It is a pity for a person to move without a torch in the dark, but it is more pitiable if he does not know how to use a torch. In the same way, in this dark world, a person who does not have an understanding of religion or is full of ignorance deserves certain mercy, but a person who wanders in darkness due to lack of religious conduct despite having knowledge of religion is more pitiable.
There are four main motions of living beings 1) Motion towards hell (NARAKIGATI) 2) motion towards animal kingdom (TIRYANCHAGATI) 3) Motion towards human vagina (MANUSHYAGATI) and 4) Motion towards divinity (DEVAGATI).
Noble motion (SADGATI) means the movement of the impure soul towards the pure soul, that is, the abandonment of the material happiness of the world and the advancement towards spiritual happiness. Noble motion (SADGATI) is primarily achieved through deep sensible hard-work. In fact, money, position, prestige, etc. are subject to fate or destiny. While the attainment of Dharma and salvation i.e. SADGATI is subject to deep sensible efforts. But we do the opposite. We leave religion and righteousness to fate and run after money and desires. That is, where there is no need for efforts, we do hard-work and where deep sensible efforts are needed, we leave it to God. Karma is the root cause of all dependence in life. Even if the thought of life after death does not understood that means that the basic truth of religion is not yet enters in the heart. The wise need religion from birth. Fools don’t need religion. Anger-like iniquity and hateful iniquity and compassionate iniquity are responsible for all the excessive and incessant sufferings in our lives which are obstacles in our journey of SADGATI. There are six main reasons for noble motion or SADGATI. A person who wants relief in life must understand all these reasons and make a real effort.
1) AKAMANIRJARA – NIRJARA means to be free from bound karmas and AKAAM means that there should be no feeling of infatuation or hatred at the time of NIRJARA. NIRJARA is SAKAAM when it is with desire. The soul that endures such suffering without complication, without intense feelings of hatred, in peace, is called AKAMANIRJARA. Examples of AKAMANIRJARA are to endure great hardships with coolness or in peace, to blame one’s own deeds while suffering, not to blame others, not to condemn them, not to criticize anyone etc. The soul that suffers everything with full of patience and coolness builds AKAMANIRJARA virtue, which leads it to SADGATI. Even if you are completely right, you are being treated unfairly and you do not commit any bad deeds such as revenge, cursing, slandering, etc. without any complaint or dissatisfaction. It is called AKAMANIRJARA which is a great virtue. Yes, it is important to remember that it is Dharma to help others when injustice is done to them, but understanding the injustice done to oneself as a punishment for one’s own deeds is a noble cause of SADGATI. Not all sufferers do AKAMANIRJARA, but those who suffer peacefully without any wrong or bad reaction do AKAMANIRJARA. In short here there is nothing to lose in suffering only to gain. This is like making a profit of one thousand rupees against an investment of one hundred rupees. Grief comes in life for getting rid of uncompromising nature, harshness, relentlessness, which is essential for purification of mind, self-realization and attainment of God. The power of religion is greater than iniquity. We all know that even the deepest darkness has to accept defeat against a ray of light. Deep sensible hard-work for AKAMANIRJARA is indispensable to dispel the karmas that have been tied with us since past many ages.
2) Vices-free life – There are main six vices or evils which create many grief and pains in human life that is anger, lust (desires), greed, attachment, ego and jealousy. Continuous cycle of life and death with lots of grief, pains and disease is a stigma for the soul. Our nature is actually our creation. Changing such nature from within is the only true penance. It is in our hands to change the nature by slowing down the six such intense ailments connected with human life and the journey towards noble motion or SADGATI begins with the success of this work. It is not a matter of living by killing the mind but of conquering the mind. Seriousness, tolerance, nobility, etc. are the qualities that result from reducing vices. SADGATI is not built just by going to temple but by reducing vices or evils in jobs and business a human being can move further towards SADGATI. Also, the path of reducing vices is a little easier than AKAMANIRJARA.
3) SHUBH-LESHYA (auspicious aura) – We all know the cause of death is birth and the cause of birth is karma. A man with zero karma is not born and he who is not born does not die. The whole world is afraid by death but how many are bored or afraid by birth? Internal pains remain until birth. Suffering is also a sign of our iniquity or wrong karma. When sorrow comes, one should understand that it is result of our sins so that aura (LESHYA) becomes auspicious. Constantly living in noble thoughts, forgiving, having a whole hearted life, giving up, being easy, not cheating or betraying, not taking interest in unnecessary gossip etc. are auspicious which creates an excellent halo, in which sin becomes almost impossible and SADGATI becomes possible. The ladder of ups and downs of the world is such that one has to go up as much as one goes down, that is, if one wants happiness, one has to suffer. If you have suffered a lot due to lack of money, then when you get it, you will feel natural happiness, the higher the amount of pain, the greater the feeling of happiness. But in reality due to ignorance we do not understand it actually it is alike boiling for dressing that is deliberate burning for getting pleasure of ointment. The happiness of the physical world is just like the pleasure of dressing or ointment for which you have to burn first, the wound has to be healed first. Happiness of the physical world is not real and unless the importance of salvation is understood, how will you try to get it? The true nature of salvation is actually understood by auspicious aura that is SHUBH LESHYA. Just doing a few good deeds or following the few rules of nature once in a while does not bring good luck but continuous goodness, generosity is the only noble or auspicious thing, which is an important reason for good fortune. Often an ominous creature even if practicing Dharma (i.e. the motive behind the religion or the intension is bad), commits sin and the auspicious person get virtue even though he is committing sin. In short, it is nothing but the result of LESHYA means intension behind karma is important not physical karma. Me and my world, complete selfishness, the tendency to use or eat anything available for free, our negligence towards public property such as hospices, gardens, rivers and lakes, etc., is inauspicious which leads life to misery. In order to cultivate auspiciousness (SHUBHLESHYA), we have to constantly observe our instincts, remove the inauspicious and prepare the background of the auspicious. In short, it is sign of SHUBHLESHYA if you are not ashamed to express the reality about your own self, your attitude, your habit or instinct or your real state of mind among people. Hypocrisy that is to show different than the reality is destroyed our auspicious aura.
