Bhagavati-sutra (Viyaha-pannatti)

by K. C. Lalwani | 1973 | 185,989 words

The English translation of the Bhagavati-sutra which is the fifth Jaina Agama (canonical literature). It is a large encyclopedic work in the form of a dialogue where Mahavira replies to various question. The present form of the Sutra dates to the fifth century A.D. Abhayadeva Suri wrote a vritti (commentary) on the Bhagavati in A.D. 1071. In his J...

Chapter 32: An interview with Gāṅgeya

In that period, at that time, there was a city named Vānijyagrāma [Vāṇijyagrāma?]. Description. There was a caitya named Dyutipalāśa. Bhagavān Mahāvīra arrived there. People went out. Spoke on the Law (dharma). People went back home.

In that, period, at that time, there was a monk named Gāṅgeya, a follower of Pārśva, who arrived where Bhagavān Mahāvīra was camped. Having arrived, he took a seat, neither very near, nor very far and made the following submission:

GāṅgeyaBhante! Are the infernal beings born with, or without, a time-gap?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They are born with a time-gap, as well as without.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Are the Asurakumāras born with, or without, a time-gap?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They are born with a time-gap, as well as without, and like this, till the Stanitakumāras,

GāṅgeyaBhante! Are the earth bodies born with, or without, a time-gap?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They are born, not with a time-gap, but without, and like this, till plants. Two-organ beings, till the Vaimānikas, are like the infernal beings.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Do the infernal beings die with, or with out, a time-gap?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They die with a time-gap, as well as without, and like this, till the Stanitakumāras.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Do the earth bodies die with a time-gap, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They die not with a time-gap, but incessantly, all the while, and like this, till plants.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Do the two-organ beings die with, or without, a time-gap?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They die with a time-gap, as well as without, and like this, till the Vāṇavyantaras.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Do the Jyotiṣkas go out with a time-gap, pray?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! Sometimes they go out with a time-gap and sometimes they do not, and like this, till the Vaimānikas.

GāṅgeyaBhante! How many types of entrance are there?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Four types, viz., entrance into the hells, the world of animals, into that of men and into the heavens.

GāṅgeyaBhante! How many types of entrances are there into the hells?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Seven types, into Ratnaprabhā hell, till into the lowest seventh.

GāṅgeyaBhante! In entering into the hells, does one first go to Ratnaprabhā hell, Śarkarāprabhā hell, till the lowest seventh?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! May be Ratnaprabhā, or any other, till the lowest seventh. (7 alternative forms)

Gāṅgeya—When two souls enter into the hells, do they enter into Ratnaprabhā hell, or any other, till the lowest seventh?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Together, they may be born in Ratnaprabhā hell, or any other, till the lowest seventh, (7 forms) or, one in Ratnaprabhā and another in one of the six hells, (6 forms) or, one in Śarkarāprabhā and another in one of the five, (5 forms) or, one in Vālukāprabhā and another in one of the four, (4 forms) or, one in Paṅkaprabhā and another in one of the three, (3 forms) or, one in Dhūmaprabhā and another in either of the two, (2 forms) or, one in Tamaḥprabhā and another in the lowest one, (1 form), total 28 forms.

(The rest is given in a tabular form by omitting the details which will not interest a reader.)

MahāvīraGāṅgeya! When three souls enter into the hells, the distribution is as follows;

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—42 forms;
When in three—35 forms, total 84 forms.

Gāṅgeya—When four souls enter into the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—63 forms
(1-3, 2-2, 3-1 x21 alternatives)
When in three—105 forms;
(1-1-2, 1-2-1, 2-1-1 x35 alternatives)
When in four—35 forms, total 210 forms.

Gāṅgeya—When five souls enter into the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—84 forms;
(1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1 x21 alternatives)
When in three—210 forms;
(1-1-3, 1-2-2, 2-1-2, 1-3-1, 2-2-1, 3-1-1 x35 alternatives)
When in four—140 forms;

(1-1-1 -2, 1-1-2-1, 1-2-1-1, 2-1-1-1 x35 alternatives)
When in five—21 forms, total 162 forms.

