Refutation of False Deity-Preceptor-Religion

 

Moreover, such things should only be given in charity which foster religion in the donee, but the donation of gold, elephant, etc.  creates injury, etc. and increases pride- greed etc. passions which result in great sin. How could virtue (Punya) be caused to the donor of such things?

 

Moreover, the passionate persons claim that there is virtue (Punya) in providing the objects of sexual pleasure; but how could virtue be claimed in the acts of unchastity which are sinful? And they put up false logic by saying that this gives satisfaction to a lady.  Though a woman gets pleasure by fulfillment of sexual desire, why is then the observance of chastity preached? Even after sexual pleasure if her other desires are not fulfilled then she feels distressed. Therefore, such false logic is fabricated only for gratifying the carnal desires.

 

Similarly, believing religion in the activities other than compassion and donation to worthy recipients is all false religion.

 

Moreover, by observing the vows, etc., they foster injury and objects of sensual pleasures, etc. but the vows, etc. are observed for decreasing them. And people forsake eating food grains and instead eat the tuber roots. In such acts, greater injury is caused and relishment of sensual objects increases.

 

Further, such people do not take meal in the day time and instead take food in the night. So, in this act of taking meals in the night instead of taking food in the day, greater injury is caused and recklessness increases. And by observing the vows (fast), etc. people indulge in excessive adornment of the body, sportive acts, gambling, etc. - all these are sinful acts. But they desire that the fruit of observing vows should be obtained in the form of attainment of worldly agreeable objects and destruction of disagreeable objects; all this results in increasing passions.

 

Thus, believing religion to consist in the observance of vows (in above-said manner) is false religion.

 

Further, many people increase injury, etc. sins through adoration, etc. They foster the objects of senses by way of songs, dancing, singing and taking the desired food, etc. and other articles. They indulge in sportive acts and pass time recklessly. In such acts, they create lot of sin but do not have even a little recourse to religion and yet believe it to be religion. So, all this is false religion.

 

And many people produce affliction to the body and indulge in injury and passional acts. For example, they observe penance by heating their body in five types of fires. In this process, small and big living beings get burnt by fire, lot of injury is caused. How is religion possible in such acts? And some persons swing by keeping the body turned upside down; some keep the arms raised upwards. Thus, in different ways they practice the (false) religion; but anguish only is caused by such acts. These are not the parts of religious practices.

 

Further, some people control respiration and practice Neti- Dhoti etc. Yogic exercises. In such acts, lot of injury, etc. are caused by consumption of water, etc. If some miracle is produced then pride and other passions increase in him. Hence, in no way, such acts can be called religious acts. Thus, they involve themselves in acts causing distress, but do not bother about reducing indulgence in passional acts. Internally, they possess the intention of anger, pride, deceit and greed passions; they uselessly engage themselves in painful acts and believe them to be religious acts. This too is false religion.

 

And many people commit suicide because they cannot endure miseries in this world or desire to get agreeable objects in the next birth. Many kill themselves for earning name and fame or under pressure of anger passion, etc. For example, many women burn themselves in the pyre-fire on account of bereavement of their husbands and are called Sati (chaste lady). Some people get dissolved in the snow of Himalaya mountain, some others get sawed in the Kashi (Benaras) city, some people die willfully; thus, these acts are believed to be religious acts; but committing suicide is a great sin.  If attachment in body, etc. was lessened then one should have accepted real penances. But what part of religion is evolved in dieing in the aforesaid manner? Therefore, committing suicide is false religion.

 

Likewise, there are many facets of false religion. How long to describe ! Believing to be religious all such acts which foster passions and sensuousness is false religion.

 

Behold ! Due to bad times in the Jina's religion also the practice of false religion has started. Whatever religious festivals are described, in all those festivals it is desirable to observe continence by giving up passional acts. But they do not adopt this practice and instead in the name of vows, etc. adorn the body in various ways, take relishing food, indulge in sportive acts and in the acts which increase the passions and indulge in great sinful acts like gambling, etc.

 

Further, in the acts of worshipping, etc., this was the preaching that, Savidyalaisho bahupunyasho doshaynal i.e., "In the acts producing excessive virtue (Punya) if some little sinful acts are involved then the same are ignorable". Under this pretext in the name of worship and propagation of religion (Jina's teachings) people burn the lamps in the night, collect the objects containing infinite living beings (such as flowers, vegetables, etc.) and indulge in practices involving injury and other sins (before the Jina's idol). They pay scant respect to virtuous acts, like that of worship, invocation, etc. In all these acts, loss is more, profit (gain) is less or even nil. All such acts are clearly irreligious.

