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## First Study: The Story of Ananda
[67. There are four parables established for the gods who have attained liberation, and there are four parables established for the happiness of the monk and the attainment of liberation.
Gautama asked the Lord Mahavira, "Bhanta! Is the monk Ananda capable of becoming a monk and a renunciate?"
The Lord said, "Gautama! This is not possible. The monk Ananda will follow the path of the Shramanopasaka, the Shravaka, and the Dharma for many years (he will diligently follow the eleven virtues of the Upasaka, ultimately he will perform a one-month Sanlekhana and sixty meals - a one-month fast, he will perform Alochana Pratikramana - criticism of known and unknown faults, and he will leave his body in a state of Samadhi at the appropriate time). He will be born as a god in the Saudharma-kalpa, in the Saudharma devlok, in the Arunabha vimana. There, the lifespan of many gods is four Palyopama (a specific measure of time). The lifespan of the monk Ananda will also be four Palyopama. Discussion
The word 'Palyopama' used here is a special, very long period of time. It is used extensively in Jain literature. In the present Agam, it is used to indicate the celestial lifespan of the Shravakas in each study.
The meaning of Paly or Pall is a well or a very large storehouse of grain. Because of the calculation of time based on it or its comparison, this period of time is called 'Palyopama'.
There are three types of Palyopama: 1. Uddhar-Palyopama, 2. Adha-Palyopama, 3. Kshetra-Palyopama. Imagine an Uddhar-Palyopama, a large storehouse of grain or a well that is one yojana (four kos) long, one yojana wide, and one yojana deep. Take the very small pieces of hair of a newborn yogalic child who is seven days old, and fill that storehouse or well tightly with them. The filling should be so dense that fire cannot burn it, the army of a Chakravarti can pass over it without a single particle moving, and the flow of the Ganges can pass over it without any effect. From this filled well, one hair-piece is taken out at a time. The amount of time it takes to empty the well is called Uddhar-Palyopama. Uddhar means to take out. Because of the taking out or removal of hair, it is called Uddhar-Palyopama. This is considered a numerical measure of time.
There are two types of Uddhar-Palyopama: subtle and practical. The above description is of the practical Uddhar-Palyopama. The subtle Uddhar-Palyopama is as follows:
In the practical Uddhar-Palyopama, the hair of the yogalic child that was used to fill the well, each piece is divided into countless invisible parts. From these subtle parts, the previously mentioned well...
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