Gāṅgeya—When six of them enter into the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—105 forms;
(1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1 x21 alternatives)
When in three—350 forms;
(1-1-4, 1-2-3, 2-1-3, 1-3-2, 2-2-2, 3-1-2, 1-4-1, 2-3-1, 3-2-1, 4-1-1 x35 alternatives)
When in four—350 forms;
(1-1-1-3, 1-1-2-2, 1-2-1-2, 2-14-2, 1-1-3-1, 1-2-2-1, 2-1-2-1, 1-3-1-1, 2-2-1-1, 3-1-1-1 x35 alternatives)
When in five—105 forms;
(1-1-1-1-2, 1-1-1-2-1, 1-1-2-1-1, 1-2-1-1-1, 2-1-1-1-1 x21 alternatives)
When in six—7 forms, total 924 forms.

Gāṅgeya—When seven of them enter into the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—126 forms;
(1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1)
When in three—525 forms;
(1-1-5, 1-2-4, 2-1-4, 1-3-3, 2-2-3, 3-1-3, 1-4-2, 2-3-2, 3-2-2, 4-1-2, 1-5-1, 2-4-1, 3-3-1, 4-2-1, 5-1-1) 
When in four—700 forms; 
(1-1-1-4, etc., 20 forms x35 alternatives) 
When in five—315 forms; 
(1-1-1-1-3, etc., 15 forms x21 alternatives)
When in six—42 forms;
(1-1-1-1-1-2, etc., 6 forms x7 alternatives)
When in seven—1 form, total 1716 forms.

Gāṅgeya—When eight of them enter into the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—In that case, Gāṅgeya, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—147 forms;
(1-7, 2-6, etc., 7 forms x21 alternatives)
When in three—735 forms;
(1-1-6, etc., 21 forms x35 alternatives)
When in four—1225 forms;
(1-1-1-5, etc., 35 forms x35 alternatives)
When in five—735 forms;
(1-1-1-1-4, etc., 35 forms x21 alternatives)
When in six—147 forms;
(1-1-1-1-1-3, etc., 21 forms x7 alternatives)
When in seven—7 forms, total 3003 forms.
(1-1-1-1-14-2, etc., 7 forms x1 alternative)

Gāṅgeya—When nine of them enter into the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya. In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—168 forms;
(1-8, 2-7, etc., 8 froms x21 alternatives)
When in three—980 forms;
(1-1-7, etc., 21 froms x35 alternatives)
When in four—1960 forms;
(1-1-1 -6, etc., 56 forms x35 alternatives)
When in five—1470 forms;
(1-1-1-1-5, etc. 70 forms x21 alternatives)
When in six—392 forms;
(1-1-1-1-1-4, etc., 56 forms x7 alternatives)
When in seven—28 forms,
—total 5005 forms.
(1-1-1-1-1-1-3, etc., 2 forms x1 alternative)

Gāṅgeya—When ten of them enter into the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—189 forms;
(1-9, 2-8, etc., 9 forms x21 alternatives)
When distributed in three—1260 forms;
(1-1-8, etc., 36 forms x35 alternatives)
When distributed in four—2940 forms;
(1-1-1-7, etc., 84 forms x35 alternatives)
When distributed in five—2646 forms;
(1-1-1-1-6, etc., 126 forms x21 alternatives)
When distributed in six—882 forms;
(1-1-1-1-1-5, etc., 126 forms x7 alternatives);
When distributed in seven—84 forms,
—total 8008 forms.

Gāṅgeya—When a countable number of them (from 11 onwards till the limit of countable number called Śirṣaprahelikā) enter the hells, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—231 forms;
When distributed in three—735 forms;
When distributed in four—1085 forms;
When distributed in five—861 forms;
When distributed in six—357 forms;
When distributed in seven—61 forms,
—total 3337 forms.

Gāṅgeya—When an unlimited number of them enter into the hell, pray?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! In that case, the distribution is as follows:

When lodged in one hell—7 forms;
When distributed in two—252 forms;
When distributed in three—805 forms;
When distributed in four—1190 forms;
When distributed in five—945 forms;
When distributed in six—392 forms;
When distributed in seven—67 forms,
—total 3658 forms.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is their optimum distribution when they enter into the hells?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! There is not a single optimum, but seven optima all of which may hold. One may be that all of them are in Ratnaprabhā hell, or in Ratnaprabhā and

Śarkarāprabhā, till Ratnaprabhā and the lowest seventh. The distribution is shown below:

When in Ratnaprabhā alone—1 form;
When in two, one being Ratnaprabhā—6 forms;
When in three, one being Ratnaprabhā—15 forms;
When in four, one being Ratnaprabhā—20 forms;
When in five, one being Ratnaprabhā—15 forms;
When in six, one being Ratnaprabhā—6 forms;
When in all the seven—1 form,
—total 64 forms.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Between the seven hells, where the entry is more, where less, where similar and where especially more?

