Viyahapannatti 5.9: Uddeśaka 9: rājagṛha

At that time and in that period, […] he said thus:
“Is this city called Rājagṛha, Venerable Sir? Is earth called the city of Rājagṛha? Is water called the city of Rājagṛha? Are fire, wind, and vegetation called the city of Rājagṛha? Are mountain peaks, crests, slopes, summits, and declivities called the city of Rājagṛha? Are waters, lands, chasms, caves, and rock shelters called the city of Rājagṛha? Are springs, waterfalls, puddles, pools, and embankments called the city of Rājagṛha? Are wells, tanks, lakes, rivers, step-wells, lotus ponds, elongated ponds, winding ponds, pools, rows of ponds, chains of pools, and series of caverns called the city of Rājagṛha? Are groves, parks, forests, woods, copses, and rows of trees called the city of Rājagṛha? Are shrines, assembly halls, water-booths, stūpas, trenches, and moats called the city of Rājagṛha? Are ramparts, watchtowers, pathways, gates, and gateway towers called the city of Rājagṛha? Are palaces, houses, shelters, dwellings, and shops called the city of Rājagṛha? Are triangular junctions, three-way crossings, crossroads, squares, four-faced plazas, highways, and streets called the city of Rājagṛha? Are carts, chariots, carriages, litters, covered carts, drays, palanquins, and sedan chairs called the city of Rājagṛha? Are iron pans and ladles called the city of Rājagṛha? Are residences called the city of Rājagṛha? Are gods, goddesses, human men, human women, animal males, and animal females called the city of Rājagṛha? Are beds, pillars, vessels, and sentient, insentient, and mixed entities called the city of Rājagṛha?”

“Gautama! Earth too is called the city of Rājagṛha, up to sentient, insentient, and mixed entities are called the city of Rājagṛha.”

“For what reason?”
“Gautama! Earth is both jīvas and ajīvas, and is called the city of Rājagṛha, up to sentient, insentient, and mixed entities are both jīvas and ajīvas, and are called the city of Rājagṛha. For that reason, it is precisely so.”

“Is it truly so, Venerable Sir, that there is light by day and darkness by night?”
“Yes, Gautama, there is light by day and darkness by night.”
“For what reason?”
“Gautama! By day there are auspicious pudgalas and an auspicious transformation of pudgala; by night there are inauspicious pudgalas and an inauspicious transformation of pudgala. For that reason.”

“Venerable Sir, is there light or darkness for the inhabitants of hell?”
“Gautama! For the inhabitants of hell there is no light; there is darkness.”
“For what reason?”
“Gautama! For the inhabitants of hell there are inauspicious pudgalas and an inauspicious transformation of pudgala. For that reason.”

“Venerable Sir, is there light or darkness for the Asurakumāras?”
“Gautama! For the Asurakumāras there is light, not darkness.”
“For what reason?”
“Gautama! For the Asurakumāras there are auspicious pudgalas and an auspicious transformation of pudgala. For that reason.”
[And so on] up to the Stanitakumāras.

From earth-bodied beings up to three-sensed beings, it is as with the inhabitants of hell.

“Venerable Sir, is there light or darkness for four-sensed beings?”
“Gautama! There is both light and darkness.”
“For what reason?”
“Gautama! For four-sensed beings there are both auspicious and inauspicious pudgalas, and both auspicious and inauspicious transformation of pudgala. For that reason.”
Thus up to human beings.

Bhavanavāsin, Vyantara, Jyotiṣka, and Vaimānika beings are as the Asurakumāras.

“Is it cognized, Venerable Sir, by the inhabitants of hell situated there, in this manner, namely: ‘this is a samaya, or an āvalikā, up to an avasarpiṇī, or an utsarpiṇī’?”
“That meaning is not tenable.”
“For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said that it is not cognized by the inhabitants of hell situated there, in this manner, namely: ‘this is a samaya, or an āvalikā, up to an avasarpiṇī, or an utsarpiṇī’?”
“Gautama! Here [in the human realm] is their standard, here is their measure, here it is cognized by them thus: ‘this is a samaya, up to an utsarpiṇī’. For that reason, up to it is not cognized thus: ‘this is a samaya, up to an utsarpiṇī’.”

Thus up to five-sensed animals.

“Is it cognized, Venerable Sir, by humans situated here, in this manner, namely: ‘this is a samaya, up to an utsarpiṇī’?”
“Yes, it is cognized.”
“For what reason?”
“Gautama! Here is their standard, here is their measure, and here indeed it is cognized by them thus: ‘this is a samaya, up to an utsarpiṇī’. For that reason.”

Vyantara, Jyotiṣka, and Vaimānika beings are as the inhabitants of hell.

At that time and in that period, the venerable elders belonging to the tradition of Pārśva approached the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra. Having approached, standing not too far away from the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra, they spoke thus:
“Indeed, Venerable Sir, in the incalculable world, have infinite nights-and-days arisen, do they arise, will they arise? Have they perished, do they perish, will they perish? Or have limited nights-and-days arisen, do they arise, will they arise? Have they perished, do they perish, will they perish?”
“Yes, noble sirs! In the incalculable world, infinite nights-and-days... [and so on, as above].”
“For what reason, [Venerable Sir, ... up to ...] will they perish?”
“Indeed, noble sirs, by the Arhat Pārśva, the noble man, the world has been declared to be eternal—beginningless, endless, limited, enclosed, wide below, contracted in the middle, expansive above, shaped like a couch below, shaped like an excellent vajra in the middle, shaped like an upright mṛdaṅga drum above.
And in that world which is eternal, beginningless, endless, limited, enclosed, wide below, contracted in the middle, expansive above, shaped like a couch below, shaped like an excellent vajra in the middle, shaped like an upright mṛdaṅga drum above, infinite soul-masses, having arisen again and again, pass away; limited soul-masses, having arisen again and again, pass away. It is manifested, arisen, perished, transformed; by non-souls it is seen and observed. That which is observed, is that the world?”
“Yes, Lord!”
“For that reason, noble sirs, it is said: ‘In the incalculable world, infinite nights-and-days... [and so on, as above].’”
From then on, those venerable elders belonging to the tradition of Pārśva recognized the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra, as omniscient and all-seeing.
Then those venerable elders paid homage and obeisance to the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra. Having paid homage and obeisance, they spoke thus:
“We desire, Venerable Sir, in your presence, having adopted the Dharma of the five great vows along with repentance in place of the fourfold Dharma, to wander as ascetics.”
“Do as you please, beloved of the gods, but do not make delay.”
Then those venerable elders belonging to the tradition of Pārśva, having adopted the Dharma of the five great vows along with repentance in place of the fourfold Dharma, wandered as ascetics until, with their final inhalations and exhalations, they became liberated souls, enlightened, freed, emancipated, rid of all suffering. Some were reborn in the celestial realms.

“How many kinds of celestial realms, Venerable Sir, have been taught?”
“Gautama, four kinds of celestial realms have been taught, namely: by the division into mansion-dwelling, wandering, stellar, and abode-dwelling gods.
The mansion-dwelling gods are of ten kinds, the wandering gods of eight kinds, the stellar gods of five kinds, and the abode-dwelling gods of two kinds.”

“What is this Rājagṛha?”, illumination and darkness, and the units of time, / the question of Pārśva’s followers, nights-and-days, and celestial realms.

“So it is, Venerable Sir! So it is, Venerable Sir!”