Tag: Jain Bharati

Defilements due to Delivery and Death (Sūtaka-Pataka) The term ‘Sūtaka’ is defined as the defilements and the resulting prohibitions of duties like deital worship and food-offerings (to saints) etc. due to the delivery or birth of a child in the household. The defilement and the resulting prohibition due to the death in the household is...

Six Essential Duties of Votary (See the earlier section on the stage of Househ old ership) An individual is called the best of the votaries who is engaged in six daily duties of (i) Worship (ii) Veneration of Preceptors (iii) Self-study (iv) Restraint (v) Austerity (vi)Donation who has the best of the lineages / family....

Four Duties of Votary There are four kinds of duty of the votaries32: (1) Worship (2) Donation (3) Good conduct (Ṡīla) (4) Fasting or austerity The worship means to offer proper services to the Gods, scriptures and preceptors with eight kinds of materials. The renunciation of foods, medicine etc. for the benefit of self or...

Four Stages of Life (Asramas) The seventh primary text of Upāsakādhyayana (Studies on Votaries) has stated that there are four life-stages of Jaina individuals : (a)Stage of Celibacy (Brahmacarya (b)Stage of Householdership (Gṛhastha) (c)Supreme Stage of Votary  (Vānaprastha) (d)Saint or Ascetic (Sanyāsa, renunciation) (a)Stage of Celibacy (Brahmacarya) There are five kinds of celibates : (1)Sacred-threaded...

Three Kinds of Votary There are three kinds of votary : (1)Inclined votary  (Pākṣika) (2)Pledged votary  (Naiṣthika) (3)Aspirant or Last-ritualising votary (Sādhaka) These three kinds are based on inclination, vowal observance and aspiration for holy death ritual.The term ‘Pakṣa’ (inclination) means to observe the eight basic primary virtues or restraints, to renounce seven addictions etc....

Eleven Model Stages of The Renunciation (Pratimās) of a Votary Eleven model stages of renunciation have been admitted for votaries. The characteristics of these stages are successive qualitative improvement in their higher stages. They are described below: (1)Darsana Pratimā (Model Stage of Right Faith or Vision) The right-faithed votary is defined as the individual who...

Definition Of Religion Ṡrī Samantabhadracharya has defined the term ‘Dharma’ (religion) in his Ratna-karaṇda- ṡrāvakācāra verse 21 that it is the medium or agency which places the living beings in the supreme (place of) happiness after getting them away from miseries of (physical) world. The Jinas are the Lords of Ratnatraya Religion. They have described...

The Universe In General There is the general human-shaped occupied universe (or world) with a volume of 343 Rajjus in the major central part of the infinite-times-infinitely extensive non-occupied universe or non-universe space as observed by the Venerable omniscients. This universe - space is pervaded by the five realities (Dravyas) of (1) the living (Jīva)...

Baladevas (Balabhadras), Nārāyanas And Prati-Nārāyanas There have been nine Baladevas as below : (1) Vijaya (2) Acala (3) Dharma (4) Suprabha (5) Sudarsana (6) Nandī (7) Nandimitra (8) Rāma (Padma) (9) Balarāma   There have been nine Narayaṇas as below (1) Tripṛṣtha (2) Dvipṛṣtha (3) Svayambhū (4) Purusottama (5) Puruṣa-Sinha (6) Puruṣa-pundarīka (7) Puruṣadatta (8)...

Twelve Universal Monarchs Or Cakravartīs There have been twelve universal monarchs named (1) Bharata (2) Sagara (3) Maghavā (4) Sanat Kumāra (5) Ṡānti (6) Kunthu (7) Ara (8) Subhauma (9) Padma (10) Hariṣeṇa (11) Jayasena (12) Brahmadatta All of them offered direct and indirect Venerations to the Tīrthankaras and were deeply devoted to them. Bharata...