O long-lived Jambusvamin! I, Sudharman, have heard the following discourse from the venerable Mahavira.

Here, forsooth, the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, of the Kasyapa clan, has delivered this lecture called the exertion in righteousness. Many creatures, who truly believe in the subject taught in this lecture, put their faith in it, give credence to it, accept it, practise it, comply with it, study it, understand it, learn it, and act up to it according to the precept of the righteous guides, have obtained perfection, enlightenment, deliverance, final beatitude, and have put an end to all misery.

This lecture treats of the following subjects:

1 longing for liberation;

2 disregard of worldly objects;

3 desire of the Law;

4 obedience to co-religionists and to the teacher;

5 confession of sins before the teacher;

6 repenting of one's sins to oneself;

7 repenting of one's sins before the teacher;

8 moral and intellectual purity of the soul;

9 remembrance of the twenty-four righteous guides;

10 paying respect to the teacher;

11 expiation of sins;

12 a particular position of the body;

13 self-denial;

14 praises and hymns;

15 keeping the right time;

16 practising penance;

17 begging forgiveness;

18 study;

19 recital of the sacred texts;

20 questioning the teacher;

21 repetition;

22 pondering;

23 religious discourse;

24 acquisition of sacred knowledge;

25 concentration of thoughts;

26 control;

27 austerities;

28 cutting off the burden of sins;

29 renouncing pleasure;

30 mental independence;

31 using unfrequented lodgings and beds;

32 turning from the world;

33 renouncing collection of alms in one district only;

34 renouncing articles of use;

35 renouncing food;

36 conquering the passions;

37 renouncing activity;

38 renouncing the body;

39 renouncing company;

40 renouncing all food;

41 perfect renunciation;

42 conforming to the standard;

43 doing service;

44 fulfilling all virtues;

45 freedom from passion;

46 patience;

47 freedom from greed;

48 simplicity;

49 humility;

50 sincerity of mind;

51 sincerity of religious practice;

52 sincerity of acting;

53 watchfulness of the mind;

54 watchfulness of the speech;

55 watchfulness of the body;

56 discipline of the mind;

57 discipline of the speech;

58 discipline of the body;

59 possession of knowledge;

60 possession of faith;

61 possession of conduct;

62 subduing the ear;

63 subduing the eye;

64 subduing the organ of smell;

65 subduing the tongue;

66 subduing the organ of touch;

67 conquering anger;

68 conquering pride;

69 conquering deceit;

70 conquering greed;

71 conquering love, hate, and wrong belief;

72 stability;

73 freedom from the burden of sin.

1 Sir, what does the soul obtain by the longing for liberation? By the longing for liberation the soul obtains an intense desire of the Law; by an intense desire of the Law he quickly arrives at an increased longing for liberation; he destroys anger, pride, deceit, and greed, which reproduce themselves infinitely; he acquires no bad deeds, and ridding himself of wrong belief which is the consequence of the latter, he becomes possessed of right faith; by the purity of faith some will reach perfection swiftly; nobody, however, who has got this purity, will fail to reach perfection. (1)

2 Sir, what does the soul obtain by disregard of worldly objects? By disregard of worldly objects the soul quickly feels disgust for pleasures enjoyed by men and animals; he becomes indifferent to all objects; thereby he ceases to engage in any undertakings, in consequence of which he leaves the road of worldly attachment and enters the road to perfection. (2)

3 Sir, what does the soul obtain by the desire of the Law? By the desire of the Law the soul becomes indifferent to pleasures and happiness to which he was attached; he abandons the life of householders, and as a houseless monk he puts an end to all pains of body and mind, which consist in the suffering of cutting, piercing, union with unpleasant things, and the like; and he obtains unchecked happiness. (3)

4 By obedience to co-religionists and to the teacher the soul obtains discipline. By discipline and avoidance of misconduct towards the teacher he avoids the road that leads to hell and to degradation; by zealous praise of, devotion to, and respect for the teacher he obtains a good end among the righteous and the Garden, gains perfection and beatitude, does all praiseworthy actions prescribed by discipline, and prevails upon others to adopt discipline. (4)