4) SHUBHA DHYANA – SHUBHA DHYANA means Dharma DHYANA or SHUKAL DHYANA means continuous remembrance of God, compassion, donation or charity, devotion, penance, Yoga, reading of scriptures, SATSANG, meditation and NIDDHIDHYANASANA etc. are tools to purify the mind, which makes SADGATI or noble progress easier, There are four types of meditation, 1) ARTDHYANA 2) RAUDRADHYANA 3) Dharma DHYANA and 4) SHUKAL DHYANA. Meditation usually means concentration. When the mind concentrates on religion or good wishes that is welfare of whole society, it is called SHUKAL DHYANA. Meditation in anticipation of happiness is called ARTDHYANA. Making lifelong plans and planning for the future is also an example of ARTDHYANA. The thought or belief of duty or responsibility is also ARTDHYANA. If Dharma DHYANA is also done with the spirit of the worldly desires, it becomes ARTDHYANA. When the mind is concentrated on the thought of cruelty, agitation, impulse, violence, enjoying by the pain of other is called RAUDRADHYANA. ARTDHYANA means infatuation towards convenience and hatred towards adversity. Avoiding such ARTDHYANA, worshiping that is SHUBHDHYANA (Dharma DHYANA or SHUKAL DHYANA) is essential for SADGATI.
5) GUNASTHANAK – GUNASTHANAK is the place that produces qualities or virtues. The place from which virtues are obtained is the place of merit. Of all the reasons for SADGATI, this is the best one because in addition to SADGATI, there is also self-enrichment or enlightenment. All above parameters are guaranteed SADGATI, but self-improvement or enlightenment may or may not be possible. How can we take precautions if danger doesn’t appear? In this way both the merit (that is quality or virtues) and the place of merit (GUNASTHANAK) are different. A merit does not mean a place of merit. For example, gold and gold mines are two different things. GUNASTHANAK is the state of the soul that produces spiritual qualities like gems. That is, the place of origin of spiritual virtues is meritocracy which is the highway of salvation. There are many reasons for SADGATI, but the infallible remedy for salvation is the attainment of GUNASTHANAK. Thus GUNASTHANAK is the cause of both liberation and auspicious life progress. SADGATI means less pain and more happiness compared to misery while salvation means complete liberation from sorrows and attainment of uninterrupted bliss. The spiritual qualities normally generates when the thirst of it arise then after abstinence or asceticism achieved because the qualities of the soul do not arise without being alienated from the world, Just as darkness must be released for light. If we want light but not ready to leave darkness then how it becomes possible? Thus asceticism is a prerequisite for attaining spiritual qualities. Abstinence does not mean going to the cave of GIRNAR but just to leave everything from mind. There is a very long discussion of fourteen virtues in Jainism such virtues are an important reason for auspicious life progress that is SADGATI.
6) VIRATI from matter – VIRATI means to take break from evils, vices or sin means to cultivate restraint or control on senses. The vastness of VIRATI is only in the human world. High character is the abolition of sin. Only human beings can get omnipresent, that is why human vagina is considered rare because the worship of a higher religion requires not only physical strength but also mental strength. Such a special and powerful mind God has given only to human being that is not even received in divinity or DEVYONI. That is why the highest goal of SARVVIRATI should be achieved by every human being.
VIRATI occurs in two ways. 1) Abstinence from matter 2) Abstinence from feeling or emotions, abstinence from feelings is included in GUNASTHANAK as well as SHUBHLESHYA. In short, renunciation of sins means renunciation of evils. VIRATI is to cultivate restraint so that nothing becomes unworthy by thoughts, speech and deeds. There are two types of VIRATI 1) SARVAVIRATI – that is, renunciation of all kinds of sins 2) DESHAVIRATI means renunciation of sins in part and gradually getting rid of a few sins. The creature that follows DESHAVIRATI must attain human body (MANUSHYAYONI), while the one who follows the rules of SARVAVIRATI must attain divinity or DEVYONI as per the scriptures. All kinds of sins are bound due to absence of VIRATI (absence of restraint) as well as falsehood (to accept wrong as right and right as wrong) all our shortcomings remain intact, never change, never improve due to ignorance. Ignorance is the root cause of everything. So it is necessary to get rid of ignorance, without which these six causes of SADGATI cannot help in any way. Through the attainment of knowledge AKAMANIRJARA becomes possible, evils reduced, SHUBHLESHYA and SHUBHDHYANA are attained, the desire to attain virtues is awakened, self-realization becomes possible and by becoming free from unwholesome things through SERVAVIRATI.
I strongly believe that we all should focus and work harder on these six major reasons of auspicious life progress that is nothing but SADGATI. I hope everyone will get it soon.
Shilpa shah, director in-charge, HKBBA College
