In Jainism, the wordŚrāvaka or Sāvaga is used to refer the Jain laity. The word śrāvaka has its roots in the word śrāvana, i.e. the one who listens. The tirthankara restores or organises the sangha, a fourfold order of muni, aryika, śrāvakas and śrāvikās. In Jainism, there are two kinds of votaries:
According to the Jain textPuruşārthasiddhyupāya: Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra, a major Jain text, discusses the conduct of a Śrāvaka in detail.
Six essentials
In Jainism, six essential duties are prescribed for a śrāvaka. These help the laity in achieving the principle of ahimsa which is necessary for his/her spiritual upliftment. The six duties are:
#Abhaya-dāna – saving the life of a living being or giving of protection to someone under threat
Twelve Vows
Jain ethical code prescribes five main vows and seven supplementary vows, which include three guņa vratas and four śikşā vratas.
Anuvrata
In Jainism, both ascetics and householders have to follow five vows compulsorily. These five vows are:
Ahiṃsā – Not to hurt any living being by actions and thoughts. Out of the five types of living beings, a householder is forbidden to kill, or destroy, intentionally, all except the lowest.
Satya – to lie or speak what is not commendable
Asteya – Not to take anything if not given
Brahmacharya – Refraining from indulgence in sex-passion
digvrata – Restriction on movement with regard to directions
bhogopabhogaparimana – Vow of limiting consumable and non-consumable things
anartha-dandaviramana – Refraining from harmful occupations and activities
Śikşā vratas
Samayika – Vow to meditate and concentrate periodically. The sāmayika vrata is intended to be observed three times a day if possible; other-wise at least once daily. Its objective is to enable the śrāvaka to abstain from all kinds of sins during the period of time fixed for its observance. The usual duration of the sāmayika vow is an antara mūharta. During this period, which the layman spends in study and meditation, he vows to refrain from the commission of the five kinds of sin — injury, falsehood, theft, unchastity and love of material possessions in any of the three ways. These three ways are:
by an act of mind, speech or body
inciting others to commit such an act
approving the commission of such an act by others
In performing sāmayika the śrāvaka has to stand facing north or east and bow to the Pañca-Parameṣṭhi. He then sit down and recites the Namokara mantra a certain number of times, and finally devotes himself to holy meditation. Sāmayika can be performed anywhere- a temple, private residence, forest and the like. But the place shouldn't be open to disturbance of any kind.
Desavrata — Limiting movement to certain places for a fixed period of time.
Upvas — Fasting at regular intervals
Atihti samvibhag — Vow of offering food to the ascetic and needy people
A householder who observes these vows is called , i.e., one who observes abstinence as well as non-abstinence.
Sallekhanā
A householder who has observed all the prescribed vows to shed the karmas, takes the vow of sallekhanā at the end of his life. According to the Jain text, Puruşārthasiddhyupāya, "sallekhana enable a householder to carry with him his wealth of piety". The Sallekhana, a voluntary vow of self-starvation if the vows are impossible to uphold by reducing eating of food and partaking of liquids or die while engrossed in meditation with equanimity of mind. Sallekhana is preserving the loss of karma which would be impeded and prevent the further effacing of grief, fear, anger, affection, hatred, prejudice e.t.c. and other afflictions with or without his knowledge in contravening Right Faith, Right Thought and Right Conduct nearing the end of life after vows and austerities have had their beneficial karma on the world by their sacrifice, giving, restraint, pure thoughts and by listening, forgiving e.t.c.. A Jain man or women with vows spend much time on prayer and scripture freed from pleasure and passion.
