Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary)
by Vijay K. Jain | 2018 | 130,587 words | ISBN-10: 8193272625 | ISBN-13: 9788193272626
This page describes the nature of being mild or gentle which is verse 6.18 of the English translation of the Tattvartha Sutra which represents the essentials of Jainism and Jain dharma and deals with the basics on Karma, Cosmology, Ethics, Celestial beings and Liberation. The Tattvarthasutra is authorative among both Digambara and Shvetambara. This is verse 18 of the chapter Influx of Karmas and includes an extensive commentary.
Verse 6.18 - The nature of being mild or gentle
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 6.18:
स्वभावमार्दवं च ॥ ६.१८ ॥
svabhāvamārdavaṃ ca || 6.18 ||
Natural mildness (mṛdutā) also leads to the influx (āsrava) of life-karma leading to birth as a human being (manuṣya). (18)
Hindi Anvayarth:
अन्वयार्थ: [स्वभावमार्दवं] स्वभाव से ही सरल परिणाम होना [च] भी मनुष्यायु के आस्रव का कारण है।
Anvayartha: [svabhavamardavam] svabhava se hi sarala parinama hona [ca] bhi manushyayu ke asrava ka karana hai |
Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:
The nature of being mild or gentle is mildness or gentleness–mṛdutā or mārdava. To be naturally mild is natural mildness. Natural means which comes without teaching or instruction. This natural mildness also leads to the influx of life-karma that causes birth as a human being. Why has this attribute been mentioned separately? It has been mentioned separately as it also leads to the influx of life-karma that leads to birth as a celestial-being.
Do these alone (as mentioned in sūtra 17 and 18) cause the influx of life-karma that leads to birth as a human being? No.
[see next sūtra]