MahāvīraGāṅgeya! Smallest is the entry into the lowest seventh. Innumerable times more is the entry into the sixth, and proceed in this reverse order, till innumerable times more is the entry in Ratnaprabhā.

GāṅgeyaBhante! How many are the types of entrance into the animal world?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Five, as an one-organ being, till a five-organ being.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! When a soul enters into the animal world, is he lodged among the one-organ beings, till five-organ beings?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! He may be lodged in any one of these, as a one-organ being, till a five-organ being.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! When two souls enter into the animal world, are they lodged among one-organ beings, etc.?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! They may be lodged among one-organ beings, till five-organ beings, or one among one-organ beings and another among two-organ beings, and so on as in the case of entrance into the hells, till a non-countable number of souls enter into the animal world.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is their optimum distribution?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! All of them may be lodged among one-organ beings, or among one-organ and two-organ beings, and so on, as the optimum distribution in the hells. Also state, without excluding one-organ beings, forms of their distribution among two, three, four and five-organ beings, till all among one-organ beings, or among two-organ beings, till among five-organ beings.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Between the five types, in which is the entry more, in which less, in which similar and in which especially more?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Smallest in number are those entering among the five-organ beings. Especially more are those entering among the four-organ beings. Especially more are those entering among the three-organ beings. Especially more are those entering among the two-organ beings. And especially more are those entering among the one-organ beings.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! How many are the types of entrance into the world of men?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! One without mating by parents and another from the mother’s womb.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! While entering into the world of men, does a soul use the first channel, or the second one:?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! He may use either, without mating or the mother’s womb.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is the posititon when two souls enter into this world?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They may enter without mating or through the mother’s womb, or one without mating and another through the mother’s womb, and so on, as in the case of the hells, till ten souls entering into this world.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is the position when a countable number enter into this world?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They may enter without mating, or through the mother’s womb, or one without mating and the rest through the mother’s womb, or two through mating and the rest through the mother’s womb, till a countable number enter without mating and a countable number through the mother’s womb.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is the position when the number is beyond count?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! All may enter without mating, or an uncountable number may enter without mating and one through the mother’s womb, or an uncountable number may enter without mating and two through the mother’s womb, till an uncountable number may enter without mating and a countable number through the mother’s womb.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is their optimum distribution?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! All of them may enter without mating, or some may enter without mating and some through the mother’s womb.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Between the two, which one is more, which one less, similar or especially more?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Smaller in number are those who enter through the mother’s womb; innumerable times more are those who enter without mating.

GāṅgeyaBhante! How many are the types of entrance into the heavens?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! Four, from the bhavanas, till the vimānas.

GāṅgeyaBhante! When a soul enters into a heaven, is he lodged in a bhavana, or among the Vyantaras, Jyotiṣkas or Vaimānikas?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! He may be into any one of these four.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is the position when two souls enter into the heavens?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They may enter into the bhavanas, or among the Vyantaras, Jyotiṣkas or Vaimānikas; or one in a bhavana and another among the Vyantaras, and so on, as in the world of animals, till the entry of an uncountable number of souls into the heavens.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is their optimum distribution?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! All of them may be lodged among the Jyotiṣkas, or among the Jyotiṣkas and Vyantaras, or among the Jyotiṣkas and Vyantaras, or among the Jyotiṣkas and Vaimānikas, or among the Jyotiṣkas, Vyantaras and Bhavanavāsis or among the Jyotiṣkas, Bhavaṇavāsis and Vaimānikas, or among the Jyotiṣkas, Vyantaras and Vaimānikas, or among the Jyotiṣkas Bhavanavāsis, Vyantaras and Vaimānikas,

