The equanimity soul, who tortures
his body in various ways in the hope of getting happiness in this world
and the other world, performs the unblemished penance. In order to attain
this virtue of austerity the monks perform penance on the riverbanks in
extreme winter; on the mountain peaks in the scorching summer heat and
under a tree in heavy down pour in the rainy season. So long as we don't
let our body pass through severe penance well performed, this body will
not prove helpful in annihilating the karmas attached to our soul.
Iron has to pass through many ordeals under heating process, before it can
be finally molded into different shapes and sizes to manufacture precious
implements and other objects. Likewise only the living being, who
mortifies his body through various types of penance and tortures, attains
the invaluable and invisible three -fold jewels of Right faith, Right
knowledge and Right conduct, all of which lie dormant in the human body.
Rightly has it been questioned: 'Has not being purged in fire gold wrought
a crown?'
Self-torture or mortification of
self is undoubtedly the surest way of purging both body and soul."
"Penance
vanquishes karmas and annihilates all sins. What to speak of
obtaining ordinary things as royal happiness and the high rank of Indra,
the mundane soul can attain even Godly hood by penance. Human life is
futile without penance?" - Lokantic Deva (Vardhman
Puran, pg. 68)
The penance performed in a perfect
way alone is real penance. Only such penance can be helpful to the monks
to attain salvation - Moksha. Any other penance contrary to it is Bal
tapa (ignorant penance). This ignorant penance is the cause of
migration in the world. Acharya Kundkund Swami states the
characteristics of 'Bal Tapa' in Samaysaau as follows;
Parmathmimhi du athido jo kunrdi
tavam band ch dharyadi
Tam sacham baltavam balvandam
vinti savanrhu
Samaysar gatha 152
The omniscient lord has termed all
such penance and observance of vows that a living being attached to the
worldly allurements performs, as 'Bal Tapa' or Bal Vrata
(ignorant vow). The bodily torture and observance of vows deceitfully for
pubic show; that which cannot prove helpful in treading the path of
liberation i.e., salvation due to wrong belief is Bal Tapa
(ignorant penance). Because such penance does not become helpful in
relieving the soul from karmas, rather it becomes the cause of the
bondage of soul by karmas.
Penance has been regarded a part
and parcel of self- restraint. Those who adore moral conduct i.e., self-
restraint, as a rule adore penance as well; and those who worship penance
inevitably get the benefit of character worship. Penance is performed by
the observation of vows discarding indolence and passions; and through
study of scriptures and by meditation. It has been said:
"Svadhyaya parmam tap"
On this ground also penance implies
character. Hence, all the penances are included in character worship. A
full and perfect dedication to the thirteen types of characters is
self-restraint. This self-restraint is achieved only when one is made
purified by external and internal penance, otherwise not. Therefore, on
account of being purified by external and internal penance, self-restraint
has been counted as part of penance. The self-restrained wise monks, after
proper deliberation over all the six things, e.g. matter (dravya),
age (kal), place (kshetra), thoughts (bhav), power (bal),
and virility (virya), should engage themselves in penance in
different posture, viz. Sarvasan, Vidhasan, and Suddhasan; in order
to enjoy the bliss of perfect good health and real self. A man should not
aspire for worldly rewards in exchange for the above said penances while
performing them. In the performing of penances it is essential to be
indifferent to their results. Indeed, to practice life long penance is as
difficult as to walk on the edge of sword.
Penance has been assigned an
insignificant place in this 'Pancham Kala' i.e., materialistic age.
While telling the interpretation of the dreams of the sovereign king
Bharat, Lord Rishabh Deva said, "The sight of a horse with bent back due
to being over loaded with a burden fit to be carried by an elephant
indicates that in the 'Pancham Kala' (materialistic age) the monks
will not be capable to adhere to all the characteristics of penance." Due
to this very reason declaring the study of scriptures as the superb type
of penance, the Lord emphasized the study of scriptures both by monks and
householders.
