In Jainism,
there is a great deal of importance given
to Leshya. Leshya refers to the state of
Mind. Our activities reflect our state of
mind. The following illustration shows how
our activities vary with the state of our
mind. Once there were six friends who were
going on a trip, but along the way got lost
in a forest. Soon they became hungry and
thirsty. They searched for food for sometime
and finally found a fruit tree.
As they ran to the tree, the first man said,
"Let’s cut the tree down and
get the fruits." The second one said,
"Don’t cut the whole tree down,
cut off a big branch instead." The
third friend said, "Why do we need
a big branch? A small branch has enough
fruit." The fourth one said, "We
do not need to cut any branches, just climb
up and take the bunches of fruit."
The fifth man said, "Why pick that
many fruits and waste them, instead just
pick the fruits that you want to eat."
The sixth friend said quietly, "There
are plenty of good fruits on the ground,
so let’s just eat them first."
You can see that the states of minds of
these six friends cause a range of thoughts
which begin with the destruction of a tree
and end with picking up what is on the ground.
The six friends’ minds represent six
types of leshyas.
The first friend’s state of
mind represents krishna (black) leshya.
The second friend’s state of mind
represents neel (blue) leshya.
The third friend’s state of mind represents
kapot (brown) leshya.
The fourth friend’s state of mind
represents tejo (red) leshya.
The fifth friend’s state of mind represents
padma (yellow) leshya.
The sixth friend’s state of mind represents
shukla (white) leshya.
The first leshya is the worst and
the sixth leshya is the best. The first
three leshyas lead the soul to ruin and
the last three lead the soul to spiritual
prosperity. Therefore, people should strive
for the white leshya and not the red leshya.
It is not so that a person’s state
of mind remains the same at all times and
therefore, it can be changed for the better
or for the worst. The popular story of King
Prasanraj, who lived during Lord Mahavira’s
time, illustrates the effects of leshays.
One day King Shrenik was on his way to pay
homage to Lord Mahavira and on the way he
saw a sage who was meditating and illuminating
very brightly. He bowed down to the sage
and continued on his way to pay homage to
Lord Mahavira. After reaching Lord Mahavira,
King Shrenik asked the Lord, "Oh Lord,
I saw a very illuminated sage who was engaged
in meditation on the way here. Supposing
he died at that moment, what state would
he have acquired?"
The Lord replied, "He would have been
hurled down to the seventh hell-region."
The king was much astonished to hear this
reply from the Lord. He thought,
" Why would such a sage go to hell?
Perhaps the Lord might have misunderstood
me." He asked the Lord again, "Oh
Lord, if the sage leaves this body just
now, then what
state will he attain?"
The Lord replied, "He will be an angel
in Sarvarthasidha, a heavenly region."
The king was much surprised at this reply,
too. He thought, "The Lord first said
he would attain the seventh hell and now
he says that the sage would be an angel."
The king was perplexed. At that very moment
drums began sounding in the sky and voices
of `victory' were proclaimed. The king asked
the Lord, "What is the cause of these
sounds?" The Lord said, "Oh, king,
the sage about whom you were inquiring has
acquired omniscience and so the angels are
beating the drums and proclaiming `Victory'."
The king was extremely surprised by these
answers and therefore, he requested the
Lord to explain them.
Thereupon the Lord said, "Oh king,
right before you approached the sage, two
soldiers leading your procession diverted
the mind of the sage by their conversation.
His mind began thinking about his kingdom
where his ministers turned out to be untrustworthy
and would eventually kill his son. He was
inflamed with rage and he lost his mental
equanimity. Therefore, he started mentally
fighting against his ministers. He very
violently discharged his weapons one after
the other against his ministers. Soon his
weapons were exhausted and his foes were
not destroyed. So, he thought of throwing
his steel helmet against them in order to
destroy them. You bowed down to him at that
time when he was reflecting on such thoughts.
I, Therefore, replied that he would attain
the 7th hell.
Thereafter, when the sage placed his hand
on his head for the steel helmet, he realized
that he was not King Prasanraj but that
he was a sage. His anger calmed down immediately.
He remembered that he has been initiated
into the vow of equanimity and of non-violence
to any living being mentally, verbally,
and physically. He deeply regretted and
repented for the breach of his vow and indulgence
in acute anger.
He further thought that he ought to have
maintained love for all creatures of the
world, ought to have no malice for the ministers,
and no attachment for his son. He severely
condemned his mental act. He despised it
and withdrew himself from such a feat of
anger and malice. Oh king, when he thought
this way, you asked me the next question
and I replied that he would be born in the
Savartha Siddha (heaven) as an angel. Even
thereafter, he continued the purification
of his mental reflections and gradually
he reached the stage of `Kshapaka', where
he annihilated all of his ghati karmas,
and attained omniscience."
King Shrenik’s doubts were resolved
and he learned how mental reflections can
fluctuate. He also learned that not only
can physical acts or verbal abuses have
such devastating effects, but so can mental
acts. We too must learn from this episode.
Let us understand the characteristic of
personalities and the outcomes resulting
different leshyas.
Krishna (Black) Leshya:
People in this state of mind do not show
no compassion or mercy. Everyone is afraid
of them as their anger turns into violence.
They always burn with jealousy and have
ill-will for everyone. They are filled with
animosity and malice and do not believe
in religion. This state of mind is the worst
and most dangerous. If anyone dies in this
state of mind, they will go to hell.
Neel (Blue) Leshya:
People in this state of mind are proud,
haughty, and lazy. They are unreliable and
other people avoid their company. They are
cheaters, cowards, and hypocrites. Such
people also avoid the religious lectures.
If anyone dies in this state of mind, they
will be reborn as a plant.
Kapot (Brown)
Leshya:
People in this state of mind always remain
sad and gloomy. They find faults in others
and are vindictive. They boast about themselves,
become excited over small matters, and lack
mental balance. If anyone dies in this state
of mind, they will be reborn as a bird or
an animal.
Tejo (Red)
Leshya:
People in this state of mind are very careful
about their actions and discriminate between
good and evil. They know the difference
between what is right and what is wrong.
They are kind, benevolent, and religious
and lead a harmonious life. If anyone dies
in this state of mind, they will be reborn
as a human being.
Padma (Yellow)
Leshya:
People in this state of mind are kind and
benevolent and forgive everyone, even their
enemies. They observe some austerities and
are vigilant in keeping their vows till
their last breath. They remain unaffected
by joys and sorrows. If anyone dies in this
leshya, they will be reborn in heaven as
a celestial being.
Shukla (White) Leshya:
People in this state of mind strictly observe
the principles of non-violence, truth, non-stealing,
celibacy, and non-attachment. They are trustworthy,
treat every soul as if it was their own
soul, and do not have ill feelings even
for their enemies. They remain calm even
if someone abuses them. If anyone dies in
this state of mind, they will be reborn
as a human being or an angel. People who
perfect this state of mind have no attachment
or hatred and treat everyone alike. They
do not become happy or sad. Their state
of mind is the purest. If anyone dies in
this perfected state of mind, they will
be liberated from the cycle of birth and
death.
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