1. Who is Āpta ?
The true deity is called Āpta.
2. Who is true Deity ?
Who is attachmentless, omniscient and a benevolent sermonizer, that very is the true deity.
3. Who is Veetragi ?
That great soul who is free from 18 faults, is called Veetragi or "Veteto nashto Rago yesham te Veetragah" ,i.e. whose attitude of attachment has destroyed, is called Veetraga.
4. Who is omniscient ?
The one who knows all the matter-substances of the world and their infinite modes of all the three times (Past, Present and Future) simultaneously, such Supreme Soul (Parmatma), is called omniscient.
5. What is called benevolent sermoniser / preacher ?
The one who is the leader of the path of salvation and instructs Bhavya Jeeva (i.e. who are worthy to attain salvation) for setling them on the path of salvation, that supreme soul, is the benevolent sermoniser.
6. How many Parmeshthi are Veetragi & Sarvagya ?
Two Parmeshthi - Arihant & Siddha are Veetragi and Sarvagya (omniscient).
7. Who is Hitopdeshi (benevolent sermoniser) Parmeshthi ?
The Arihanta Parmeshthi is the benevolent sermoniser.
8. Which are 18 faults not found in Veetragi ?
Acharya Samantbhadra has described 18 faults in verse 6 of Ratankrandak Shravkachar, thus - arruyTHIRISH, 4-4-richte :
क्षुत्पिपासाजरातंक, जन्मान्तकभयस्मयाः॥
न राग-द्वेष-मोहाश्च, यस्याप्तः स प्रकीत्र्यते॥
hunger, thirst, old age, disease, birth, death, fear, pride, attachment-aversion, delusion/infatuation, anxiety, disliking astonishment, sleep, sorrow, grief (distress) and sweat, these 18 faults are not found in Arihanta Parmeshthi.
9. Some regard that the omniscients take morsel food due to which they remain restored to life (live alive) for one Purva Koti years ?
The omniscient never takes morsel food like worldly beings, to regard him taking morsel food is the cause of binding of false belief. To regard them as taker of morsel food then existence / occurence of hunger and thirst, etc. has to be accepted due to which faults of hunger-thirst ,etc. would arise and the virtue of attachmentlessness will disapear, hence they also can not be said as omniscient.
10. Prove that omniscients do not take morsel food ?
The omniscient can not be a taker of morsel food this fact can be proved as following -
- The tendency of hunger is felt due to rise of Vedniya Karma (Karma causing the feeling of pain & pleasure, and the fruit of Vedniya Karma is gained with the association of Mohniya Karma (deluding Karma) and due to non-existence of Mohniya Karma, the omniscient, precisely does not feel hunger at all.
- The instinctive desire for food (Ahar Sanjñā) remains up to 6th stage of spiritual development (Gunasthan) and the activity of taking food also remains in the 7th stage of development, hence there is not instinctive desire for food but the activity of taking food does exist but the Omniscient possesses thirteenth Gunasthan, hence they not take morsel food.
- The Omniscient is possessed of omniscience due to which all the auspicious-inauspicious matter-substance are clearly coming into his vision, hence due to seeing of inauspicious matter-substance there will be context of food obstacle (Antrai). When ordinary Shravaka also observe food obstacle on seeing inauspicious matters then the Omniscient may not observe, is not possible. (R.K.S., 6 Teeka)
- Infinite immobile /static living beings and innumerable mobile beings are filled in our body, they take food present in our body due to which our body used to become constantly feeble and weak. We have to take food necessarily for making good that deficiency. Not anyJeeva whatsoever is found in the body of the Omniscient Lord, hence they do not need any type of morsel food.
11. How the body of the Omniscient remains steady for some less one Purva Koti without food ?
Through Nokarmahar (taking of matter-particle). Due to his pure thought activities pure matter-particles molecules (Pudgal Vargnayen) used to constantly come near him which are helpful in maintaining his gross body.
12. The Omniscient takes food of matter-particles which sustain the gross body then how many types of food are there and which kind of food they take ?
The intake of food are of six kinds -
- Nokarmahar (Taking of Nokarma Vargna - of the Omniscient
- Karmahar (Taking of Karmic matter ) - of infernal beings
- Kavlahar (Mouthful morsel) - of human beings & Tiryanchas (Kaval, i.e. morsel)
- Lepahar (Smearing food) - of vegetables etc.
- Oja (Teja) Ahar (Warmth food) - found in bird's eggs
- Mansika Ahar (Mental food) - of celestial beings (Ratankarandak Shravakachar, Commentary of 6 special meaning)
13. Tell the synonymous names of Apta ?
Parmeshthi (Divinity), Paramjyoti, Veetrag, Vimal, Kritee, Anadimadhyant, Sãrva, Shastă, Ardhanarishwar and Jagannath ,etc.
