Some Jaina Canonical Sutras c13: Chapter VIII: Upāsakadaśā (Uvāsagadasāo)

Some Jaina Canonical Sūtras c13

Language: English

Chapter VIII: Upāsakadaśā (Uvāsagadasāo)

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The *Uvāsagadasāo* (*Uvāsagadasāu* or *Upāsakadaśās*) is the seventh *aṅga*. It contains ten chapters (*ajjhayaṇas*) dealing with the legends about the ten *upāsakas* or pious householders who by means of asceticism obtained *mokṣa* or emancipation. The legends are all told after a stereotyped pattern in the most monotonous manner as rightly pointed out by Winternitz. This text has been edited with the Sanskrit commentary by Abhayadeva Sūri and translated into English with notes by Hoernle in the *Bibliotheca Indica Series*. The Āgamodaya Samiti has also published an edition of this text with Abhayadeva Sūri’s commentary. Leumann (*Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes*, 3, 1889) and Barth (*Revue de l’histoire des Religions*, Paris, 19, 1889) have carefully studied this text which contains mostly narratives. An elaborate metrical version of the contents of this *aṅga* in Prākṛit is available. The whole work seems to have been compiled for devotional purposes. It furnishes us with materials which give a vivid picture of the social life of those days. It contains the stories of pious householders who became lay adherents, the wealthy potter named Saddāla-putta, who was at first a follower of Makkhali Gosāla, but afterwards went over to Mahāvīra, and Kundakoliya whose faith in Mahāvīra remained unabated.

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In the *Uvāsagadasāo* (Lecture I) we find that Vāṇiyagāma or Vesālī was ruled by Jiyasattu. Vesālī and Videha were ruled by Ceḍaga, the maternal uncle of Mahāvīra. The same text refers to the site of an ancient shrine called Guṇasīla in the neighbourhood of Rājagṛha (VIII, 231). The Kālasilā was perhaps no other than what is called the site of Guṇasīla-caitya in this text. The settlement of Kollāga and the village of Bālaka at some distance from Nālandā were places that became scenes of early actions of Gosāla, the leader of the Ājīvikas, who met Mahāvīra first in Rājagṛha.¹

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¹ *Uvāsagadasāo*, Hoernle, App, pp 1-2

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There was a Jaina temple outside the town of Vāṇiyagāma which bore the name of Duipalāsa in the north-easterly direction.²

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² Hoernle, *Uvāsagadasāo*, I, p. 2. *Vāṇiyagāmassa nayarassa vahyā uttarapuratthime disibhāe Duipalāsae nāmam cere.*

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The town of Vāṇiyagāma mentioned in secs. 77-78 of the Uvāsagadasāo curiously agrees with the description of Vesālī given in the Tibetan Dulva.¹ Gautama, a senior disciple of Mahāvīra, addressed him thus ‘I desire, Revered Sir, with your permission, as the turn for the indulgence for my sixth meal has arrived, to go round the city of Vāṇiyagāma, to the upper, lower and middle classes, on a begging tour of house-to-house collection’²

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¹ Hoernle, Ibid, II, p 6

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² Ibid, I, p 36 Icchāmi nam, bhante, tubbhehim abbhanunāe chaṭṭhakkha manassa pāranagamsi vāṇiyagāme nayare uccāniyamajjhimām kulām gharasa muddānassa bhikkhāyariyāe aḍuttae

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Bārānasī, Kampillapura, Palāśapura and Ālabhī were the important towns within the kingdom of Jīyasattu (Uvāsagadasāo, pp 84, 85, 90, 95, 105, 160 and 163). All these places could be reached from Śrāvastī by convenient roads. In the neighbourhood of Śrāvastī there was a settlement (sannivesa) called Śaravana which was the birthplace of Gosāla Mankhaliputta, the great master of the Ājīvikas (Ibid, App I) Palāśapura was another important centre of the Ājīvikas (Ibid, p. 105).