We should know that one, who does
not perform penance or practice austerities in life to one's utmost power,
deceives one's real self. Besides, all powers of such a man lie dormant.
By being engrossed in worldly pleasures a living being is held by the
shackles of severe bondage of sins due to the influx of evil karmas
which bring him untold misery and bitter agonies in the several births to
come.
If a living being performs penance
within his power, he reaps its fruits beyond imagination. Just as the high
temperature of a person's body scorched by the fierce rays of the sun
subsides by a shower bath, likewise penance works as a tranquilizer for
the noble souls burnt by the great worldly fire of passions. Penance
possesses the infinite power of undoing of the worldly miseries. The glory
of penance beggars description i.e., its significance is unlimited. He,
who does not perform penance observing as much self-restraint as possible,
is worthless like a straw.
The great poet Reidhu has described
the supreme virtue of austerity or penance as below:
Tam tau jhin parigahu chandijyi,
tam tau jhin Myrna ji
khandijyi
Tam tau jhin nrgtnru disei tam
tau jhin gir kandri nrivsyi
Tam tau jhin uvsagg sahijyi tam
tau jhin rayain jinrijyi
Tam tau bhivkhyi munrijyi savay
gaih kalinrivam sijyi
Tam tau jath samidi paripalnru
tam tau gutityam nrihalnru
Tam tau janhi apaparu bujhiu tam
tau jhin bhav manru ji ujhayu
Tam tau jhin sasruv munrijau,
tam tau jhin kamaham gnru khijyi
Tam tau jhin sur mati pyasyi,
pvynrth bhaviynrham pabhasyi
Jainr tavain kaivlu upjyi sasye
sukhu nrich sampjyi
Varah vihu tau viru gugyi
pariharu, tam pujyi thir ganrinra
Machhru mau chhandivi karnryim
dandivi, tam vi dharijyi gau ravinra
1. He who has abstained himself
from greed or worldly possessions; who has got rid of mental impurities;
who has adopted nude monkshood; who resides in mountain caves, observes
the supreme penance.
2. Penance is that in which
calamities are suffered without murmur; that in which feelings of
attachment are conquered and that in which food is accepted as alms at an
appropriate time from the householders.
3. Penance is that in, which the
five samities - regulation of the movements of the body are
observed. That in which full attention is paid to the three Guptis -
regulation for self- control. That in, which a man ponders and meditates
over his self and non-self; and that in, which a man sheds the feeling of
vanity in his present state of birth.
4. Penance is that in, which a man
ponders over the purpose of his real life; that in which the karmas
are vanquished; that in which the Gods give expression to their devotion;
and that in which the sermons are delivered for the well-being of mundane
souls.
5. Penance is that by the
performance of which, as a rule one attains salvation and obtains eternal
bliss.
6. These are the twelve types of
supreme penance. Penance rids one of a miserable state of existence. We
should pay homage to it with a stable mind; and discarding vanity and
malice with full pride, the living beings should subjugate all the five
senses.
Hence, O Mortal Man! 'Mortify
yourself, mortify yourself and mortify yourself. Give up the feeling of
tenderness for the body. Conquer desires and then you will realize that
you have conquered all sorrow and misery; cut off all types of
attachments, suppress hatred, and thus you will be happy in this worldly
existence and reap a rich spiritual harvest.'
'Self-torture is not a curse, but a
boon and a way to eternal peace.' Indeed, sweet are the uses of penance
i.e., self-torture.
To sum up, penance teaches us to
surmount hardships and difficulties willingly and cheerfully. In truth,
difficulties, which are part and parcel of penance, are the ladders that
lead us to heaven.
Be there thorns or flowers
What difference
they make for soul;
Be it a palace or
a cottage
They shelter the
body not soul;
Be it a clod of clay or gold
The real wealth
lies in soul;
Who can excel a
person?
Enlightened is
whose soul?
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