5 By confession of sins before the teacher the soul gets rid of the thorns, as it were, of deceit, misapplied austerities, and wrong belief, which obstruct the way to final salvation and cause the soul to wander far from its Lord; he obtains simplicity, whereby the soul which is free from deceit does not acquire those deeds which result in his having a carnal desire, and annihilates such deeds as he had acquired before. (5)

6 By repenting of one's sins to oneself the soul obtains repentance, and becoming indifferent by repentance he prepares for himself an ascending scale of virtues, by which he destroys the burden of deeds resulting from delusion. (6)

7 By repenting of one's sins before the teacher the soul obtains humility; feeling humble, he will leave off all blameable occupations, and apply himself to praiseworthy occupations, whereby a houseless monk will stop infinite disabling developments. (7)

8 By moral and intellectual purity the soul ceases from sinful occupations. (8)

9 By the remembrance of the twenty-four righteous guides the soul arrives at purity of faith. (9)

10 By paying respect to the teacher the soul destroys such deeds as lead to birth in low families, and acquires such deeds as lead to birth in noble families; he wins the affection of people, which results in his being looked upon as an authority, and he brings about general goodwill. (10)

11 By expiation of sins he obviates transgressions of the vows; thereby he stops the influences of sin, preserves a pure conduct, practises the eight articles, does not neglect the practice of control, and pays great attention to it. (11)

12 By the standing posture of devotion he gets rid of past and present transgressions which require expiation; thereby his mind is set at ease like a porter who is eased of his burden; and engaging in praiseworthy contemplation he enjoys happiness. (12)

13 By self-denial he shuts, as it were, the doors against sinful influences; by self-denial he prevents desires rising in him; by prevention of desires he becomes, as it were, indifferent and cool towards all objects. (13)

14 By praises and hymns he obtains the wisdom consisting in knowledge, faith, and conduct; thereby he gains such improvement, that he will attain salvation, or find a place afterwards among the ranks of the Garden. (14)

15 By keeping the right time he destroys the deeds which obstruct right knowledge. (15)

16 By practising penance he gets rid of sins, and commits no transgressions; he who correctly practises penance, gains the road and the reward of the road, he wins the reward of good conduct. (16)

17 By begging forgiveness he obtains happiness of mind; thereby he acquires a kind disposition towards all kinds of living beings; by this kind disposition he obtains purity of character and freedom from fear. (17)

18 By study he destroys the deeds which obstruct right knowledge. (18)

19 By the recital of the sacred texts he obtains destruction of the burden of deeds, and contributes to preserve the sacred lore, whereby he acquires the Law of the community, which again leads him to the complete destruction of the burden of deeds, and to the final end of worldly attachment. (19)

20 By questioning the teacher he arrives at a correct comprehension of the scripture and its meaning, and he puts an end to the deeds which produce doubts and delusion. (20)

21 By repetition he reproduces the sounds, that is the syllables, and commits them to memory. (21)

22 By pondering on what he has learned he loosens the firm hold which the seven kinds of deeds, except the one that determines the length of life, have upon the soul; he shortens their duration when it was to be a long one; he mitigates their power when it was intense; he reduces their sphere of action when it was a wide one; he may either acquire the deed that determines life or not, but he no more accumulates deeds which produce unpleasant feelings, and he quickly crosses the very large forest of worldly existence, which seems without beginning and end. (22)

23 By religious discourses he obtains destruction of the burden of deeds; by religious discourses he exalts the creed, and by exalting the creed he acquires deeds which secure, for the future, permanent bliss. (23)

24 By acquisition of sacred knowledge he destroys ignorance, and will not be corrupted by worldliness. (24)

25 By concentration of his thoughts he obtains stability of the mind. (25)

26 By control he obtains freedom from sins. (26)

27 By austerities he cuts off the burden of deeds. (27)

28 By cutting off the burden of deeds he obtains the fourth stage of pure meditation characterised by freedom from actions, by doing no actions he will obtain perfection, enlightenment, deliverance, and final beatitude, and will put an end to all misery. (28)

