Artadhyana (Meditation on Pain, sorrow)

The Agamas and other scriptures in Jainism mention four types of meditation or Dhyana^[1] namely, arta or the painful (sorrowful), raudra or the cruel, dharma or the virtuous (righteous) and sukla or the pure meditation. The first two namely arta-dhyana and raudra-dhyana are asubha-dhyana (inauspicious) and the other two namely dharma and sukla-dhyana are subha-dhyana (auspicious). The last two are mainly for liberation^[2].

The details of each one is given below:

“ṛte bhavaṃ ārtaṃm” |

(Focussing on pain or causes of the pain is Artadhyana).

To be troubled, to feel sorry, to cry and to lament loudly constitute the characteristics of Artadhyana.

Upon receipt of a harmful object, thinking again and again for its removal is the first kind of sorrowful meditation^[3]. Upon loss of a favourable object, thinking again and again for its repossession is the second kind of sorrowful meditation^[4]. In the case of suffering from pain and disease, thinking continuously for its removal is the third type of sorrowful meditation^[5]. Thinking about fulfilment of the wishes for enjoyment and to see that available comforts and enjoyment are not lost is the fourth sorrowful meditation^[6]. Thus, Artadhyana is worrying all the time about getting attached to unwanted objects or getting detached from desirable objects or raga and dvesa or physical and mental pain or expecting non-achievable pleasures in life. These sorrowful meditations occur in the case of laymen with and without small vows and non-vigilant ascetics^[7].

In the same way, some of the Jain scholars like Acarya Yashovijay, Acarya Shubhchandra and others have classified Artadhyana into following types:

aniṣṭayogajanmādhyaṃ tatheṣṭārthātyayātparam |
rukprakopāttṛtīyaṃ syānnidānātturyamaṅginām || (Jñānārṇava, 23/22)

1. Anistasamyoga: worries of getting things which we don”t want .

2. Rogacinta: worries of disease and suffering .

3. Istaviyoga: worry of loosing things which we want to keep .

4. Nidāna: worries of non-achievement of desirable objects.

Most people continuously worry and complain about their painful and unhappy situations. They wish to remain in comfort zone, get attached to pleasures, get attracted to some persons and objects (Raga), and try to avoid unpleasant experiences and persons (Dvesa). They worry to avert disagreeable, unwanted objects and painful situations, to regain the lost favourable situations and get strongly inclined to stake everything for some worldly gain. They have intense desire to acquire desirable objects.

These situations are classified in Tattvarthsutra as under:

1. Amanojna-samprayoga-viyoga-cinta-artadhyana

2. Manojna-viyoga-samprayoga-cinta-artadhyana

3. Dukhakar-vedana-samprayoga-viyoga-cinta-artadhyana

4. Sukhakar-vedana-viyoga-samprayoga-cinta-artadhyana

All these categories prevail during initial five stages of spiritual elevation. Mind occupied in these thoughts is doing Artadhyana. Papakarma incurred by Artadhyana is comparatively less; as involvement in wrong activity in it is less.

The result or the symptoms of Artadhyana are fear, doubt, stress, despair, irritation, tearfulness, frustration, depression, worries, uneasiness, madness, lust for objects, physical stiffness and rarely unconsciousness. Finally the jiva doing artadhyana gets Tiryanchgati (next birth as insect, animal or bird) according to scriptures like Jnanarnav and Adhyatmasara.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ārtaraudradharmyaśuklāni | Tattvartha-sutra 9.28

[2]:

pare mokṣahetū | Tattvartha-sutra 9.29

[3]:

ārtamamanojñasya sāprayoge tadviprayogāya smṛtisamanvāhāraḥ | Tattvartha-sutra 9.30

[4]:

viparītaṃ manojñasya | Tattvartha-sutra 9.31

[5]:

vedanāyāśca | Tattvartha-sutra 9.32

[6]:

nidānaṃ ca | Tattvartha-sutra 9.33

[7]:

tadaviratadeśaviratapramattasaṃyatānām | Tattvartha-sutra 9.34