Chapter 7: Vows

हिंसाऽनृतस्तेयाब्रह्मपरिग्रहेभ्यो विरतिर्व्रतम्

hiṃsā'nṛtasteyābrahmaparigrahebhyo viratirvratam

A vow (vrata) is turning away from violence, falsehood, stealing, unchastity and possessiveness.

देशसर्वतोऽणुमहती

deśasarvato'ṇumahatī

Partial abstention is the small vow (anuvrata); complete abstention is the great vow (mahavrata).

तत्स्थैर्यार्थं भावनाः पंच पंच

tatsthairyārthaṃ bhāvanāḥ paṃca paṃca

To make the vows steady, each has five supporting reflections (bhavana).

वाङ्मनोगुप्तीर्यादाननिक्षेपणसमित्यालोकितपानभोजनानि पंच

vāṅmanoguptīryādānanikṣepaṇasamityālokitapānabhojanāni paṃca

For non-violence: guarding speech, guarding the mind, care in walking, care in picking up and putting down things, and eating and drinking only after looking carefully.

क्रोधलोभभीरुत्वहास्यप्रत्याख्यानान्यनुवीचिभाषणं च पंच

krodhalobhabhīrutvahāsyapratyākhyānānyanuvīcibhāṣaṇaṃ ca paṃca

For truthfulness: giving up anger, greed, fear and joking, and speaking only after careful thought.

शून्यागारविमोचितावासपरोपरोधाकरणभैक्ष्यशुद्धिसद्धर्माविसंवादाः पञ्च

śūnyāgāravimocitāvāsaparoparodhākaraṇabhaikṣyaśuddhisaddharmāvisaṃvādāḥ pañca

For non-stealing: staying in empty places, staying in abandoned dwellings, not hindering others, purity in accepting alms, and not quarrelling with fellow followers over things.

स्त्रीरागकथाश्रवणतन्मनोहरांगनिरीक्षणपूर्वरतानुस्मरणवृष्येष्टरसस्वशरीरसंस्कारत्यागाः पञ्च

strīrāgakathāśravaṇatanmanoharāṃganirīkṣaṇapūrvaratānusmaraṇavṛṣyeṣṭarasasvaśarīrasaṃskāratyāgāḥ pañca

For chastity: giving up listening to stories that stir passion, gazing at attractive bodies, recalling past pleasures, rich stimulating food, and adorning one's own body.

मनोज्ञामनोज्ञेन्द्रियविषयरागद्वेषवर्जनानि पञ्च

manojñāmanojñendriyaviṣayarāgadveṣavarjanāni pañca

For non-possession: giving up attachment and aversion toward pleasant and unpleasant objects of the five senses.

हिंसादिष्विहामुत्रापायावद्यदर्शनम्

hiṃsādiṣvihāmutrāpāyāvadyadarśanam

One should reflect that violence and the other faults bring harm and disgrace in this life and the next.

दुःखमेव वा

duḥkhameva vā

Or one should see them as nothing but suffering.

मैत्रीप्रमोदकारुण्यमाध्यस्थ्यानि च सत्त्वगुणाधिकक्लिश्यमानाविनेयेषु

maitrīpramodakāruṇyamādhyasthyāni ca sattvaguṇādhikakliśyamānāvineyeṣu

One should cultivate friendliness toward all beings, joy toward the virtuous, compassion toward the suffering, and calm neutrality toward those unwilling to listen.

जगत्कायस्वभावौ वा संवेगवैराग्यार्थम्

jagatkāyasvabhāvau vā saṃvegavairāgyārtham

And one should reflect on the nature of the world and of the body, to grow in longing for liberation and in detachment.

असदभिधानमनृतम्

asadabhidhānamanṛtam

Falsehood is saying what is untrue or harmful.

अदत्तादानं स्तेयम्

adattādānaṃ steyam

Stealing is taking what has not been given.

मैथुनमब्रह्म

maithunamabrahma

Unchastity is sexual activity.

मूर्छा परिग्रहः

mūrchā parigrahaḥ

Possessiveness (parigraha) is inner attachment (murchha) to things.

निःशल्यो व्रती

niḥśalyo vratī

A true vow-keeper is free of the three thorns (shalya): deceit, craving for worldly reward, and wrong belief.

अगार्यनगारश्च

agāryanagāraśca

Vow-keepers are of two kinds: householders and homeless ascetics.

अणुव्रतोऽगारी

aṇuvrato'gārī

The householder keeps the small vows (anuvratas).

दिग्देशानर्थदण्डविरतिसामायिकप्रोषधोपवासोपभोगपरिभोगपरिमाणातिथिसंविभागव्रतसम्पन्नश्च

digdeśānarthadaṇḍaviratisāmāyikaproṣadhopavāsopabhogaparibhogaparimāṇātithisaṃvibhāgavratasampannaśca

The householder also keeps the supplementary vows: limiting directions, limiting areas, avoiding purposeless harm, equanimity practice (samayika), fasting on holy days, limiting things used once and things used repeatedly, and sharing with guests.

मारणान्तिकीं सल्लेखनां जोषिता

māraṇāntikīṃ sallekhanāṃ joṣitā

And at the end of life the householder willingly accepts sallekhana, the calm and gradual thinning of the body and the passions.

