Verse 9.9 - The twenty-two kinds of afflications (parīṣaha)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 9.9:

क्षुत्पिपासाशीतोष्णदंशमशकनाग्न्यारतिस्त्रीचर्यानिषद्याशय्याक्रोशवधयाचनाऽलाभरोगतृणस्पर्शमल सत्कारपुरस्कारप्रज्ञाऽज्ञानादर्शनानि ॥ ९.९ ॥

kṣutpipāsāśītoṣṇadaṃśamaśakanāgnyāratistrīcaryāniṣadyāśayyākrośavadhayācanā'lābharogatṛṇasparśamala satkārapuraskāraprajñā'jñānādarśanāni || 9.9 ||

Hunger–kṣudhā, thirst–tṛṣā, cold–śīta, heat–uṣṇa, insect-bite–daṃśamaśaka, nakedness–nāgnya, absence of pleasures–arati, woman–strī, pain arising from roaming–caryā, discomfort of posture–niṣadyā, uncomfortable couch–śayyā, reproach–ākrośa, injury–vadha, solicitation–yācanā, lack of gain–alābha, disease–roga, pain inflicted by blades of grass–tṛṇasparśa, dirt–mala, absence of reverence and honour satkārapuraskāra, (conceit of) learning–prajñā, despair or uneasiness arising from ignorance–ajñāna, and lack of faith–adarśana, are the twenty-two afflications (parīṣaha). (9)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [क्षुत्पिपासाशीतोष्णदंशमशकनाग्न्यारतिस्त्रीचर्यानिषद्याशय्याक्रोशवधयाचनाऽलाभरोगतृणस्पर्शमलसत्कारपुरस्कारप्रज्ञाऽज्ञानादर्शनानि] क्षुधा, तृषा, शीत, उष्ण, दंशमशक, नाग्न्य, अरति, स्त्री, चर्या, निषद्या, शय्या, आक्रोश, वध, याचना, अलाभ, रोग, तृणस्पर्श, मल, सत्कारपुरस्कार, प्रज्ञा, अज्ञान और अदर्शन, ये बाईस परीषह हैं।

Anvayartha: [kshutpipasashitoshnadamshamashakanagnyaratistricaryanishadyashayyakroshavadhayacana'labharogatrinasparshamalasatkarapuraskaraprajna'jnanadarshanani] kshudha, trisha, shita, ushna, damshamashaka, nagnya, arati, stri, carya, nishadya, shayya, akrosha, vadha, yacana, alabha, roga, trinasparsha, mala, satkarapuraskara, prajna, ajnana aura adarshana, ye baisa parishaha haim |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

The afflictions (parīṣaha) are described in this sūtra.

Hunger, etc., are the twenty-two kinds of afflictions or hardships. These have to be endured by the ascetic striving after liberation.

The saint who fails to obtain pure food or the required quantity of food, and whose torment of hunger is not dispelled, does not seek food in improper places and at improper times. He does not tolerate neglect of his essential duties even to a small extent and is ever enthusiastic in study and meditation. He has practised, on his own as well as due to circumstances, fasting and eating less than his fill on several occasions. He takes only tasteless food. His throat is dry like the red-hot vessel on which a few drops of water have been poured. Even when the ascetic is extremely hungry, he feels that not obtaining the gift of food is more beneficial than obtaining it. The ascetic thus conquers the torment of hunger–kṣudhāparīṣahajaya.

The ascetic has given up bathing, immersing himself in water and sprinkling his body with water. Like the bird, he has no fixed resting place and abode. He may at times be tormented by parching thirst, owing to various reasons such as unsuitable food (saltish, oily or astringent food), heat of the summer, bilious fever, fasting, and so on. Even then he does not seek remedy, but extinguishes this flame of the fire of thirst by the cool and fragrant water of his meditation kept in the fresh, earthenware pot of fortitude. Such patient endurance of thirst–tṛṣāparīṣahajaya–is to be extolled.

Without garments on his body, the ascetic lives, like the bird, in uncertain places such as on rocks and underneath trees. And when he is beset by extremely cold wind or suffers from frost, he does not think of remedies enjoyed by him formerly, but dwells in the inner apartment of the house of knowledge. His endurance of cold–śītaparīṣahajaya–is praiseworthy.

In summer, the forest has no breeze, no water, and the trees become shadowless as their leaves fall off due to scorching heat of the sun. Still, the ascetic enters the woods and suffers from thirst because of internal causes, such as fasting. Owing to forest-conflagration, scorching wind and oppressive heat of the sun, his throat and palate become parched. Still he does not think of remedies experienced by him formerly on several occasions. He is keenly intent on avoiding injury to living beings and safeguarding his conduct. This is described as endurance of heat–uṣṇaparīṣahajaya.

