sapt vyasan references
Sapta Vyasan means the seven major vices that hinder spiritual progress in Jainism. The term as a single phrase is more common in later Jain writings, but the idea and the list appear across canonical and semi-canonical texts.
Seven vices (typical listing)
- Gambling (dyuta)
- Meat-eating (mansa)
- Intoxicants/drinking alcohol (madya)
- Prostitution/adultery or illicit sexual relations (veshya/parastri or illicit relations)
- Hunting (shikar)
- Theft (chori)
- Adultery with another’s spouse (parastri-gaman) — variations exist in wording across texts
Notes on sources and wording
- The concept and warnings against these vices are found in key Jain texts for lay followers, and later tradition gives them a consolidated name as Sapta Vyasan. Important references include Uttarādhyayana Sūtra (warnings to śrāvakas), Ratnākaranda Śrāvakācāra, and Jñātṛdharmakathā Sūtra. Some texts enumerate slightly different items or groupings, but gambling, meat-eating, intoxicants and illicit sexual acts are consistently included. You can read a concise discussion and the typical list here.
Differences between Digambar and Shwetambar
- Both traditions acknowledge the Sapta Vyasan concept, but exact enumerations and phrasing can differ slightly among commentaries and sect-specific texts. The essential idea—avoid gambling, meat-eating, intoxicants, illicit sexual relations, hunting, and theft—is shared, with minor variations in terms used (e.g., wording for illicit sexual conduct or for adultery) across Digambar and Shwetambar texts.
If you want, I can pull out specific verses from Uttarādhyayana Sūtra or Ratnākaranda Śrāvakācāra that mention these vices and their consequences.