Viyahapannatti 11.12.528

11.12.528

Then, at another time, the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra, set out from the city of Ālabhiyā, from the Śaṅkhavana caitya; having set out, he wandered touring the countryside outside.
At that time, in that period, there was a city named Ālabhiyā—a description [is to be supplied]. There, there was a caitya named Śaṅkhavana—a description [is to be supplied]. Not far from, close to that Śaṅkhavana caitya, there lived a wandering ascetic named Poggala, fully accomplished in the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, up to the Brahmanical and ascetic doctrines and systems of logic. By means of uninterrupted austerities of fasting for two successive days, raising up his arms again and again, facing the sun, he spent his time subjecting himself to heat-penance on the ground for practicing heat-penance.
Then, as that wandering ascetic Poggala was subjecting himself to heat-penance on the ground for practicing heat-penance with raised-up arms facing the sun through uninterrupted austerities of fasting for two successive days, through his innate goodness, his innate tranquility, his innately attenuated anger, pride, deceit, and greed, his endowment with mildness and gentle modesty, his modesty, and his humility, at another time, through the destruction-cum-suppression of the obscuring karmas, as he made reasoning, reflection, searching, and investigation, the knowledge named vibhaṅga arose [in him]. Endowed with that arisen vibhaṅga knowledge, he knew and saw the lifespan duration of the gods in the Brahmaloka heaven.
Then, in that wandering ascetic Poggala, there arose this internal, thoughtful, reflective, mentally conceived consideration: “Indeed, extraordinary knowledge and vision have arisen in me. In the heavenly realms, the minimum lifespan duration of the gods is declared to be ten thousand years; beyond that, it is exceeded by one samaya, exceeded by two samayas, up to exceeded by an innumerous number of samayas; at the maximum, the lifespan duration is declared to be ten sāgaropamas. Beyond that, gods and heavenly realms cease to exist.” Having reflected thus, he stepped down from the ground for heat-penance; having stepped down, he took up the triple staff, the water-pot, up to the ochre-dyed garments; having taken them, he approached where the city of Ālabhiyā was, where the abode of the wandering ascetics was; having approached, he set down his ascetic utensils; having done so, at the triangular plots, junctions of three roads, crossroads, squares, junctions of four roads, highways, and streets of the city of Ālabhiyā, he expounded up to propagated to one another:
“Truly, O beloved of the gods, extraordinary knowledge and vision have arisen in me. In the heavenly realms, the minimum lifespan duration of the gods is declared to be ten thousand years; beyond that, exceeded by one samaya, exceeded by two samayas, up to exceeded by an innumerous number of samayas; at the maximum, the lifespan duration is declared to be ten sāgaropamas. Beyond that, gods and heavenly realms cease to exist.”
Then, having heard and grasped this matter from the presence of the wandering ascetic Poggala, the multitude of people at the triangular plots, junctions of three roads, crossroads, squares, junctions of four roads, highways, and streets of the city of Ālabhiyā expounded up to propagated to one another:
“Indeed, O beloved of the gods, the wandering ascetic Poggala expounds up to propagates thus: ‘Truly, O beloved of the gods, extraordinary knowledge and vision have arisen in me: indeed, in the heavenly realms, the minimum lifespan duration of the gods is declared to be ten thousand years; beyond that, exceeded by one samaya, exceeded by two samayas, up to exceeded by an innumerous number of samayas; at the maximum, the lifespan duration is declared to be ten sāgaropamas. Beyond that, gods and heavenly realms cease to exist.’ How is this to be believed to be so?”
The Master arrived; the assembly came out. The Dharma was taught; the assembly departed. The venerable Gautama, in the same manner, while wandering for alms, heard the talk of the multitude of people; having heard it, everything is to be related in the same way up to: “I, however, O Gautama, expound thus, speak thus, up to propagate thus: In the heavenly realms, the minimum lifespan duration of the gods is declared to be ten thousand years; beyond that, exceeded by one samaya, exceeded by two samayas, up to exceeded by an innumerous number of samayas; at the maximum, the lifespan duration is declared to be thirty-three sāgaropamas. Beyond that, gods and heavenly realms cease to exist.”
[Gautama asked:] “Venerable Sir, are there in the Saudharma heaven substances possessing color and lacking color, possessing odor and lacking odor, possessing taste and lacking taste, possessing touch and lacking touch, bound to one another, touched by one another, bound and touched by one another, that abide in the condition of one another’s mass?”
[The Lord replied:] “Yes, Gautama, there are.”
