Ākārāṅga Sūtra II.15 — The Five Great Vows (Mahāvrata)

N=1 fine-grained distillation. Source: Jacobi, Jaina Sūtras, SBE XXII (1884), Ākārāṅga Book II, Lecture 15 (Archive OCR). Working text pending Phase 7 verification. Method: ../00-methodology.md.

Section role

The constitutional core of Jain monastic life: the five great vows (pañca-mahāvrata), each renounced "in the thrice threefold way, in mind, speech, and body" (acting / commanding / consenting, in past, present, and future), each elaborated by five "clauses" of careful practice. These are the operational form of the doctrines of Lectures 1–5. The list — ahiṃsā (non-violence), satya (truthful speech), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacarya (chastity), aparigraha (non-possession) — is the Jain ethical skeleton.

Atomic statements

Sec3-C1: First vow — I renounce all killing of living beings, subtile or gross, movable or immovable; nor shall I kill, cause to kill, or consent. (OPERATIONAL / AHIMSA)

• Āk II.15.1: "I renounce all killing of living beings, whether subtile or gross, whether movable or immovable. Nor shall I myself kill living beings (nor cause others to do it, nor consent to it). As long as I live, I confess and blame, repent and exempt myself of these sins, in the thrice threefold way, in mind, speech, and body."
• Stance: assert · Importance: core · Untranslatable: ahiṃsā

Sec3-C2: The first vow's five clauses are clauses of care: careful walking, guarded mind, guarded speech, careful handling of utensils, inspecting food — each lest a living being be hurt or killed. (OPERATIONAL / AHIMSA+SELF_DISCIPLINE)

• Āk II.15.1.1–5: "A Nirgrantha is careful in his walk, not careless… searches into his mind… if his mind… injures living beings or kills creatures, he should not employ such a mind in action… eats and drinks after inspecting his food and drink…"
• Stance: assert · Importance: core

Sec3-C3: Second vow — I renounce all lying speech arising from anger, greed, fear, or mirth; I shall speak only after deliberation, free of anger. (OPERATIONAL / TRUTH+SELF_DISCIPLINE)

• Āk II.15.2: "I renounce all vices of lying speech (arising) from anger or greed or fear or mirth… A Nirgrantha speaks after deliberation, not without deliberation… comprehends (and renounces) anger, he is not angry."
• Stance: assert · Importance: core · Untranslatable: satya (truthful speech)

Sec3-C4: Third vow — I renounce all taking of what is not given, of little or much, living or lifeless; I take only with deliberation, a limited part, with permission. (OPERATIONAL / APARIGRAHA)

• Āk II.15.3: "I renounce all taking of anything not given, either in a village or a town or a wood, either of little or much… A Nirgrantha begs after deliberation, for a limited ground… consumes his food and drink with permission (of his superior), not without his permission."
• Stance: assert · Importance: core · Untranslatable: asteya (non-stealing)

Sec3-C5: Fourth vow — I renounce all sexual pleasures with gods, men, or animals; the monk does not discuss, contemplate, or recall women, nor over-indulge in food/drink. (OPERATIONAL / ASCETICISM+SELF_DISCIPLINE)

• Āk II.15.4: "I renounce all sexual pleasures, either with gods or men or animals… A Nirgrantha does not continually discuss topics relating to women… does not regard and contemplate the lovely forms of women… does not eat and drink too much, nor… liquors or… highly-seasoned dishes."
• Stance: assert · Importance: core · Untranslatable: brahmacarya (chastity/continence)

Sec3-C6: Fifth vow — I renounce all attachments, little or much, living or lifeless; nor shall I form them, cause them, or consent to them. (OPERATIONAL / APARIGRAHA)

• Āk II.15.5: "I renounce all attachments, whether little or much, small or great, living or lifeless; neither shall I myself form such attachments, nor cause others to do so, nor consent to their doing so."
• Stance: assert · Importance: core · Untranslatable: aparigraha (non-possession/non-grasping)

Sec3-C7: The fifth vow's clauses govern the senses: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching — one must avoid love or hate toward agreeable and disagreeable sense-objects. (OPERATIONAL / APARIGRAHA+SELF_DISCIPLINE)

