The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c11.93

c11.93

§181. Umāsvāti in commenting on T. 10, 7 (p. 316 of the ed.) says that the monk who has come to be on the first two grades of the *śukla-dhyāna* possesses miraculous powers (*ṛddhi*) a number of which are quoted by the commentator. This, however, is but an attempt to incorporate the magic faculties (*iddhi*, *laddhi*, *siddhi*) frequently mentioned in the Canon into the system, by the way, in a rather unfitting place, for he who has come to reach the "pure" grade of meditation may be supposed to be above those magic tricks¹ presently to be mentioned. For not only that they do not belong to this grade of meditation, they have nothing at all to do with the road leading to salvation. In their being referred to we have to see a concession made to the popular belief ascribing certain supernatural powers to the men exercising asceticism all over the country. Acc. to Uvav. § 24 (comp. Hc. Yog. 1, 8; Mahānis. p. 75) it is "some" monks not differentiated in detail to whom this is done. Their powers are inexhaustible (*koṭṭha-buddhi*), they develop the object independently out of its very first beginnings (*biya-b.*) and then work it up¹ (*pada-b.*).² In studying they have the gift of combination (*payāṇusāri*),³ and they seem to be capable of taking in the most different lectures at the same time (*sambhinna-soya*).⁴ As to cognition they occupy the fourth grade, where the ujju-mai goes along with the siula-m. (§ 80). Other gifts impress the masses more strongly: these monks are capable of distributing curse and blessing, to touch them is considered as beneficial as are their excrements, they procure milk, honey, and butter, and they cause supplies never to run short.¹ The curse (sāva) does not figure prominently in the texts, and its rôle is taken rather by the magic flash, the teya which may be hurled by some infuriated monk or god. An action of that kind is the teya-nisagga, and we read Viy. 678a how he who is struck is immediately burnt to ashes by the teya or the teya-lessā. Thāṇ. 520b, however, also refers to other cases in which the fiery missile causes blisters (phoḍa and pula) and acts upon its object in a more indirect way. The teya-lessā accumulates (saṃkhitta Viy. 666b)² through asceticism and, accordingly, it also goes by the name of tava-teya.³ Hurling is done by means of a samugghāya (Viy. 665b; 678b), and probably it is here that we have the model for the homonymous practices in the system (§ 89). It is worth remarking that Mahāvīra counters the hot missile of his opponent (sā’usiṇā t.-l.)⁴ with a cool one of his own siyaliyā t.-l.) (Viy. 666a) which is contrary to the nature of the subject.