Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya is a major Jain text authored by Amritchandra.[1][2] Acharya Amritchandra was a Digambara monk who lived in the tenth century (Vikram Samvat). Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya deals with the conduct of householder (śrāvaka) in detail.[3] Another major Jain text that deals with householder's conduct is Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra. Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya also deals extensively with the Jain concept of ahiṃsā.[4]
| Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya | |
|---|---|
 Image of Acharya Amritchandra, author of Puruşārthasiddhyupāya | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Jainism |
| Author | Amritchandra |
| Period | 10th Century CE |
Content
editLike all Jain texts first verse (śloka) of Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya is an invocation:
Victory to the Supreme Effulgence (Omniscience – the infinite and all-embracing knowledge) that images, as it were in a mirror, all substances and their infinite modes, extending through the past, the present, and the future.[5]
Ahimsā
editPuruṣārthasiddhyupāya deals extensively with the Jain concept of ahimsā (refraining from causing harm) particularly in reference to its observance as a minor vow (anuvrata) by the śrāvaka. In Verse 43, deliberate himsā (causing harm) is defined as "harm caused to physical or psychical vitalities when acting under the influence of passions" (verse 43).[6] Amritchandra then elaborates on the observances that help the householder in abiding by his minor vow of ahimsā.
Eleven verses (79-89), cautions the householder regarding certain misconstrued notions that people put forward to justify their acts of himsā.[7]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Jain 2012, p. xiii.
- ^ Finegan, Jack (1 August 1952). The archeology of world religions. Princeton University Press. p. 205.
- ^ Jain 2012, p. xiv.
- ^ Duli C Jain (1 June 1997), Studies in Jainism, Jain Study Circle, p. 26, ISBN 9780962610523
- ^ Jain 2012, p. 1.
- ^ Jain 2012, p. 33-34.
- ^ Jain 2012, p. 55-60.
References
edit- Sain, Uggar; Sital Prasad (Brahmachari) (1931), The Sacred Books of the Jainas
- Jain, Vijay K. (2012), Acharya Amritchandra's Purushartha Siddhyupaya, Vikalp Printers, ISBN 9788190363945
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