Viyahapannatti 18.3.729

18.3.729

Then that homeless ascetic Māgaṃdiyaputta arose, and having arisen, went to where the śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra was. Having approached, he paid homage and bowed down to the śramaṇa, the Lord Mahāvīra, and having paid homage and bowed down, he spoke thus:
“Venerable Sir, when a homeless ascetic of cultivated self is experiencing all karma, dissipating all karma, dying every death, abandoning every body; experiencing the final karma, dissipating the final karma, dying the final death, abandoning the final body; experiencing the karma of the time of death, dissipating the karma of the time of death, dying the death of the time of death, abandoning the body of the time of death—are those final dissipated pudgalas declared to be subtle pudgalas, O long-lived śramaṇa, and do they pervade the entire universe and remain?”
“Yes, Māgaṃdiyaputta. When a homeless ascetic of cultivated self is experiencing all karma […] those final dissipated pudgalas are declared to be subtle pudgalas, O long-lived śramaṇa, and they pervade the entire universe and remain.”
“Venerable Sir, does an unliberated human know or see any difference or variety, inferiority or insignificance, heaviness or lightness of those dissipated pudgalas?”
“Māgaṃdiyaputta, that matter is not meaningful.”
“For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said: ‘An unliberated human does not know or see any difference or variety, inferiority or insignificance, heaviness or lightness of those dissipated pudgalas’?”
“Māgaṃdiyaputta, there is even a certain deity who does not know or see any difference or variety, inferiority or insignificance, heaviness or lightness of those dissipated pudgalas. For that reason, Māgaṃdiyaputta, it is said: ‘An unliberated human does not know or see any difference or variety, inferiority or insignificance, heaviness or lightness of those dissipated pudgalas; those pudgalas are declared to be subtle, O long-lived śramaṇa, and they pervade the entire universe and remain.’ ”
“Venerable Sir, do inhabitants of hell know and see those dissipated pudgalas? Do they consume them as nourishment? Or do they neither know nor see them, nor consume them as nourishment?”
“Māgaṃdiyaputta, inhabitants of hell do not know or see those dissipated pudgalas, but they consume them as nourishment. Likewise up to five-sensed animals.”
“Venerable Sir, do humans know and see those dissipated pudgalas? Do they consume them as nourishment? Or do they neither know nor see them, nor consume them as nourishment?”
“Māgaṃdiyaputta, some know and see, and consume them as nourishment; some do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment.”
“For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said: ‘Some know and see, and consume them as nourishment; some do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment’?”
“Māgaṃdiyaputta, humans are declared to be of two kinds: sentient and non-sentient. There, those who are non-sentient do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment. There, those who are sentient are declared to be of two kinds: attentive and non-attentive. There, those who are non-attentive do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment. There, those who are attentive know and see, and consume them as nourishment. For that reason, Māgaṃdiyaputta, it is said: ‘Some do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment; some know and see, and consume them as nourishment.’ Vāṇamantara and Jyotiṣka deities are like inhabitants of hell.”
“Venerable Sir, do Vaimānika deities know and see those dissipated pudgalas? Do they consume them as nourishment?
[Māgaṃdiyaputta, they are of two kinds: deceitful ones born with wrong view] and deceitless ones born with right view. There, those who are deceitful and born with wrong view do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment. There, those who are deceitless and born with right view are declared to be of two kinds: those immediately born and those born earlier. There, those who are immediately born do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment. There, those who are born earlier are declared to be of two kinds: developed and undeveloped. There, those who are undeveloped do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment. There, those who are developed are declared to be of two kinds: attentive and non-attentive. There, those who are non-attentive do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment. There, those who are attentive know and see, and consume them as nourishment. For that reason, Māgaṃdiyaputta, it is said: ‘Some do not know and do not see, but consume them as nourishment; some know and see, and consume them as nourishment.’ ”