karmas does not only make the jiva ignorant of itself but give rise to a mental perversity which keeps him entangled in the pleasures and miseries of the world.
All his energies are directed towards the attainment of pleasures and avoidance of miseries. He is not prepared even to hear that knowledge of self and detachment from the world can bring solace to his suffering soul. He thus falls an unfortunate and helpless victim of wrong belief, the greatest foe of jiva on the path of liberation.
The wrong believer thus losing his own strength, does not resist his desires; and therefore he fails to have a glimpse of the blissful and unperturbed state of his self. Whatever knowledge supported by such a belief is there, know it to be wrong knowledge, responsible for begetting sufferings.
The true joy of life does not lie in self- indulgence but in self- sacrifice .one whose ideal consist of gratification of sensual desires cannot have even a glimpse of true happiness. The satisfaction derived from self- sacrifice enlightened by a vision of the ideal of life is quite different from satisfaction of worldly desires. If the claim for worldly pleasures is reduced to zero, the amount of true happiness will certainly tend to be infinite
अजीव एवं आस्रव तत्त्व का विपरीत श्रद्धान
तन उपजत अपनी उपज जान, तन नशत आपको नाश मान।
रागादि प्रगट ये दु:ख दैन, तिनही को सेवत गिनत चैन।।५।।
Supported by wrong belief and wrong knowledge indulgence in the pleasures of the sense is to be known as wrong conduct. these wrong belief wrong knowledge and wrong conduct which have been accompanying the jiva for beginingless times are unacquired. Now listen to those( type of wrong belief etc) the jiva acquires in his life time.
The trio of wrong belief , wrong knowledge and wrong conduct is of two kinds- that which the jiva has been suffering from times immemorial and that the jiva gathers at a particular stage of its existence on account of its associations with the world.
These have been designated as unacquired (agrahita) and acquired (grahitta) types. herein it may be noted that wrong belief is the root cause of all mischief . it turns one’s knowledge and conduct into false knowledge and false conduct. Hence it is said to be the most formidable foe the jiva.
बंध और संवर तत्त्व का विपरीत श्रद्धान
शुभ-अशुभ बंध के फल मँझार, रति-अरति करै निज पद विसार।
आतम-हित हेतु विराग-ज्ञान, ते लखैं आपको कष्ट दान।।६।।
निर्जरा एवं मोक्ष तत्त्व का अन्यथा श्रद्धान और अगृहीत मिथ्याज्ञान का स्वरूप
रोके न चाह निज शक्ति खोय, शिवरूप निराकुलता न जोय।
याही प्रतीतिजुत कछुक ज्ञान, सो दु:खदायक अज्ञान जान।।७।।
Those who serve the false preceptor, false god(divinity) and false religion feed the long-lasting belief-deluding-karmas.
Those that have attachment etc. in their hearts, externally love wealth, clothes and possessions, and thus posing saint hood, maintain a wrong external mark, are the false preceptor . they are like boats made of stone to cross the water of births ( and deaths).
Those whose minds are dirty with attachment and aversion and who are recognized by such signs as wives, clubs etc. are the wrong gods . the foolish persons who serve them will never be able to end the cycle of their worldly wanderings along with the actions which are soiled by attachment, violence, the physical killing of mobile and immobile organisms constitute wrong religion.
By believing in such a religion the jive. Now listen to the aquired type of wrong knowledge.9,10,11,12
The writer herein has given us almost a definition of wrong belief which has importance in practical life. A jiva association with a false preceptor , a false god and a false religion is responsible for its unending wanderings in the world.
It is why the first step on the path of liberation is constituted of a belief in the holy trinity of true god,true religion and true preceptor . the practicle utility of this concept has led some writers to assert that it can be treated as the definition of right faith.
The study of scriptures which are written by kapil and the like , which are rendered inconsistent on account of the blemishes of upholding absolute views, which breed passions and are inauspicious is called wrong knowledge. It bring great suffering.13
Different preceptors have formulated their own scriptures. The predominant objection against them is their one-sided consideration of reality.considered logically such one- sided views prove to be self – contradictory.
These scriptures may embody partial and to that extent they may be acceptale and helpful to the aspirants. But to cherish a faith in them as absolutely true becomes a source of grave danger on the spiritual path.
We may adopt a catholic view towards them by recognizing their partial worth in a limited sense and context such scripture, if admitted adsolutely true, are bound to effect a world-ward drift of the jiva leading to very painful conditions in life
जो ख्याति लाभ पूजित छह विदिद्त विधि दे धा
ततं अन्तम क़ ज्ञान ही जज करने तन कारन चीन
ते सब मिथ्या चित्र त्याग अब अतम क़ हित पथ लग
जग जाल भ्रमण को त्याग अबदूलत नीच अतम क़ हित पथ लग
जग जल भरम को क़ त्याग अब आलाद निज अतम सु
Entertaining a desire for reputation, gain and respect etc.and burning one’s body in various ways (performing bodily penances), and all such activities which are devoid of the discriminatory knowledge of soul and non- soul are the various ways of mortifying the body.
They all constitute wrong conduct and must be abandoned. Now follow the way of the soul’s emancipation.oh daulatram, dissociating yourself from the net- work of worldly wanderings, engage yourself well in the work of redemption of your soul.14,15
People ignorant of the true spirit of religion perform austerities and other similar practices in the hope of obtaining worldly satisfaction. It is very unwise on their part as it is bound to place them nowhere in the sphere of the good of the soul.
The underlying idea is that one must acquire discriminatory knowledge of the soul and the non soul. It will help him in advancing on the spiritual path. It will also save him from falling into the quagmire of worldly pains and pleasures which one is bound to run after consciously or unconsciously under the influence of wrong faith.
Discriminatory knowledge of the soul and non – soul will work wonder in bringing true happiness to an aspirant. In the light of the exposition made so far, the writer concludes with a sober advice to the readers.
One who is anxious to achieve the good of the soul must renounce wrong faith, wrong knowledge and wrong conduct which prolong the course of one’s wanderings in the world. One must acquire knowledge of his pure self, which would guide his actions in the right directions, and would certainly bring him nearer to the salvation of his soul.