Viyahapannatti 24.2.843

24.2.843

At Rājagṛha, up to: he spoke thus: "Venerable Sir! From where are Asurakumāras reborn? Are they reborn from inhabitants of hell? Or are they reborn from animals, humans, or deities?"
"Gautama! They are not reborn from inhabitants of hell; they are reborn from animals, they are reborn from humans, and they are reborn not from deities. In this manner, just as in the chapter on the inhabitants of hell, up to:
'Venerable Sir! When a developable non-sentient five-sensed animal is fit to be reborn among the Asurakumāras, among those of what lifespan duration may it be reborn?'
'Gautama! It may be reborn among those with a minimum duration of ten thousand years and a maximum duration of an innumerableth part of a palyopama.'
'Venerable Sir! How many of those jīvas are reborn in a single moment?' In this way, all nine variations are to be stated just like the variations for the Ratnaprabhā earth, with this difference: when [the soul] itself is of minimum lifespan duration, then in all three variations the mental states are auspicious, not inauspicious. The rest is the very same.
'If they are reborn from sentient five-sensed animals: are they reborn from sentient five-sensed animals with a countable lifespan, or are they reborn from sentient five-sensed animals with an uncountable lifespan?'
'Gautama! They are reborn from those with a countable lifespan, up to: and they are reborn from those with an uncountable lifespan, up to:'
'Venerable Sir! When a sentient five-sensed animal with an uncountable lifespan is fit to be reborn among the Asurakumāras, among those of what lifespan duration may it be reborn?'
'Gautama! It may be reborn among those with a minimum duration of ten thousand years and a maximum duration of three palyopamas.'
'Venerable Sir! Those jīvas in a single moment—' [the full] question.
'Gautama! At a minimum one, two, or three are reborn; at a maximum, a countable number. They have vajra-ṛṣabha-nārāca physique. Their body size is at a minimum several dhanuṣas and at a maximum six gavyūtis. They are declared to have a symmetrical structure. They possess the first four lesyās. They are not possessors of right worldview, but possessors of wrong worldview; they are not possessors of mixed worldview. They are not possessors of knowledge, but possessors of ignorance—invariably possessing two types of ignorance: sensory ignorance and scriptural ignorance. All three activities [are present]. Both types of consciousness application [are present]. The four instincts [are present]. The four passions [are present]. The five senses [are present]. The first three types of samugghāta [occur]. They die having experienced it, and they also die without having experienced it. Feeling is of two kinds: experiencers of pleasant [feeling] and experiencers of unpleasant [feeling]. Gender is of two kinds: experiencers of female gender and experiencers of male gender, but not experiencers of neuter gender. Lifespan duration is at a minimum an excess pūrvakoṭī and at a maximum three palyopamas. Mental states are both auspicious and inauspicious. Continuity is just like lifespan duration. Transmigration of the soul according to birth is two rebirths; according to time, it may experience a minimum of an excess pūrvakoṭī increased by ten thousand years, and a maximum of six palyopamas—for such a time it may continue, and for such a time it may wander in rebirth and return.'
If that very same [soul] is reborn among those of minimum lifespan duration, this is the very same statement, with this difference: one should know the lifespan duration and transmigration of an Asurakumāra.
If that very same [soul] is reborn among those of maximum lifespan duration, it may be reborn among those with a minimum duration of three palyopamas and a maximum of three palyopamas—this is the very same statement, with this difference: its lifespan duration is at a minimum three palyopamas and at a maximum three palyopamas. Continuity is also like this. In terms of time, it may experience a minimum of six palyopamas and a maximum of six palyopamas—for such a time it may continue, and for such a time it may wander in rebirth and return; the rest is the very same.
If that very same [soul] is itself born with a minimum lifespan duration, it may be reborn among those with a minimum duration of ten thousand years and a maximum lifespan of an excess pūrvakoṭī.
'Venerable Sir! How many of those jīvas are reborn in a single moment?' The rest is the very same up to according to birth, with this difference: body size is at a minimum several dhanuṣas and at a maximum an excess thousand dhanuṣas. Lifespan duration is at a minimum an excess pūrvakoṭī and at a maximum an excess pūrvakoṭī. Continuity is also like this. In terms of time, it may experience a minimum of an excess pūrvakoṭī increased by ten thousand years, and a maximum of two excess pūrvakoṭīs—for such a time it may continue, and for such a time it may wander in rebirth and return.
If that very same [soul] is reborn among those of minimum lifespan duration, this is the very same statement, with this difference: one should know the lifespan duration and transmigration of an Asurakumāra.
