Part 1 - Questions of Merchant Sudarśana on Time

In that period at that time there was a city named Vāṇijyagrāma. Description. There was a garden named Dyutipalāśa. Description. In that garden there was an earth stone-slab. In that city there lived a merchant named Sudarśana. He was rich, powerful till fearless. He was the knower of the tenets of jīva and ajīva and a worshipper of Śramaṇas. Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra arrived there, till the assembly worshipped him. Hearing the arrival of Bhagavān Mahāvīra the merchant Sudarśana was highly delighted and pleased. He then took his bath, decorated his body with ornaments. With an umbrella bedecked with koraṇṭa flowers and surrounded by many followers he proceeded on foot to the place where the Lord was staying Then as stated in Book Nine Chapter Thirty-three on Ṛṣabhadatta, after taking five necessary precautions till he worshipped him in three modes. Thereafter Bhagavān Mahāvīra spoke at length to the Merchant Sudarśana and the vast assembly of the people. On hearing his sermon the merchant Sudarśana was highly delighted and pleased. He stood up, moved thrice round the Lord, paid his homage and obeisance and said:

Sudarśana—Bhante! How many are the types of time?

Mahāvīra—Sudarśana! Four, e.g, pramāṇa kāla (standard time), yathāyunivṛtti kāla (time equal to life-span), maraṇa kāla (death time) and addhā kāla.

Sudarśana—Bhante! How many are the types of pramāṇa kāla?

Mahāvīra—Two, e.g., day time and night time. Day time consists of four pauruṣī and so also night time. Pauruṣī of day and night time consists of four and half muhūrtas in the maximum and 3 muhūrtas in the minimum.

Sudarśana—Bhante! When the pauruṣī of day and night time becomes maximum of four and half muhūrtas how much portion of that pauruṣī diminishes to become the pauruṣī of three muhūrtas of day or night time? Similarly when the pauruṣī of day and night time becomes minimum of three muhūrtas how much portion of that pauruṣī increases to become the pauruṣī of maximum of four and half muhūrtas of day or night time?

Mahāvīra—Sudarśana! When the pauruṣī of day or night time becomes of four and half muhūrtas it begins to decrease by 1/122 part of that pauruṣī. Similarly when the pauruṣī of day or night time becomes minimum of three muhūrtas It increases by 1/122 part of the pauruṣī.

Sudarśana—Bhante! When the pauruṣī of day and night time becomes maximum of four and half muhūrtas and minimum of three muhūrtas?

Mahāvīra—When the day becomes of eighteen muhūrtas and night of twelve muhūrtas, the pauruṣī of the day time becomes maximum of four and half muhūrtas and of the night time minimum of three muhūrtas. Similarly when the night becomes of eighteen muhūrtas, the pauruṣī of the night time becomes maximum of four and half muhūrtas and of the day time minimum of three muhūrtas.

Sudarśana—Bhante! When does the day of maximum eighteen muhūrtas and night of twelve muhūrtas occur? When does the night of maximum eighteen muhūrtas and day of twelve muhūrtas occur?

Mahāvīra—On the full moon day of Aṣāḍha, the day of maximum eighteen muhūrtas and night of minimum twelve muhūrtas and on the full moon night of Pauṣa the night of maximum eighteen muhūrtas and day of minimum twelve muhūrtas occur.

Sudarśana—Bhante! Does day and night of equal pauruṣī also occur?

Mahāvīra—Yes, Sudarśana! Does occur [.?]

Sudarśana—Bhante! When does day and night of equal pauruṣī occur?

Mahāvīra—On the full moon night of Caitra and Āśvina the day and night of equal pauruṣī occur. On that day, day and night becomes of fifteen pauruṣī, pauruṣī being of a quarter less to four muhūrtas. This much is said about pramāṇa kāla.

Sudarśana—How many are the types of yathāyunivṛtti kāla?

Mahāvīra—Sudarśana! To live according to the life-span as determined by the infernals, animals, human beings and gods themselves, is called yathāyunivṛtti kāla.

Sudarśana—Bhante! What do you mean by maraṇa kāla?

Mahāvīra—Sudarśana! When the jīva is separated from; the body or the body is separated from the jīva it is maraṇa kāla.

Sudarśana—How many are the types of addhā kāla?

Mahāvīra—Sudarśana! Addhā kāla is of many types. From śamaya, āvalikā till utsarpiṇī. The smallest portion of time is called samaya, which is indivisible. Innumerable śamayas make one āvalikā, countable āvalīkās make one ucchvāsa as stated in Book Six Chapter Seven on Sāli till sāgaropama.

Sudarśana—Bhante! What is the need of palyopama and sāgaropama?

Mahāvīra—By palyopama and sāgaropama the life span of infernals, animals, human beings and gods are counted.

Sudarśana—Bhante! What is the duration of the life-span of an infernal?

Mahāvīra—Sudarśana! Know it as stated in the Prajñāpaṇā Sūtra, Chapter Four on Life-span till the not minimum life-span of thirty three sāgaropamas.

Sudarśana—Bhante! Does palyopama or sāgaropamas decrease and erode?

Mahāvīra—Yes, Sudarśana! Decreases and erodes.

Sudarśana—Bhante! Why are you saying so ?

Mahāvīra—Sudarśana! This is being illustrated by a story.