29 By renouncing pleasures he obtains freedom from false longing, whereby he becomes compassionate, humble, free from sorrow, and destroys the deeds produced by delusion regarding conduct. (29)

30 By mental independence he gets rid of attachment, whereby he will concentrate his thoughts on the Law, and will for ever be without attachment and fondness for worldly things. (30)

31 By using unfrequented lodgings and beds he obtains the restraint of conduct, whereby he will use allowed food, be steady in his conduct, be exclusively delighted with control, obtain a yearning for deliverance, and cut off the tie of the eightfold burden of deeds. (31)

32 By turning from the world he will strive to do no bad actions, and will eliminate his already acquired burden by its destruction; then he will cross the forest of worldly existence. (32)

33 By renouncing collection of alms in one district only he overcomes obstacles; unchecked by them he exerts himself to attain liberation; he is content with the alms he gets, and does not hope for, care for, wish, desire, or covet those of a fellow-monk; not envying other monks he takes up a separate, agreeable lodging. (33)

34 By renouncing articles of use he obtains successful study; without articles of use he becomes exempt from desires, and does not suffer misery. (34)

35 By renouncing forbidden food he ceases to act for the sustenance of his life; ceasing to act for the sustenance of his life he does not suffer misery when without food. (35)

36 By conquering his passions he becomes free from passions; thereby he becomes indifferent to happiness and pains. (36)

37 By renouncing activity he obtains inactivity, by ceasing to act he acquires no new burden of deeds, and destroys the burden he had acquired before. (37)

38 By renouncing his body he acquires the pre-eminent virtues of the perfected, by the possession of which he goes to the highest region of the universe, and becomes absolutely happy. (38)

39 By renouncing company he obtains singleness; being single and concentrating his mind, he avoids disputes, quarrels, passions, and censoriousness, and he acquires a high degree of control, of watchfulness, and of carefulness. (39)

40 By renouncing all food he is delivered from many hundreds of hardships. (40)

41 By perfect renunciation he enters the final fourth stage of pure meditation, whence there is no return; a monk who is in that state, destroys the four remnants of the burden of deeds which even one of perfect knowledge possesses, namely that which produces pleasure and pain, that which determines the length of life, that which determines name, and that which determines family; and then he will put an end to all misery. (41)

42 By conforming to the standard of monks he obtains ease, thereby he will be careful, wear openly the excellent badges of the order, be of perfect righteousness, possess firmness and the rules of conduct, inspire all beings with confidence, mind but few things, subdue his senses, and practise, in a high degree, the rules of conduct and austerities. (42)

43 By doing service he acquires a high rank in the sight of God. (43)

44 By fulfilling all virtues he secures a happy end; thereby he will become exempt from pains of the body and mind. (44)

45 By freedom from passion he cuts off the ties of attachment and desire; thereby he becomes indifferent to all agreeable and disagreeable sounds, touches, colours, and smells. (45)

46 By patience he overcomes troubles. (46)

47 By freedom from greed he obtains voluntary poverty, whereby he will become inaccessible to desire for property. (47)

48 By simplicity he will become upright in actions, thoughts, and speech, and he will become veracious; thereby he will truly practise the Law. (48)

49 By humility he will acquire freedom from self-conceit; thereby he will become of a kind and meek disposition, and avoid the eight kinds of pride. (49)

50 By sincerity of mind he obtains purity of mind, which will cause him to exert himself for the fulfilment of the Law which the righteous guides have proclaimed; and he will practise the Law in the next world too. (50)

51 By sincerity in religious practice he obtains proficiency in it; being proficient in it he will act up to his words. (51)

52 By sincerity of acting he will become pure in his actions. (52)

53 By watchfulness of the mind he concentrates his thoughts; thereby he truly practises control. (53)

54 By watchfulness of speech he keeps free from prevarication; thereby he enables his mind to act properly. (54)

55 By watchfulness of the body he obtains restraint; thereby he prevents sinful influences. (55)

56 By discipline of the mind he obtains concentration of his thoughts; thereby he obtains development of knowledge, which produces righteousness and annihilates wrong belief. (56)

