The four Siksavratas

There are four more disciplinary vows to inspire the sense of detachment called Siksa-vratas. These are Samayika vrata, Desavakasika vrata, Pausadha Vrata and Atithi Samvibhag vrata as explained below:

1. Samayika vrata:

[Meditation or Equanimity vow of limited period, training towards final goal]:

It means attainment of equanimity, equilibrium or balanced attitude (sāmayika= sama+āya+ika). In this vrata, one has to sit down on a Asana for 48 minutes concentrating one’s mind on religious activities like praying, reading scriptures or meditating. This is a stepping stone to a life of full renunciation. This Samayika may be repeated several times a day. During this meditation, one tries to concentrate on the soul and its relationship with karma to give up or minimize affection and aversion, to observe equanimity towards all objects and being at peace with the world^[1]. Misdirected activity of mind, speech and body, lack of earnestness, undertaking Samayik without enthusiasm and loosing sight thereof are the five transgressions of this vrata of concentration^[2].

2. Desavakasika vrata:

[Limited duration of activity vow]:

Here, the general lifelong limitation of doing business in certain area (Dik vrata) and the use of articles (Bhog-Upbhoga vrata) are further restricted for particular days and times of the week. One shall not do any activity or travel beyond a certain city, street or house, during a certain period of time. Overcoming the limitations in the upper, lower or horizontal direction, increasing or decreasing the limitations or forgetting the same are the five transgressions of this vrata.

3. Paushadha Vrata:

[Limited Ascetic’s life vow]:

This vow requires a person, to live the life of a monk for a day or more, renouncing all worldly activities including food and cosmetics, retire to a secluded place and tries to follow five great vows doing spiritual contemplation. Thus, one gets promoted and nourished one’s religious life and also gets trained for ascetic life. It is a form of prolonged Samayika. Excreting, moving the articles of use like handling sandal-wood paste, flowers and spreading mats and sitting or sleeping thereon without inspecting and cleaning the place and the materials, undertaking paushadh without enthusiasm and loosing sight thereof are the five transgressions of this vrata^[3].

4. Atithi Samvibhag vrata:

[Charity vow]:

One should give away, with reverence, food, clothes, medicine and other articles of his own possession to monks, nuns, pious and needy people. Fourteen types of selfless charity service done without any expectation to ascetics (Panch mahavruttdhari nirgranth shramanas) are prescribed in Avasyaksutra^[4]. The scripture prescribes full details of all disciplined processes for giving food, water and other items to ascetics. This practice provides an inner satisfaction and raises consciousness to higher level. One will rather preserve goods for these guests. Placing the food on things with organisms such as green leaves, covering it with such things, offer food without respect, and offer food in an untimely manner, mixing the insentient, covering with the sentient and calling it as belonging to others are the five transgressions of vow to partake food after feeding an ascetic^[5].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Jain Philosophy and Practice-1, The Federation of Jain Associations in North America, 2002, p.26

[2]:

yogaduṣpraṇidhānānāda rasmṛtyanupasthanāni | Tattvartha-sutra 7.33, Acharya Umaswati, Tattvarthasutra, JAINA and Shrut Ratnakar, Ahmedabad, July, 2007

[3]:

apratyavekṣitā pramārjitotsargādānasaṃstaropakramaṇā nādara smṛtyanupasthanāni | Tattvartha-sutra 7.34

[4]:

Avashyaksutra, Shri Akhil Bharatiya Sudharma Jain Sanskriti Rakshak Sangh, Jodhpur, 2007, p. 244

[5]:

sacittanikṣepā pidhānaparavya padeśamātsaryakālātikramāḥ | Tattvartha-sutra 7.36