Here the word ‘daṃśamaśaka’–mosquito-bite–is a synecdoche. For instance, ‘Let the ghee be safeguarded from crows.’ Here the word ‘crows’ implies all those birds which can damage the ghee. Similarly, ‘mosquitoes’ imply all kinds of insects such as bees, gnats, small bees, bugs, maggots, ants and scorpions. The ascetic endures pain caused by the biting of such insects without thinking of harming them. His only mantle is the determination to attain emancipation. This is called patient endurance of insect-bites–daṃśamaśakaparīṣahajaya.

The saint embraces nakedness like that of the newborn child. His nakedness is free from stigma. It is extremely difficult to adopt this form. This form frees him from the evils of begging, safeguarding, injury, etc. The saint adopting this form is free from attachment; it is the sole cause of attaining emancipation. The mind of the saint embracing nakedness is free from the excitement of passions and agitation. As he safeguards his celibacy perfectly, his endurance of nakedness–nāgnyaparīṣahajaya–is blameless.

The ascetic is indifferent to pleasures of the senses. He stays in vacant houses, temples, tree-hollows, or in mountain-caves–places devoid of singing, dancing, instrumental music, etc. He is immersed in, and derives pleasure from, study and meditation. His heart is closed to the thoughts of worldly pleasures witnessed, heard of, and experienced formerly, and stories concerning worldly pleasures. His heart is insulated well against Cupid’s arrows. He always evinces compassion for the living. He must be understood to have conquered dissatis-faction arising from the absence of pleasures–aratiparīṣahajaya.

In the presence of lovely, intoxicated women in the bloom of youth, the ascetic residing in lonely bowers, houses, etc., is free from agitation or excitement, even upon being disturbed by them. Similarly, he subdues agitation of his senses and his mind, like the tortoise protected by his shell. And the smile, charming talk, amorous glances and laughter, lustful slow movement of women and the arrows of Cupid have no effect on him. This must be understood as the conquest of the disturbance caused by woman–strīparīṣahajaya.

Someone has led long celibate life, residing in the habitation of his master. He has learnt the truth about bondage and liberation. He moves from place to place as a worthy recipient of food for the sake of his body, the seat of self-restraint (saṃyama). As initiated by his master, he practises detachment like the wind. His body has become weak due to frequent fasting, taking less food, limiting the articles of food, giving up stimulating food, etc. He does not roam in directions opposed to his regulations with regard to place and time and which may cause breach of self-restraint. While roaming he wears no shoes and hence his soles are pricked by thorns, sharp stones, etc., causing him pain. Still, he does not think of conveyance, etc., used by him on former occasions. He practises to perfection the daily duties of the ascetic. This must be understood as the endurance of the affliction of roaming–caryāparīṣahajaya.

The ascetic chooses an utterly lonely place, untrodden earlier, like a burial ground, a garden, a vacant house, a mountain cave, or an arbour, examines it carefully with the aid of sunlight and his senses, and adopts, for self-discipline, a definite posture, for a definite time. The roaring of wild animals such as the lion or the tiger does not engender fear in him. The troubles caused by others are unable to swerve him from the path to liberation. His body does not change the posture, such as the vīrāsana or the utkuṭikā, which he had adopted. This is ascertained as conquest of the discomfort of posture– niṣadyāparīṣahajaya.

When the body of the ascetic gets exhausted by prolonged study or meditation or walking, he goes to sleep on hard, uneven ground, abounding in pebbles and fragments of broken jars, very cold or very hot, for a few minutes. He stretches his body on one side like a stick. For the sake of avoiding injury to the living organisms, he remains still, without changing side, like the fallen tree or the dead body. He contemplates constantly on knowledge and does not move his body even when tormented by evil spirits. Thus he overcomes the discomfort caused by uncomfortable couch–śayyāparīṣahajaya–for an indefinite time.

The saint pays no attention to the harsh, uncivil and vulgar words of persons of perverted attitude betokening censure and contempt; words which can easily provoke the flame of anger. Though he is in a position to instantly counter such evil-doers, he remains unperturbed. He thinks that the spoken words are due to fruition of sinful karmas; he remains intent on practising austerities and does not make room for even the slightest passion (kaṣāya). He thus overcomes reproach–ākrośaparīṣahajaya.

On being beaten and tormented by wicked men with sharp swords, maces, pestles, etc., the ascetic does not entertain ill-feelings against them. He thinks, ‘This is due to my former evil deeds. What can these wretched people do to me? The body is transient like the bubble and is the cause of misery. These people can harm only my transient body, and not my lasting faith, knowledge and conduct.’ Reflecting in this manner the ascetic considers the cutting of his body by an adze or the application of sandalwood paste as equal. He thus overcomes the injury done to him–vadhaparīṣahajaya.