57 By discipline of the speech he obtains development of faith, whereby he acquires facility of becoming enlightened, and destroys preventing causes. (57)

58 By discipline of the body he obtains development of conduct, which causes him to conduct himself according to the regulation; thereby he destroys the four remnants of the burden of deeds which even one of perfect knowledge possesses; after that he obtains perfection, enlightenment, deliverance, and final beatitude, and he puts an end to all misery. (58)

59 By possession of knowledge he acquires an understanding of words and their meaning; thereby he will not perish in the forest of worldly existence; as a needle with its thread will not be lost, thus the soul possessing the sacred lore will not be lost; he performs all prescribed actions relating to knowledge, discipline, austerities, and conduct, and well versed in his own and in other creeds he will become invincible. (59)

60 By possession of faith he annihilates wrong belief which is the cause of worldly attachment, and he will not lose his inner light; but he endues his soul with the highest knowledge and faith, and purifies it. (60)

61 By possession of conduct he obtains a stability like that of the king of mountains, Meru, whereby a houseless monk destroys the four remnants of the burden of deeds which even one of perfect knowledge possesses; after that he obtains perfection, enlightenment, deliverance, and final beatitude, and puts an end to all misery. (61)

62 By subduing the organ of hearing he overcomes his delight with or aversion to all pleasant or unpleasant sounds, he acquires no burden of deeds produced thereby, and destroys the burden he had acquired before. (62)

63-66. All this applies also to his subduing the organs of sight, of smelling, of tasting, and of touch with regard to pleasant colours, smells, tastes, and touches. (63-66)

67 By conquering anger he obtains patience; he acquires no deeds productive of anger, and destroys the burden he had acquired before. (67)

68 By conquering pride he obtains simplicity, and the rest as in 67, substituting pride for anger. (68)

69 By conquering deceit he obtains humility, and the rest as in 67, substituting deceit for anger. (69)

70 By conquering greed he obtains content, and the rest as in 67, substituting greed for anger. (70)

71 By conquering love, hate, and wrong belief he exerts himself for right knowledge, faith, and conduct, then he will cut off the fetters of the eightfold burden of deeds; he will first destroy the twenty-eight kinds of deeds which are productive of delusion; then the five kinds of obstruction to right knowledge, the nine kinds of obstruction to right faith, and the five kinds of obstacles: the last three remnants he destroys simultaneously; afterwards he obtains absolute knowledge and faith, which is supreme, full, complete, unchecked, clear, faultless, and giving light to the whole universe; and while he still acts, he acquires but such deeds as are inseparable from religious acts; the pleasant feelings produced by it last but two moments: in the first moment it is acquired, in the second it is experienced, and in the third it is destroyed; this is produced, comes into contact with the soul, takes rise, is experienced, and is destroyed; for all time to come he is exempt from the burden of deeds. (71)

72 Then when his life is spent up to less than half a muhurta, he discontinues to act, and enters upon the third degree of pure meditation, from which there is no relapse to lower degrees, and which requires most subtile functions only of his organs; he first stops the functions of his mind, then the functions of speech, then those of the body, at last he ceases to breathe. During the time required for pronouncing five short syllables, he is engaged in the final pure meditation, in which all functions of his organs have ceased, and he simultaneously annihilates the four remnants of the burden of deeds, namely that which produces pleasure and pain, that which determines the length of life, that which determines name, and that which determines family. (72)

73 Then having, by all methods, got rid of his gross, subtle, and fiery bodies, the soul takes the form of a straight line, goes in one moment, without touching anything and taking up no space, upwards to the highest realm, and there develops into its natural form, obtains perfection, enlightenment, deliverance, and final beatitude, and puts an end to all misery. (73)

This indeed is the subject of the lecture called exertion in righteousness, which the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira has told, declared, explained, demonstrated. (74)

Thus I say.