शंकाकांक्षाविचिकित्साऽन्यदृष्टिप्रशंसासंस्तवाः सम्यग्दृष्टेरतीचाराः

śaṃkākāṃkṣāvicikitsā'nyadṛṣṭipraśaṃsāsaṃstavāḥ samyagdṛṣṭeratīcārāḥ

Doubt, desire for worldly rewards, disgust, and praising or closely associating with holders of other views are the faults (atichara) of right faith.

व्रतशीलेषु पञ्च पञ्च यथाक्रमम्

vrataśīleṣu pañca pañca yathākramam

The vows and supplementary vows likewise each have five faults, given in order.

बन्धवधच्छेदातिभारारोपणान्नपाननिरोधाः

bandhavadhacchedātibhārāropaṇānnapānanirodhāḥ

For non-violence: tying up, beating, cutting, overloading, and withholding food and water.

मिथ्योपदेशरहोभ्याख्यानकूटलेखक्रियान्यासापहारसाकारमन्त्रभेदाः

mithyopadeśarahobhyākhyānakūṭalekhakriyānyāsāpahārasākāramantrabhedāḥ

For truthfulness: giving false advice, revealing private matters, forging documents, denying a deposit entrusted to one, and disclosing what one guessed from gestures.

स्तेनप्रयोगतदाहृतादानविरुद्धराज्यातिक्रमहीनाधिकमानोन्मानप्रतिरूपकव्यवहाराः

stenaprayogatadāhṛtādānaviruddharājyātikramahīnādhikamānonmānapratirūpakavyavahārāḥ

For non-stealing: prompting theft, receiving stolen goods, evading the laws of the state, using false weights and measures, and passing off imitations as genuine.

परविवाहकरणेत्वरिकापरिगृहीतापरिगृहीतागमनानंगक्रीडाकामतीव्राभिनिवेशाः

paravivāhakaraṇetvarikāparigṛhītāparigṛhītāgamanānaṃgakrīḍākāmatīvrābhiniveśāḥ

For chastity: arranging the marriages of others, relations with women of loose conduct whether married or not, unnatural sexual acts, and intense lust.

क्षेत्रवास्तुहिरण्यसुवर्णधनधान्यदासीदासकुप्यप्रमाणातिक्रमाः

kṣetravāstuhiraṇyasuvarṇadhanadhānyadāsīdāsakupyapramāṇātikramāḥ

For non-possession: exceeding the limits one has set on land, houses, silver, gold, cattle and wealth, grain, servants, and household goods.

ऊर्ध्वाधस्तिर्यग्व्यतिक्रमक्षेत्रवृद्धिस्मृत्यंतराधानानि

ūrdhvādhastiryagvyatikramakṣetravṛddhismṛtyaṃtarādhānāni

For limiting directions: going beyond the limit upward, downward or sideways, enlarging the area, and forgetting the limit.

आनयनप्रेष्यप्रयोगशब्दरूपानुपातपुद्गलक्षेपाः

ānayanapreṣyaprayogaśabdarūpānupātapudgalakṣepāḥ

For limiting areas: sending for things from beyond the limit, sending a servant out, signalling by voice or by showing oneself, and throwing objects across.

कन्दर्पकौत्कुच्यमौखर्यासमीक्ष्याधिकरणोपभोगपरिभोगानर्थक्यानि

kandarpakautkucyamaukharyāsamīkṣyādhikaraṇopabhogaparibhogānarthakyāni

For avoiding purposeless harm: lewd talk, lewd gestures, idle chatter, acting without forethought, and keeping more goods than one needs.

योगदुष्प्रणिधानानादरस्मृत्यनुपस्थानानि

yogaduṣpraṇidhānānādarasmṛtyanupasthānāni

For samayika: misdirecting body, speech or mind, lack of respect for the practice, and forgetfulness.

अप्रत्यवेक्षिताप्रमार्जितोत्सर्गादानसंस्तरोपक्रमणानादरस्मृत्यनुपस्थानानि

apratyavekṣitāpramārjitotsargādānasaṃstaropakramaṇānādarasmṛtyanupasthānāni

For fasting on holy days: relieving oneself, picking up or putting down things, or spreading a bed without first looking and sweeping, lack of respect, and forgetfulness.

सचित्तसंबंधसम्मिश्राभिषवदुःपक्वाहाराः

sacittasaṃbaṃdhasammiśrābhiṣavaduḥpakvāhārāḥ

For limiting consumables: eating living things, food touching living things, food mixed with living things, rich stimulating food, and badly cooked food.

सचित्तनिक्षेपापिधानपरव्यपदेशमात्सर्यकालातिक्रमाः

sacittanikṣepāpidhānaparavyapadeśamātsaryakālātikramāḥ

For sharing with guests: placing food on living things, covering it with living things, saying the food belongs to someone else, envy toward other donors, and letting the proper time pass.

जीवितमरणाशंसामित्रानुरागसुखानुबन्धनिदानानि

jīvitamaraṇāśaṃsāmitrānurāgasukhānubandhanidānāni

For sallekhana: wishing to live longer, wishing to die sooner, clinging to friends, recalling past pleasures, and longing for rewards in a future life.

अनुग्रहार्थं स्वस्यातिसर्गो दानम्

anugrahārthaṃ svasyātisargo dānam

Charity (dana) is giving away what is one's own for the good of oneself and others.

विधिद्रव्यदातृपात्रविशेषात्तद्विशेषः

vidhidravyadātṛpātraviśeṣāttadviśeṣaḥ

Its merit differs with the manner of giving, the thing given, the giver and the receiver.