As the ascetic is absorbed in practising internal and external austerities, his body is emaciated, and he looks a mere skeleton. Like the dried-up tree without strength or shade due to the extreme heat of the sun, the physical frame of the ascetic is a mere assemblage of skin, bones and arteries. Even on the point of death, he does not meanly and piteously, by words, facial expression or gesture, beg for food, habitation, medicine, etc. Even at the time set for soliciting food, he is difficult to be seen like the flash of lightning. This is endurance of the affliction of solicitation–yācanāparīṣahajaya.

Like the wind the ascetic is not attached to anything. He goes from place to place and takes food only once a day. He observes complete silence or regulation of speech (bhāṣāsamiti). He displays his form only once. He takes food from his hands. The feeling of disgust does not enter his mind even on not getting food for several days and in several homes. He has no interest in testing the merits of host. ‘Lack of gain is of greater virtue to me than gain.’ The ascetic who is contented in this manner conquers the lack of gain–alābhaparīṣahajaya.

The body is the repository of all kinds of impurities, transient and defenceless. The ascetic, therefore, does not entertain the thought or desire for the body, and does not adorn it. As the body is the means for acquiring the jewels of merit, and accumulating and safeguarding these, he accepts several kinds of useful food to keep the body intact, just as lubricating the axle of the wheel or application of ointment to a wound is indispensable. Sometimes, owing to unsuitable food and drink, he is afflicted with hundreds of diseases, such as gout, at the same time. He is not subjugated by these. He may even possess extraordinary powers of cure acquired by his austerities. Still he does not utilize these powers to get himself cured; he has no attachment towards the body. This is the conquest of the affliction of disease–rogaparīṣahajaya.

The word ‘tṛṇa’–a blade of grass–implies anything which causes pain. When dried blades of grass, hard pebbles, thorns, sharp stones, spears, etc., cause pain to the soles of the feet, the ascetic does not give his attention to it. He carefully avoids injury to minute organisms during walking, sitting and sleeping. This is the conquest of the affliction caused by blades of grass, etc.–tṛṇasparśādi parīṣahajaya.

The ascetic takes the vow of non-bathing until death for the sake of avoiding injury to water-bodied organisms. He perspires profusely in the extreme heat of the sun and particles of dust wafted by the wind adhere to his wet body. And even when itching prevails owing to scab, eczema or ringworm, he does not scratch or rub his body. He is engaged in cleansing the soul from the mire of karmic impurities which clog the soul with the pure water of right knowledge and conduct. And naturally he overcomes the discomfort or affliction caused by dirt–malaparīṣahajaya.

The word ‘satkāra’ means reverence and commendation. The word ‘puraskāra’ is giving the place of honour or offering welcome. ‘In these respects I am disregarded. I have practised celibacy for long and I am a great ascetic. I have clear knowledge of what it means to get established in own soul–svasamaya–and to wander in externalities–parasamaya. I have won over my disputants on several occasions. But I am not honoured with reverence, offer of a high seat, and so on, by anyone. The misbelievers, on the other hand, are seen to worship and honour persons with very little knowledge; treating them as all-knowing, they proclaim their false religion. It is said in the Scripture that deva worship the ascetic who performs great austerities. If this be true, why is it that I am not reverenced?’ The monk who avoids such thoughts overcomes the affliction caused by the absence of reverence and honour–satkārapuraskāraparīṣahajaya.

‘I am highly learned and well-versed in all branches of scriptural knowledge–aṅga, pūrva, and prakīrṇaka–and proficient in language, grammar, logic and spiritual science. Other learned men are insignificant in front of me, like the light of the fire-fly in front of the sun.’ The ascetic who is free from such pride in his learning overcomes the affliction caused by (conceit of) learning–prajñāparīṣahajaya.

‘I have to put up with such contemptuous remarks as, ‘he is stupid, dull-witted and ignorant like an animal’. Though I perform severe austerities and am free from negligence, still I have not acquired excellence in knowledge.’ The ascetic who avoids such thoughts overcomes the affliction caused by despair or uneasiness arising from ignorance–ajñānaparīṣahajaya.

‘My heart is pure with the attitude of supreme detachment. I am well-versed in the true knowledge of all the categories. I worship the great ones–the Arhat, the temple, the saint and the religion. Though I have been an ascetic for a pretty long time, I have not been able to attain remarkable knowledge. It is said in the Scripture that long fasting begets great things such as miraculous powers. But it does not appear to be true. So asceticism is useless. It is useless to observe vows.’ The ascetic who, out of his pure right belief, does not think in this manner conquers the affliction caused by lack of faith–adarśanaparīṣaha-jaya.

The ascetic, who endures these afflictions (parīṣaha) without evil thoughts, attains great stoppage (saṃvara) of karmas, as influx (āsrava) caused by attachment and aversion is obstructed.