If that very same [soul] is reborn among those of maximum lifespan duration, it may be reborn among those with a minimum lifespan of an excess pūrvakoṭī and a maximum lifespan of an excess pūrvakoṭī; the rest is the very same, with this difference: in terms of time, it may experience a minimum of two excess pūrvakoṭīs and a maximum of two excess pūrvakoṭīs—for such a time it may continue, and for such a time it may wander in rebirth and return.
If that very same [soul] is itself born with a maximum lifespan duration, that very first variation is to be stated, with this difference: lifespan duration is at a minimum three palyopamas and at a maximum three palyopamas. Continuity is also like this. In terms of time, it may experience a minimum of three palyopamas increased by ten thousand years, and a maximum of six palyopamas—for such a time it may continue, and for such a time it may wander in rebirth and return.
If that very same [soul] is reborn among those of minimum lifespan duration, this is the very same statement, with this difference: one should know the lifespan duration and transmigration of an Asurakumāra.
If that very same [soul] is reborn among those of maximum lifespan duration, [it may be reborn among those with a minimum] of three palyopamas and a maximum of three palyopamas—this is the very same statement, with this difference: in terms of time, it may experience a minimum of six palyopamas and a maximum of six palyopamas—for such a time it may continue, and for such a time it may wander in rebirth and return.
'If they are reborn from sentient five-sensed animals with a countable lifespan: are they reborn from aquatic animals?'—in this manner, up to:
'Venerable Sir! When a developable sentient five-sensed animal with a countable lifespan is fit to be reborn among the Asurakumāras, among those of what lifespan duration may it be reborn?'
'Gautama! It may be reborn among those with a minimum duration of ten thousand years and a maximum duration of an excess sāgaropama.'
'Venerable Sir! How many of those jīvas are reborn in a single moment?' In this way, nine variations similar to those of the Ratnaprabhā earth are to be known for these, with this difference: when [the soul] itself is of minimum lifespan duration, then in all three variations this is the distinction: four lesyās; mental states are auspicious, not inauspicious. The rest is the very same. Transmigration is to be calculated with an excess sāgaropama.
'If they are reborn from humans: are they reborn from sentient humans, or are they reborn from non-sentient humans?'
'Gautama! They are reborn from sentient humans, not from non-sentient humans.'
'If they are reborn from sentient humans: are they reborn from sentient humans with a countable lifespan, or are they reborn from sentient humans with an uncountable lifespan?'
'Gautama! They are reborn from sentient humans with a countable lifespan, and they are also reborn from sentient humans with an uncountable lifespan.'
'Venerable Sir! When a sentient human with an uncountable lifespan is fit to be reborn among the Asurakumāras, among those of what lifespan duration may it be reborn?'
'Gautama! It may be reborn among those with a minimum duration of ten thousand years and a maximum duration of three palyopamas.' In this way, the first three variations are to be known like those of animals with an uncountable lifespan, with this difference: body size in the first two variations is at a minimum an excess five hundred dhanuṣas and at a maximum three gavyūtis; the rest is the very same. In the third variation, body size is at a minimum three gavyūtis and at a maximum three gavyūtis. The rest is just like for animals.
If that very same [soul] is itself born with a minimum lifespan duration, for it also three variations are to be stated like those of animals of minimum lifespan duration, with this difference: body size in all three variations is at a minimum an excess five hundred dhanuṣas and at a maximum an excess five hundred dhanuṣas. The rest is the very same.
If that very same [soul] is itself born with a maximum lifespan duration, for it also those very same last three variations are to be stated, with this difference: body size in all three variations is at a minimum three gavyūtis and at a maximum three gavyūtis. The rest is the very same.
'If they are reborn from sentient humans with a countable lifespan: are they reborn from developable sentient humans with a countable lifespan, or are they reborn from undevelopable sentient humans with a countable lifespan?'
'Gautama! They are reborn from developable sentient humans with a countable lifespan, not from undevelopable sentient humans with a countable lifespan.'
'Venerable Sir! When a developable sentient human with a countable lifespan is fit to be reborn among the Asurakumāras, among those of what lifespan duration may it be reborn?'
'Gautama! It may be reborn among those with a minimum duration of ten thousand years and a maximum duration of an excess sāgaropama.'
'Venerable Sir! How many of those jīvas are reborn in a single moment?' In this way, just as nine variations were stated for those being reborn in the Ratnaprabhā earth, so here too nine variations are to be stated, with this difference: transmigration is to be calculated with an excess sāgaropama. The rest is the very same.
'It is so, Venerable Sir! It is so, Venerable Sir!' [said Gautama].