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Between the four, which one is more which one less, similar or especially more?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Smallest in number are those who are lodged in the vimānas; innumerable times more are those who are lodged in the bhavanas; innumerable times more are those who are lodged among the Vyantaras. But a countable number of times more are the entries among the Jyotiṣkas.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Between entry into the hells, in the animal world, into the world of men and in the heavens, which one is more, which one less, similar or especially more?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Smallest in number are the entries into the world of men. Innumerable times more are the entries into the hells. Innumerable times more are the entries into the heavens. Innumerable times more are the entries into the animal world.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Are the infernal beings born with a gap or without a gap? Are Asurakumāras born with a gap or without a gap, till are the Vaimānikas born with a gap or without a gap? Do the infernal beings die with a gap or without a gap, till do the Vyantaras die with a gap or without a gap? Do the Jyotiṣkas descend with a gap or without a gap, till do the Vaimānikas descend with a gap or without a gap?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! The infernal beings may be born with a gap or without a gap till Stanitakumāras may be born with a gap or without a gap. Earth bodies are born, not with a gap, but without a gap, till plants. The rest, tilt the Vaimānikas, are like the infernal beings who may be born with a gap or without a gap. The infernal beings may die with a gap or without a gap, and repeat this till Stanitakumāras. Earth bodies die, not with a gap, but without, and repeat this till plants. The rest are like the infernal beings, except the Jyotiṣkas and Vaimānikas who descend (not die), with a gap as well as without.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Are the existing infernal beings born? Are the non-existing infernal beings born?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! The existing ones, not the nonexisting, and like this, till the Vaimanikas.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Do the existing infernal beings die? Do non-existing infernal beings die?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! The existing infernal beings, not the non-existing ones, die, and like this till the Vaimānikas, except that Joytiṣkas and the Vaimānikas descend.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Are the infernal beings born among the existing, or among the non-existing, ones? Are Asurakumāras born among existing Asurakumāras, or among the non-existing ones? Till, are the Vaimānikas born among the existing Vaimānikas, or among the non-existing ones? Do the infernal beings die from among the existing, or from among the non-existing, ones? Do Asurakumāras die from among the existing, or from among the non-exiting, ones? Till, do the Vaimānikas die from among the existing, ones?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! The infernal beings are born among the existing, not among the non-existing, infernal beiṅgs. Asurakumāras are born among existing Asurakumāras, not among the non-existing ones, till the Vaimānikas are born among the existing, not among the non-existing, ones. The infernal beings die from among the existing, not from among the non-existing, ones. Till the existing Vaimānikas descend, ṇot the non-existing ones.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! What is the reason, till the existing Vaimānikas descend not the non-existing ones?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Arhat Pārśva, the best among men, has called the universe eternal, without a beginning and without an end (repeat what is stated in S. 5. U. 9.), till what is visible (lokkai) is the universe (loka). Hence Gāṅgeya, it has been said, till the existing Vaimanikas descend, ṇot the non-existing ones.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Do you know yourself, or not yourself, by hearing or not by hearing infernal beings are born, not the non-existing ones, and so on?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! I know myself, not otherwise, not by hearing, without hearing, that the existing, not the non-existing, infernal beings are born, etc.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! How do you justify?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! The omniscient know things in the east within a limit and beyond limit; and like this in the south; and like this (as said in S. 6. U. 4) till the knowledge of the omniscient takes no limit.

Gāṅgeya! Thus do I justify.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Are the infernal beings, themselves, or not themselves, born among the infernal beings?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They are born themselves, not other wise.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! How does it happen?

Mahāvīra— Gāṅgeya! The infernal beings are born themselves, not otherwise, because of karma coming up, because of the importance of karma, because of its weight, because of its importance and weight, because of impious karma coming up, because of the outcome of impious karma, because of the result and outcome of impious karma. Hence so.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Are Asurakumāras themselves, or not themselves, born among Asurakumāras?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They are born themselves, not otherwise.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Why so?

MahāvīraGāṅgeya! They are born themselves because of karma coming up, till the result and outcome of impious karma.

Gāṅgeya—Bhante! Are the earth bodies themselves, or not themselves born among the earth bodies?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! They are themselves born, not otherwise.

GāṅgeyaBhante! Why so?

Mahāvīra—Gāṅgeya! Again because of karma coming up, till impious karma. Repeat this till men. The Vyantaras, Jyotiṣkas and the Vaimānikas are like Asurakumāras. Hence so, till the Vaimānikas are themselves, not otherwise, born among the Vaimānikas.

Whereon Monk Gāṅgeya realised that Bhagavān Mahāvīra was all-knowing and all-seeing. Thrice he walked round him in reverence, paid his homage and obeisance and said, Bhante! I would like to receive from you the religion of the Five Vows in lieu of my present religion based on the Four Vows (repeat the whole description of Kālāsyaveṣikaputra in S. 1 U. 9), till Monk Gāṅgeya was perfected, enlightened, liberated, till ended all misery.

Chapter Thirty two ends.

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