The Jaina, though they do not know of any dynamic power such as would give a man strength to keep his promises, nevertheless firmly believe in the helpfulness of taking vows.[1] Through these, they say, a man is aided towards keeping the third jewel, that of Right Conduct, and by failing to take them he acquires karma from which they might have saved him.
We have seen that it is only after he has made some progress in the upward path that a man wishes to take these vows,[2] though after a certain time he is able to keep the spirit of the vows without needing to renew the vows themselves. Not only must the candidate have reached the fifth step, but he must also have attained to firm faith in a true Tīrthaṅkara, true guru, and true religion.
Pañċa Atiċāra.Further, he cannot take any vow unless he has first renounced five faults (Pañċa Atiċāra) and so has no doubts (Śaṅkā); no desire to belong to another faith (Kāṅkhā); no questioning about the reality of the fruits of karma (Vitigiċċhā); undertakes not to praise hypocrites (Parapākhaṇḍa paraśaṁsā); and not to associate with them (Parapākhaṇḍa santhana).
The five Anuvrata.i. Prāṇātipāta viramaṇa vrata.If all these conditions be fulfilled, the man may take the first vow (Prāṇātipāta viramaṇa vrata), promising never intentionally to destroy a jīva that has more than one sense. This vow would not prevent a king leading an army- ↑ Other Indians also believe strongly in the virtue of the Jaina vows. It is said, for instance, that the mother of Mr. Gāndhī, the South African leader, though herself a Vaiṣṇava, persuaded her son before he left Rājkot for England to vow in front of Pūjya Beċarajī, a famous Jaina sādhu, that he would abstain from wine, flesh and women.
- ↑ See p. 187.
