Ashta Pahuda

Acharya Kund kund  

Courtesy of  Jain Mission Information

VII. Insignia (Linga)

1. Bowing to the Arhantas and Siddhas, I will speak briefly of the insignia of holy recluses (Sramanas) in this book.

2. From religion in-signia follows; insignia by themselves cannot give one religion; know mental attitude to be religion; what can insignia accomplish?

3. The man who, adopting the insignia of the great Jina, is attached to sin, exposes the insignia to ridicule; his insignia are like those of the (mischievous) Narada.

4. One who assuming (a saint's) form dances, signs and plays on musical instruments is a beast and not a saint (Sramana). 

5. One who collects and guards property with great resourcefulness and painstaking is perverted by sin; a beast and not a holy man.

6. The man of holy insignia, full of pride and always busy in quarreling, wrangling, and gambling goes to hell; he commits sin in holy disguise.

7. The man who, deprived of his true character by sin, indulges in unchastity in holy disguise is deluded by sin and wanders about in the wilderness of mundane existence.

8. If faith, knowledge and conduct are not cultivated with insignia and only painful craving entertained, one is doomed to endless mundane existence.

9. The man of insignia gifted with faith, knowledge and right conduct and established in austerity, a moral life and prescribed daily routine but with feelings of pain, goes to hell.

10. The man who eats tasty food with greed and indulges in sensual gratification is a hypocrite, a disgrace to insignia; he is a beast and not a holy man.

11. He who helps in marriages, cultivation, business, and sanguinary occupations goes to hell; he commits sin in holy disguise. 

12. The man of insignia who eggs on thieves and liars to fight and dispute to gratify his evil passions and gambles with dice etc. goes to hell.

13. The recluse who runs for food and quarrels when eating it or talks (ill) of others, does not follow the Jina's path.

14. The recluse who, adopting the Jina's insignia, takes things unoffered speaks ill of others or finds faults with them in their absence is like a thief.

15. One who, adopting holy insignia and professing caution of movement, jumps up, falls, runs or digs into the earth is a beast, not a holy man.

16. One who understands (the theory of) bondage perfectly and destroys crops, digs up earth or frequently cuts down trees is a beast and not a holy man.

17. One who is always making love to womenfolk and puts and blame on others is devoid of faith and knowledge; a beast and not a holy man.

18. One who, devoid of true renunciation, feels a great deal of affection for house-holders and disciples, lacks (propriety of) conduct; is a beast and not holy man.

19. With such activities, a recluse though always living among saints and possessed of great learning is one with a lost soul, not a holy man.

20. One who, winning the confidence of womenfolk, imparts instruction to them in faith, knowledge and conduct is also verily fallen and degraded; one with soul lost, not a holy man.

21. He who always takes food at the house of a flirt, flatters her and nourishes his body acquires a childish nature; a lost soul, not a holy man.

22. Thus has been stated Linga Pahuda as preached by all the Enlightened ones; who-ever follows it assiduously reaches the highest status.