 

Moreover, the temple of Jina is abode of religion. In the temple people engage themselves in various irreligious talks, sleep and behave indolently; and they foster passions and sensual pleasures by developing orchard and flower garden, etc. (inside temple premises).  Further, they give charity, etc. to the greedy persons believing them to be preceptors (Gurus) and feel exhalted by their false praise. Thus, in various ways they increase their passional desires and believe same to be religion, but the emblem of Jina's religion is passionlessness. Entry of such perverse practices in Jaina religion is due to bad times.

 

In this way, the adoration and practicing of false religion is forbidden.

 

Now the involvement of false belief in such practices is being explained:-

 

The one basic objective in the right belief of Tattvas is to give up passions. This very disposition is called religion. If by increasing passional dispositions one believes that religion is evolved then where remains the right belief in Tattvas? This is against the Jina's commandment. Passions are sinful dispositions; believing these to be religion is false belief Therefore, in the practice of false religion false belief is invariably involved.

 

In this way, know well that the adoration and believing false deity, false preceptor and false scriptures (false religion) results in strengthening false belief. Therefore, this is described here. The same is stated in the Ashta-Pahuda:

 

Kuchhiydaivan dhaman kuchhiylingin cha vandya jodu

Lajjabhygarvado michhaditthee havai so hu                                   (92,  Mokshpahung)

 

Meaning: If someone adores false deity, false religion and false preceptor out of shyness, fear and false prestige, he is assuredly a false believer.

 

Therefore, those who want to forsake false belief, first of all they should forsake adoring false deity, false preceptor and false religion.

 

In the abdication of twenty-five types of faults of right belief, under Amoorhadrishti (follilessness) and six places of misbelief, the renouncement of these false deity, etc. only has been preached. Hence, one must invariably forsake them.

 

Further, false belief resulting from adoration of false deity, etc.  is a bigger sin than the sins of injury, etc. In its fruitation one gets birth in Nigoda and hell, etc. In such births intense agonies and afflictions have got to be suffered for infinite period and attainment of right knowledge becomes extremely difficult.

 

The same is stated in Ashta-Pahuda:

 

Kuchchhiydhamamirokuchhiyypasandibhtisanjuto

Kuchhytvan kun^.ato  kuchhiygyeebhayan^,o hoyee                        (140,   Bhavpahung)

 

Meaning: One who is engrossed in the practice of false religion, adores the hypocrites and false preceptors, observes false penances, he has to suffer from the miseries of evil state of existence.

 

So oh ! Bhauyas ! by adoring the false deities, etc. even with the slightest greed and fear, one has to suffer from intense agonies for infinite period; therefore, false belief is in no way worth harnessing.

 

In Jina's religion it is an eternal tradition that first of all the bigger sin is advised to be forsaken before a smaller sin. Therefore, believing the false belief to be a greater sin than indulgence in seven evil habits, it is to be forsaken first of all. Therefore, those who are afraid of the fruits of sinful acts and do not desire to sink their soul in the ocean of agony should invariably give up false belief. It is not desirable to be of fickle mind due to fear of censure or desire of praise.  Because in ethics also, the same is stated as follows:

 

Nindantu neetinipun^.a  yadi va stuvantu

Lakshmee samavishtu gachhtu va yathaishtam

Adaev vastu mran^.an  tu yugantrai va

Nyayatpatha prvichlanti padam na dheera                              (184,    Neetishtak)

 

 

If someone criticizes, let him criticize; someone praises, let him do so; wealth is obtained or lost, death is instant or comes after long time - in all such contradictory situations the wise persons do not budge an inch from the path of justice.

 

Remembering this doctrine, it is not proper to indulge in unjustifiable forms of false belief under pressure of censure, praise, fearor greed.

 

Oh ! the true omniscient God, true preceptor and true religion are the supreme objects; the religion rests on them. How could religion be evolved by fickleness and indecision about them? What more to speak? It is extremely necessary to forsake in every way, the company of false deity, false preceptor and false religion.

 

By not abdicating the false deity, etc., the false belief is greatly strengthened and in the present times, the tendency of adoring them is found specifically more here. Therefore, their abdication is force-fully described here. Knowing all this, one should adopt the path of liberation by forsaking false belief.

 

Thus ends the 6th chapter of the treatise Moksha Marg Prakashak in which the description of false deity, false preceptor, false religion is done for abdicating them.