The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c8.53

c8.53

Pannav. 423a points out that the body of transposition is exclusively destined to serve pious persons in the Karman places (§ 117) who own magic powers (*iddhi-patta*), but who have not yet succeeded in accomplishing self-discipline (*pamatta-samjaya*), whereas acc. to Devanandin on T. 2, 37, 49 it is meant to prove those powers, to solve subtile dogmatic questions, and to escape any violation of self-discipline.² It is defined by T. 2, 49, and its possession is confined to those who are in command of the 14 Puvva, i.e. its occurrence is antedated by Umāsvāti and located in the historical past. We may be allowed to assume that rather than āhāraka "attracting"¹ its name should be ādhāraka in that the body represents a "vessel" either for him who, for the time of 1 muhutta at the longest (T. p. 60, 9), slips into it which is no higher than a rayaṇa, or else for the instruction brought home by its bearer from a consultative magic change of place. But it was not before Umāsvāti that the latter purpose was introduced. The body of transposition does not exist simultaneously with that of transformation, as this is neither the case with magic powers by which they are generated. The Karman body is the individual formation given its shape by deeds previously wrought. The fiery body has to be understood as a bearer of potential energies, and by being allotted to all beings the latter are attributed a latent energy which may manifest itself with individual persons on the ground of magic power (labdhi). This power will appear a. o. as an radiation of either heat or coolness as an effect of either curse or blessing (comp. the teya-nisagga which provides the name for Viy. 15). The teachers referred to by Umāsvāti on T. 2, 43 are wrong in considering only those exceptional persons, as is Devanandin in adding his Sūtra to T. 2, 48. Not enough with the functions mentioned, Siddhasena (T. S. 59) and Haribhadra (T.S. 56), understand the fiery body to cause digestion, but we think it improbable that of all five bodies the finest but one should serve that purpose. All bodies except the earthly one are closely linked with the soul (jīva-phuḍa, Ṭhāṇ. 251b).