27. The Indus way of living
The Indus artist shows the path of self-care by individuals. Most Indus texts on seals relating to this begin with an initial sign like 
. The first sign 
denotes depletion of passions by each dot drawn around the sign (anger, ego, deceit and greed). Then the first following sign signifies adopting self-control 
depicted by a spear. The next sign shows belief in automaticity of the eternal 
six components of Nature as described in the Jain scriptures. There is no creator-god who can lead the path of kayotsargi ascetics 
doing penance 
with renunciation, enjoying 
with renunciation, enjoying the ratnatraya of right belief, right knowledge and right conduct to be an arhata 
who, with Chaturadhana 
achieves salvation while he experiences 
, lokapuran, a stage of the samudghat of the Omniscient. The seals below show these initial signs:
Seal #686 shows an ascetic in kayotsarga with his pichhi laying near his leg. Noticing seal features minutely and observing them in practice is not so easy but requires regular great effort and attentiveness. Hence the Indus guides suggest that every householder, to remember the six eternal components and ‘fear’ the four directions of the swastika or cyclic existence in which the soul can wander in the four divisions of the swastika. Thus, by doing so, he becomes a self-controller who remembers the Panch Parameshthi’s through the mantra, observes the ten virtues of the soul as religion as well as the twelve reflections to maintain equanimity, and enters into samayik, while remaining at home (i.e. does not enter monk or nun-hood).
Such a person will however soon join a sangha of ascetics headed by a guru and even can become a chaturvidh sanghacharya maintaining adamya purusharth (extreme effort). With adamya purushartha he rises gradually on the spirituality ladder observing austerity as per the Jain way.
As the Jain scriptural records mention, as many as 18 main languages, including Devanagari, with their scripts and their 700 regional dialects were already in use in that hoary past. Signs were used by sages for languages which varied regionally, however the signs were the same throughout. The Jina shramans and Jain shrawakas used the Shaurseni Prakrit for oral communication. Sanskrit was then the language of elites while Prakrit was used in the villages as the preferred language of the common folk. In Karnataka and Maharashtra it was known as Kharoshti, In Magadh it was known as Magadhi and Ardha Magadhi (‘half Magadhi’). The best way of written communication was then the language of signs and symbols and it continued selectively among the sages and was preferred by the ascetics. Mahavira used spoken Shaurseni to address his assemblies. Buddha however, though living in the same time period and region, used Pali instead of Prakrit. One finds not a single feature of Jain scriptural ethics missing from the Pre-Vedic past of Indus texts which are now found at several sites besides Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.
Next issue: 28. Indus seals showing the Jain scriptural belief of nonviolence