• Āk II.15.5.1–2: "If a creature with ears hears agreeable and disagreeable sounds, it should not be attached to, nor delighted with, nor desiring of, nor infatuated by… If it is impossible not to hear sounds, which reach the ear, the mendicant should avoid love or hate, originated by them."
• Stance: assert · Importance: supporting

Step 4 — Clusters

Cluster	Atomic statements	Intent
Non-violence vow	C1, C2	Renounce all killing; practise constant care lest any being be hurt
Truthful-speech vow	C3	Renounce lying born of passion; speak only after deliberation
Non-stealing vow	C4	Take nothing ungiven; only the limited, permitted necessity
Chastity vow	C5	Renounce sexuality and the appetites that feed it
Non-possession vow	C6, C7	Renounce all attachment; guard the senses against love/hate of objects

Step 5 — Internal tensions

None. The five vows are a coordinated whole; each "five clauses" extends the vow into bodily practice. The recurring "in the thrice threefold way… mind, speech, and body" formula unifies them.

Step 6 — Synthesized section principles

Sec3-P1: The first and supreme vow — total non-violence

Renounce all killing of living beings, subtile or gross, movable or immovable — not killing, not causing, not consenting, in mind, speech, and body. Its five clauses are an unceasing watchfulness (in walking, thinking, speaking, handling things, eating) lest any being be harmed.

• Tier: FOUNDATIONAL · Domain: AHIMSA · Covers: C1, C2 · Evidence: Āk II.15.1 · Untranslatable: ahiṃsā

Sec3-P2: Truthful speech (satya) — renounce lying born of passion

Renounce all lying speech arising from anger, greed, fear, or mirth; speak only after deliberation and without anger.

• Tier: OPERATIONAL · Domain: TRUTH+SELF_DISCIPLINE · Covers: C3 · Evidence: Āk II.15.2 · Untranslatable: satya

Sec3-P3: Non-stealing (asteya) — take only the given, the limited, the permitted

Take nothing that is not given, of little or much, living or lifeless; beg with deliberation, for a limited need, with one's superior's permission.

• Tier: OPERATIONAL · Domain: APARIGRAHA · Covers: C4 · Evidence: Āk II.15.3 · Untranslatable: asteya

Sec3-P4: Chastity (brahmacarya) — renounce sexuality and its appetites

Renounce all sexual pleasure with any being; and guard against what feeds it — talk of, gazing at, or recalling sensual objects, and indulgence in rich food and drink.

• Tier: OPERATIONAL · Domain: ASCETICISM+SELF_DISCIPLINE · Covers: C5 · Evidence: Āk II.15.4 · Untranslatable: brahmacarya

Sec3-P5: Non-possession (aparigraha) — renounce all attachment

Renounce all attachments, little or much, living or lifeless; do not form, cause, or consent to them. The senses must avoid both love and hate toward agreeable and disagreeable objects — non-possession is inward (non-attachment) as much as outward.

• Tier: FOUNDATIONAL · Domain: APARIGRAHA · Covers: C6, C7 · Evidence: Āk II.15.5 · Untranslatable: aparigraha

Step 7 — Traceability

Principle	Atomic statements	Citations
Sec3-P1	C1, C2	Āk II.15.1
Sec3-P2	C3	Āk II.15.2
Sec3-P3	C4	Āk II.15.3
Sec3-P4	C5	Āk II.15.4
Sec3-P5	C6, C7	Āk II.15.5

Step 8 — Quality

• Coverage: all five vows + their clause-structure captured.
• Orphaned: low (the repetitive per-sense and per-clause elaborations are summarized).
• Principles: 5.
• Traceability: 100%.

Step 9 — Validation

• Standalone comprehension: the five vows map recognizably onto cross-tradition ethical staples — non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity, non-possession (cf. the yamas of the Yoga tradition; the Decalogue's prohibitions on killing, false witness, theft, adultery, coveting). The claims converge broadly. The Jain warrants/intensity diverge: (a) the vows are renunciations made monastically and absolutely (the householder takes lesser aṇuvrata versions, not the great vows); (b) aparigraha is uniquely raised to a great vow and read inwardly as freedom from love/hate toward all sense-objects — a WEAK-distinctive emphasis; (c) the whole apparatus is grounded in stopping karmic influx (saṃvara), not in obedience to a lawgiver.