Part 3 - Trāyas-triṃśaka gods of Asurendra Camara

Q. 5. Bhante! Sāmānika gods of Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, are in possession of such a great fortune,...till are capable of exercising such great powers of transformation.

Bhante! Are the Trāyas-triṃśaka gods of Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, (also) in possession of a great fortune?

A. 5. Trāyas-triṃśaka gods should be taken as similar to Sāmānika gods, and so also the Lokapāla gods, their difference being—capable to fill up space of a limited number of seas and a limited number of isles- (That is, fill up with many Asurakumāra gods and goddesses,...till power to transform...nor will they give effect to.)

Q. 6. Bhante! (As you say,) Lokapāla gods of Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, are in possession of a great fortune,...till a great power to transform.

Bhante! Are the principal consorts of Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, in possession of a great fortune,...till a great power to transform?

A. 6. Gautama! The principal consorts of Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, are in possession of a great fortune,...till a great influence, and they live in their respective abodes, exercising suzereinty over a thousand Sāmānika gods each, their own friendly mates and their own counsellors,...till in possession of a great fortune, the rest being similar to that of the Lokapāla gods.

Bhante! So they are. Glory be to the Lord!

So saying the second Gautama (Agnibhūti) paid his homage and obeisance to Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra, and having thus paid his homage and obeisance, he went to the third Gautama, monk Vāyubhūti, and having gone there, he said unto him as follows:

Gautamā! Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, is in possession of a great fortune, (and the entire discussion is to be reproduced, though unasked, verbatim, and without missing anything)...till the principal consorts.

These words which the second Gautama said, maintained, expressed and imparted, did not create respect, faith and attraction in the third Gautama, monk Vāyubhūti. Not respecting the meaning of them, having no faith in them and no attraction for them, be got up and repaired to the place where Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra was,...till worshipped him and made the following submission:

Q. 7. Indeed, Bhante, the second Gautama, monk Agnibhūti, has, unto me, said, maintained, expressed and imparted that Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, is in possession of a great fortune,...till a great influence, that he exercises suzerainty over 34,00,000 bhavana-abodes, etc., (the whole discussion, without omission, is to be repeated)...till the principal consorts.

Bhante! Is it correct?

Addressing the third Gautama, Vāyubhūti, Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra said as follows in reply to the query made by him:

A. 7. Oh Gautama! What the second Gautama, monk Agnibhūti, has said, maintained, expressed and imparted unto thee, is correct. Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, has a great fortune,...till (description of) the principal consorts. It is rightly so. I too would say, maintain, express and impart like that, Gautama, viz., that Asurendra Camara, the king of the Asuras, has a great fortune,...till second section above,...till the principal consorts. Correct is this description.

Bhante! So they are. Glory be to the Lord!

So saying, the third Gautama, monk Vāyubhūti, paid homage and obeisance to Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra, and having paid homage and obeisance, he repaired to the place where the second Gautama, monk Agnibhūti, was. Having gone there, he paid homage and obeisance to the second Gautama, monk Agnibhūti, and having paid homage and obeisance, he begged in all humility, and again and again, to be forgiven (for not accepting his words).

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

(There is no commentary available for this section).