13.The Unprecedented Current of the “Samyaktava” (Right Belief)

Chapter -13

The Unprecedented Current of the“Samyaktava” (Right Belief)
> There is nothing as virtuous for all beings as samyaktava -in all the three cosmos (i.e., Universe-Upper, Middle and Lower) and in all three ages (i.e., Past, Present and Fu­ture) and there is nothing as inauspicious as wrong faith.

> The wealth of samyaktava is imperishable and novel.

> Nothing is greater than it in the past, present and future.

> A wretched map too with samyaktava is a divine person.

> Just as a cinder, though covered with ashes, has bright­ness and light, the wealth of samyaktava exists.

> Samyaktava prevents sins while other earthly riches/pas- sions invite “karma” of sins.

> Grandeur, prosperity, glory, prestige, etc have no mean­ing for a man who is equipped with the Samyaktava (be­cause an owner of Samyaktava is spiritually the wealthi­est and the happiest person in the world.)

> A man having positions, prestige, wealth, etc but devoid of the wealth of samyaktava can neither attain desired success in life nor can that life be regarded as purposeful.

> Samyaktava is auspiciousness of life.

> Wrong faith is darkness, inauspicious and ominous.

> The souls that are pure and filled with samyaktava are not subject to poverty, defamation, physical disability, short-span of life and do not suffer the pangs of hell or of “Tiryancha-Gati” (sub-human organic class) even if they are vow-less devout souls.

Chaturmas of Achharya Shri was fixed in a Jain-Vari in Karnataka province. Achharya Shri felt that Jains of that place were fullv submerged in wrong faith. So. he resolved that he would not take food in the house of a shravak who worships false deities. Achharya Shri transformed hearts of people by his unique flow of preaching of samyaktava. People expressed their steadfast faith in Guru’s words and expiated their mistakes abandoning the wrong faith; they collected the idols of false deities in a cart and drowned them in the river.

The king was so impressed with the great holy conduct of Achharya Shri that he often visited him, but he did not like the deities’ idols being immersed in river in this way.

One day he reached Achharya Shri and expressed his con­cern over it. Achharya Shri psychologically convinced him in a very good manner. He told “Oh king! Do you establish idols of Ganpati in the month of ‘Bhadrapad’? You also worship them and perform devotions and lArti\ and after ten days of ceremony what do you do on the holy day of ‘Anant-Chaturdashi’? The king replied, “These are consigned to pure water of a river, pond or a lake.” Maharaj Shri asked, “Why do you consign them to water when you worshipped them with such devotion?” “Because their time of festival is over”, the king replied.

“Then after this, whom do you worship? The same Bhagwan Ram, Hanuman, etc. Similarly, the task of worshiping them was over with the arrival of Jain Guru. Hence it was our virtuous duty to consign them to water. Now they worship Tirthankaras and Arihantas, the omni scent Lords, the master of infinite knowledge.”

Thus the doubt of the king was cleared. Achharya Shri preached with an ethical quote - it is natural for the stars to dis­appear with the rising of the sun of samyaktava. Is the path vis­ible in darkness in the dim light of stars? It requires silvery rays of moonlight or golden light of the sun for the road to be clearly seen. The samyaktava fills our heart with right faith and the light of self-confidence. The false faith is darkness. Digambar monks, preceptors or Digambar Achharyas are the torch bearer Saints who show us right direction to the samyaktava and present us the key of self-analysis/introspection for our welfare.