[Gautama asked:] “Likewise in Īśāna, likewise up to Acyuta, likewise in the Graiveyaka abodes, in the Anuttara abodes too, in Īṣatprāgbhārā also, up to…?”
[The Lord replied:] “Yes, Gautama, there are.”
Then that very large assembly, having arisen in whatever direction, departed back in that very direction.
Then the multitude of people at the triangular plots, junctions of three roads, crossroads, squares, junctions of four roads, highways, and streets of the city of Ālabhiyā expounded up to propagated to one another:
“That which the wandering ascetic Poggala, O beloved of the gods, expounded up to propagated: ‘Truly, O beloved of the gods, extraordinary knowledge and vision have arisen in me: indeed, in the heavenly realms, the minimum lifespan duration of the gods is declared to be ten thousand years; beyond that, exceeded by one samaya, exceeded by two samayas, up to exceeded by an innumerous number of samayas; at the maximum, the lifespan duration is declared to be ten sāgaropamas. Beyond that, gods and heavenly realms cease to exist’—that matter is not correct. The Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra expounds up to: In the heavenly realms, the minimum lifespan duration of the gods is declared to be ten thousand years; beyond that, exceeded by one samaya, exceeded by two samayas, up to exceeded by an innumerous number of samayas; at the maximum, the lifespan duration is declared to be thirty-three sāgaropamas. Beyond that, gods and heavenly realms cease to exist.”
Then that wandering ascetic Poggala, having heard and grasped this matter from the multitude of people, became suspicious, doubtful, skeptical, unsettled, and perturbed. Then, in that wandering ascetic Poggala—who had become suspicious, doubtful, skeptical, unsettled, and perturbed—that vibhaṅga knowledge quickly fell away.
Then, in that wandering ascetic Poggala, there arose this internal, thoughtful, reflective, mentally conceived consideration: “Indeed, the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra is the founder of the path, the tīrthaṅkara, up to the omniscient, the all-seeing, traveling through space by means of the wheel [of Dharma], up to taking up a suitable temporary lodging at the Śaṅkhavana caitya, and abides disciplining himself through self-restraint and austerity. Therefore, great is the fruit indeed of even hearing the name and lineage of such arhats and Lords, not to mention approaching, venerating, paying homage to, questioning, and attending upon them! Great is the fruit of even hearing a single noble, righteous, good word, not to mention grasping the extensive meaning!
Therefore, let me go to the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra, venerate him up to attend upon him; this will be for our benefit, happiness, forbearance, final beatitude, and future well-being both in this world and the next world.” Reflecting thus, he approached where the abode of the wandering ascetics was; having approached, he entered the abode of the wandering ascetics; having entered, he took up the triple staff, the water-pot, up to the ochre-dyed garments; having taken them, he departed from the abode of the wandering ascetics; having departed, with his vibhaṅga knowledge fallen away, he passed right through the midst of the city of Ālabhiyā; having passed through, he approached where the Śaṅkhavana caitya was, where the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra was; having approached, he venerated and paid homage to the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra three times; having venerated and paid homage, neither too close nor too far, eager to listen, paying homage, facing [him] with modesty and hands folded in supplication, he attended upon him.
Then the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra expounded the Dharma to the wandering ascetic Poggala and to that very large assembly up to: he became an observer of the teaching.
Then that wandering ascetic Poggala, having heard and grasped the Dharma from the presence of the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra, just like Khandaka up to went away to the north-eastern direction; having gone away, he abandoned the triple staff, the water-pot, up to the ochre-dyed garments in a solitary place; having abandoned them, he performed the five-handful plucking of the hair himself; having done so, he circumambulated the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra three times from left to right; having done so, he venerated and paid homage; having venerated and paid homage, just as Ṛṣabhadatta was initiated, in the same way he was initiated, in the same way studied the eleven Aṅgas, in the same way everything up to became free from all suffering.
“Venerable Sir!” said the venerable Gautama, venerating and paying homage to the Śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra; having venerated and paid homage, he spoke thus: “Venerable Sir, with which bone-structure do jīvas attain liberation when becoming liberated?”
“Gautama, they attain liberation with the bone-structure of adamantine-double-interlocking-and-bolted joints (vajra-ṛṣabha-nārāca); in this manner, just as in the Aupapātika, exactly so.
Bone-structure, bodily configuration, height, and lifespan, and residence;
In this way, the entire discourse on liberation is to be recited without remainder, up to:
‘The liberated souls experience everlasting, unobstructed bliss.’
‘It is so, Venerable Sir! It is so, Venerable Sir!’”