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There lived at Benares a prosperous householder named Sūrādeva. He possessed a very rich treasure of gold and herds. He took upon himself the law of the householder and lived in conformity with the teachings of the law which he had received from Mahāvīra.³ Another prosperous householder named Cūlaṇipiya lived at Benares. His wife was named Sāmā He possessed a treasure of gold and herds. He was the cause of prosperity to whatever business he was concerned with At a certain time Mahāvīra came and a congregation went out from Benares to hear him. He lived in conformity with the teachings of the law which he received from Mahāvīra Afterwards through lofty ascetic practices he was reborn as a deva (Uvāsagadasāo, II, pp. 90-98) The Uvāsagadasāo refers to the early career of Mahāvīra as a teacher when there seems to have been an alliance of Kāsī-Kośala, Anga, Ālavī, Videha, Vaiśālī, Pāvā and Kusīnārā against the growing power of Magadha. But in spite of such an alliance, Anga was conquered by Bimbisāra and permanently annexed to Magadha. Kunika-Ajātaśatru, son of Bimbisāra, is represented throughout the Jaina literature as the king of Anga (Campā).

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³ Ibid, p 84 Bānārasim nāma nayarī Kotthae cere Sūrādeve gāhāvai addhe Cha hiraṇakoḍio jāva Cha vayā dasagosāhassrenam vaenam paḍivajjar gihidhammam samanassa Bhagavao Mahāvirassa dhamma-panattim uvasampajjittānam viharai

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The text, as its title implies, is solely concerned with the matters relating to the good life of the laity. In the Pāli canon the *Saṅgīti Suttanta*¹ is similarly devoted to the whole duty of a noble householder. In the *Aṅguttara Nikāya* there are several sections dealing with the life of householders. In the Pāli discourses the instructions are of a more general than of sectarian interest. Here in the Jaina text the dominant motive is to guide the conduct of the Jaina laity. It is pointed out that the fatalistic creed of Gosāla is unethical. So Jainism is insistent on a view of life which makes a person morally responsible for his deeds. The Jaina *upāsakas* are called upon to fulfil the twelve vows, the five of which are lesser (*anuvratas*) and the seven disciplinary (*śikṣāvratikas*). The ideal life of the Jain householder Ānanda is a glaring instance of how these vows could be practised. The five essential vows are the five *mahāvratas*. Ānanda took the solemn vows to abandon injury to living beings, indulgence in lying speech, theft, adultery, and hankering after wealth beyond what is legitimately one’s own. He was desired to reduce the use of personal things such as toilet, clothings, food and drink.

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¹ Digha, III, pp 207-271, B C Law, *A History of Pāli Literature*, vol I, p. 114.

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The five gross transgressions of the vow of non-injury consist in coercion, violence, dismemberment of the body, overloading and starving others. The five gross transgressions of the vow of truthfulness consist in false accusation under the influence of passion, false accusation in secrecy, betrayal of the confidence of one’s wife, communication of false information, and falsification of documents. The five gross transgressions of the vow of honesty consist in the receipt of stolen property, employment of thieves, smuggling, use of false weights and measures and trade in contrabands. The five gross transgressions of the vow of conjugal fidelity on the part of the husband consist in visiting a concubine, visiting a respectable woman, amorous dalliance with other women, arranging marriages for strangers, and excessive sex indulgence. The five gross transgressions of the vow of non-excess in worldly possessions consist in exceeding one’s limit in the matter of landed property, gold, livestock, money, foodstuff, and utensils.

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The five typical transgressions of the vow of quarters (*dikvrata*) consist in going beyond the limit in the upward, the downward and horizontal directions, enlarging the space limit of one’s movement and failure of memory. The five typical transgressions of the law of abstention from unprofitable employment consist in talking about things of an amorous import, behaving like a buffoon, talking about impure things, assisting in a bad thing and exceeding the need of things of personal use.

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The five typical transgressions of the law of equanimity consist in indulgence in evil thought, evil speech and evil deed, forgetfulness of the law of equanimity and want of proper attention to the law of equanimity.

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The five typical transgressions of the law of keeping within a certain place consist in the employment of one’s family members as messengers, the employment of one’s servants as messengers, communication by word of mouth, communication by gestures, and intimation by sign.

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The five typical transgressions of the law of keeping the sabbath (posadha) consist in the use of a bed which is unexamined or badly examined, which is unwiped or badly wiped, the use of a spot for easing nature which is unexamined or badly examined, which is unwiped or badly wiped, and the imperfect observance of the abstinences prescribed.

Cites (3)

Uvāsagadasāo — Sudharman, Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit
Saṅgītisutta — Pāli
Dīghanikāya — Pāli