''Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya'' is a major
Jain text authored by
Amritchandra. Acharya Amritchandra was a
Digambara monk
A Digambara monk or Digambara Sādhu (also ''muni'', ''sādhu'') is a Sādhu in the Digambar tradition of Jainism, and as such an occupant of the highest limb of the four-fold ''sangha''. Digambar Sādhus have 28 primary attributes which inc ...
who lived in the tenth century (
Vikram Samvat). ''Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya'' deals with the conduct of householder (''
śrāvaka
Śrāvaka (Sanskrit) or Sāvaka (Pali) means "hearer" or, more generally, "disciple". This term is used in Buddhism and Jainism. In Jainism, a śrāvaka is any lay Jain so the term śrāvaka has been used for the Jain community itself (for exampl ...
'') in detail. Another major
Jain text that deals with householder's conduct is ''
Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra''. ''Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya'' also deals extensively with the Jain concept of
ahiṃsā
(, IAST: , ) is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to actions towards all living beings. It is a key virtue in Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism.
(also spelled Ahinsa) is one of the cardinal vi ...
.
Content
Like in all Jain texts, the first verse (''
śloka
Shloka or śloka ( , from the root , Macdonell, Arthur A., ''A Sanskrit Grammar for Students'', Appendix II, p. 232 (Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1927).) in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is "any verse or stan ...
'') of ''Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya'' is an invocation:
''Ahimsā''
''Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya'' deals extensively with the Jain concept of ''
ahimsā'' (refraining from causing harm) particularly in reference to its observance as a minor vow (''anuvrata'') by the ''śrāvaka''. In Verse 43, deliberate ''himsā'' (causing harm) is defined as "harm caused to physical or psychical vitalities when acting under the influence of passions" (verse 43). Amritchandra then elaborates on the observances that help the householder in abiding by his minor vow of ''ahimsā''.
Eleven verses (79-89), cautions the householder regarding certain misconstrued notions that people put forward to justify their acts of ''himsā''.
See also
* ''
Tattvartha Sutra
''Tattvārthasūtra'', meaning "On the Nature 'artha''of Reality 'tattva'' (also known as ''Tattvarth-adhigama-sutra'' or ''Moksha-shastra'') is an ancient Jain text written by ''Acharya (Jainism), Acharya'' Umaswami in Sanskrit betwee ...
''
Notes
References
*
*
Jain texts
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