14. Tell the names of Navdevta (Nine reverential and supreme souls & objects)?
Arihanta (Omniscient), Siddha (Liberated souls), Acharya (the preceptor head), Upādhyāya (scriptural teacher), Sadhoo (Ascetics), Jindharam (Jain religion), Jinagam (Jain scriptures), Jina Chaitya (Jina idol) and Jina Chaityalaya (Jina Temples).
15. Why the Acharya, Upadhyâya and Sadhoo are called Deva ?
The Acharya, Upādhyāya and Sadhoo assume the nude posture like omniscient and possess maximum scriptural knowledge whatever remained after the Omniscient, hence they are also Deva (Deity), because the right faith, right knowledge and right conduct with which the Omniscient in endowed the partial purity of that gems-trio is also found in them and precisely they are means of stoppage of Karma, dissociation of Karma and of salvation, hence like the Omniscient all the three are partially faultless. They are adept of the path of salvation and are preachers of religion, are worshippable, hence they are also called Deva.
16. Some person say that there is no existence of the Sarvagya at all because they are not seen, what is its solution ?
If you say that there is no existence of the Sarvagya, then I ask, where Sarvagya does not exist ? Whether He does not exist in this region and in this period or in all the three worlds or in all the three times (Past, Present & Future) ? if you say that the Sarvagya does not exist in this region (i.e. continents known till today) and in this period, then I accept it. If you say that He does not exist in all the three worlds and in all the three times then please tell how you know and see it ? If you have known the absence of Sarvagya in all the three worlds and in all the three time, then you yourselve became Sarvagya because the Sarvagya is that who knows all the three worlds and all the three times, and if you have not seen/known all the three worlds and all the three times without the existence ofSarvagya, then how can you say that there is no Sarvagya in all the three worlds and in all the three times. Thus it is proved that non-acceptence by you of the existence of the Sarvagya is not appropriate.
Transformation of very subtle atom, etc. (matter particle), with regard to time distantly placed, Ram-Ravan ,etc. and distantly situated Sumeru mountain ,etc. are certainly perceptible to some one or the other because they are conjectural for example fire,etc. matter-substances are objects of conjecture and certainly thy are also perceptible to some one or the other. Similarly the Sarvagya decisively exists. Hence, the existence of the Sarvagya is proved. The Vedanti (well-versed in Vedic knowledge) and Buddhists have also accepted the existence of the Sarvagya.
17. What are the essential properties of true scripture ?
Only scripture revealed by the Omniscient Lord and assumed / grasped by the Gandharas, the possessor of supernatural power of preponderant intellect and written by the Acharya, Upadhyaya and Sadhu are called true scriptures.
18. What is the appearance/form of the true Guru?
According to the verse 10of Ratankarandak Shravakachar, the appearance of the true Guru is as follows:-
विषयाशावशातीतो निरारम्भोऽपरिग्रहः ॥
ज्ञानध्यान तपोरक्तस्तपस्वी स प्रशस्यते ॥
Meaning - Who is not subjugated to sensual enjoyment of five sense, is free from commencement involving violence and possessions, remains engrossed in knowledge, meditation and penance, he only is the laudable true Guru.
19. What is the meaning of the word Guru ?
The word Guru means great. The teacher is called Guru in the world, father-mother are also called Guru but in the case of religion, the Acharya, Upãdhyāya and Sadhu are called Guru because they show the true path of beneficence through their preaching or by only causing the living being to have the view of their (of the Guru) life-style without exhorting, getting which the being becomes gratified and happy for ever.
20. What is the main characteristic of the Sadhu ?
According to the ballad no. 241 of Pravachansar, the main characterstic of the Sadhu is as
समसतुबंधुवग्गो समसुहदुक्खो पसंसणिदसमो।
समलोट्टकंचणो पुण जीवितमरणेसमो समणो॥
Meaning - Who keeps enemy and kith and kins at par, to whom pleasure and pain are alike, who keeps equanimity between praise and slandering, for whom there is no difference between stone and gold, i.e. both are equally valueless for him, who keeps equanimity beetween life and death, that is Shraman (Sadhu).
21. What are other many general attributes / virtues of Sadhoo ?
Many general virtues of the Sadhu have been narrated in Shri Dhavlaji, Book 1, thus :
सीह-गय-वसह-मिय-पसु-मारुद-सूरुवहिं मंदरिंदु-मणी।
खिदि-उरगंबर-सरिसा परम-पय-विमग्गया साहू॥
Meaning - Valiant like lion, selfrespecting like elephant, of polite and considerate nature like ox, straightforward like the deer, innocence and indifferent tendency in taking food like the cow, moving all alone without any hitch or hinderence like the air, brilliant like the sun or illuminator of all the elements (realities), profound like the ocean, firm and unshaken like mountain, tranquillizing like the moon, radiant like the jewel, enduring all the obstacles and difficulties like the earth, living in indefinite (not fixed) staying places like the snake, not expecting/remaining without any support like the sky, detached and remaining engaged in the investigation of the supreme position (Parampada) for all the time, are Sadhu.
