Verse 8.1 - The causes of bondage (bandha)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 8.1:

मिथ्यादर्शनाविरतिप्रमादकषाययोगा बन्धहेतवः ॥ ८.१ ॥

mithyādarśanāviratipramādakaṣāyayogā bandhahetavaḥ || 8.1 ||

Wrong-belief (mithyādarśana), non-abstinence (avirati), negligence (pramāda), passions (kaṣāya) and activities (yoga) are the causes of bondage (bandha). (1)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [मिथ्यादर्शनाविरतिप्रमादकषाययोगाः] मिथ्यादर्शन, अविरति, प्रमाद, कषाय और योग-ये पाँच [बंधहेतवः] बन्ध के कारण हैं।

Anvayartha: [mithyadarshanaviratipramadakashayayogah] mithyadarshana, avirati, pramada, kashaya aura yoga-ye pamca [bamdhahetavah] bandha ke karana haim |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

Influx (āsrava) has been explained. Bondage (bandha) which comes immediately after influx (āsrava) is to be described now. First, the causes of bondage are mentioned, as these are antecedent to bondage.

Wrong-belief (mithyādarśana) has been explained. Where has it been explained? It has been explained in sūtra 1-2: ‘Belief in substances ascertained as these are is right faith (samyagdarśana)’. And, wrong-belief (mithyādarśana) is just the opposite of right faith (samyag-darśana). Also, in context of influx (āsrava), while describing the twenty-five activities, mithyātva or wrong-belief (mithyādarśana) has been described (see sūtra 6-5). Abstinence (virati) has been described. Non-abstinence (avirati) must he understood to be the opposite of abstinence. Negligence (pramāda) involves misinterpretation of the Scripture and the injunctions contained therein, and indifference to observe the injunctions (see sūtra 6-5). It is indifference to laudable activities. The passions (kaṣāya)–anger, pride, deceitfulness and greed–with their subdivisions have been explained (see sūtra 6-5). Activities (yoga) have been explained as three, namely, bodily activity, mental activity and speech activity (see sūtra 6-1).

Wrong belief (mithyādarśana) is of two kinds, natural–naisargika, and derived from teaching–paropadeśapūrvaka. On the rise of the karma leading to wrong belief (mithyādarśana), the manifestation of wrong belief, without teaching by others, in the true nature of reality is the first variety–naisargika. The second variety is derived from teaching by others–paropadeśapūrvaka. It is of four kinds, namely, kriyāvādi, akriyāvādi, ajñānika and vainayika. Or it is of five kinds–absolutistic (ekānta), contrary (viparyaya), scepticism (saṃśaya), non-discriminating or superficial (vainayika) and ignorant (ajñānika). The identifi-cation of a thing and its attribute as ‘this alone’ or ‘thus only’ is absolutistic (ekānta) mithyādarśana. Examples of absolutistic (ekānta) mithyādarśana are to believe that supreme being alone is everything (the whole universe), or everything is permanent, or everything is momentary. The following are examples of contrary (viparyaya) mithyādarśana: ‘an ascetic with material possessions is a passionless saint,’ ‘the Omniscient Lord takes morsels of food,’ and ‘women attain liberation’. The indecisive view, ‘whether the three gems of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct lead to emancipation or not,’ is an example of scepticism (saṃśaya) mithyādarśana. ‘All gods are one,’ and ‘all religions are the same,’ are examples of non-discriminating or superficial (vainayika) mithyā-darśana. Incapacity to examine what is good and what is not good to oneself is ignorant (ajñānika) mithyādarśana.

To quote from the Scripture:

“There are one hundred and eighty kinds of kriyāvādī, eighty-four kinds of akriyāvādī, sixty-seven kinds of ajñānika and thirty-two kinds of vainayika.”

(see ‘Gommaṭasāra-karmakāṇḍa’, verse 876.)

Non-abstinence (avirati) is of twelve kinds, relating to the six classes of embodied souls or beings and the six senses, mind included. The six types of living beings are the five kinds of immobile beings, namely, earth, water, fire, air and plants, and the mobile beings. The sixteen passions and the nine quasi-passions, together, make up twenty-five passions (kaṣāya). There is slight difference between the passions (kaṣāya) and the quasi-passions (nokaṣāya). But the difference is not relevant here, so these are grouped together. Activities (yoga) are of thirteen kinds. Mental activities (manoyoga) are four, namely, true, false, both true and false, and neither true nor false. Speech-activities (vacanayoga) also are four. Bodily activities (kāyayoga) are five. These make up thirteen. Activities (yoga) are also of fifteen kinds as it is possible for the accomplished ascetic in pramattasaṃyata guṇasthāna to attain the two activities of the āhārakakāyayoga and the āhārakamiśrakāyayoga. Negligence (pramāda) is of several kinds. It is with regard to the fivefold regulation of activities, threefold self-control, eight kinds of purity, ten kinds of moral virtues, and so on.

These–wrong-belief (mithyādarśana), non-abstinence (avirati), etc.–are the five causes of bondage, whether concurrently or severally. In case of the wrong-believer (mithyādṛṣṭi) all the five causes operate. In case of those in the second (sāsādanasamyagdṛṣṭi), the third (samyagmithyādṛṣṭi) and the fourth (asaṃyatasamyagdṛṣṭi) guṇa-sthāna, the four causes commencing from non-abstinence (avirati) operate. In case of those in the fifth (saṃyatāsaṃyata) guṇasthāna, combination of non-abstinence (avirati) and abstinence (virati), negligence (pramāda), passions (kaṣāya) and activities (yoga) operate. In case of the ascetic in the sixth (pramattasaṃyata) guṇasthāna, the three, negligence (pramāda), passions (kaṣāya) and activities (yoga) operate. In case of the ascetic in the seventh (apramattasaṃyata), the eighth (apūrvakaraṇa), the ninth (anivṛttibādarasāmparāya) and the tenth (sūkṣmasāmparāya) guṇasthāna, only two, activities (yoga) and passions (kaṣāya), operate. In case of the ascetic in the eleventh (upaśāntakaṣāya), twelfth (kṣīṇakaṣāya) and thirteenth (sayoga-kevalī) guṇasthāna, only one, activities (yoga), operate. In the last stage–ayogakevalī–there is no cause for bondage.