Agam 05 Ang 05 Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra Part 02 Bhagvai Terapanth

SR No.: 006599
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Tulsi Acharya, Mahapragna Acharya, Mahendramuni, Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati
Publication Year: 2009
Total Pages: 740
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Agam, Canon, & agam_bhagwati
File Size: 20 MB

Page 149

Bhagavai 3:4:188-190
~: 125
clusters, creating, by his protean power, the varied forms of all kinds (of bodies of humans and animals) inhabiting Rajgṛha, enter in the interior of the Vaibhara Mountain and make its even surface uneven and vice-versa? "O Gautama! this is not possible."
3.189 anagare nam bhamte! bhaviappä bähirae poggale pariyäittä jävaiyaim rayagihe nagare rüväim, evaiyaim vikuvvittä vebhāram pavvayam anto anuppavisitta pabhu samam vā visamam karettae? visamam vā samam karettae? hamtā pabha.
Can a self-cultivated ascetic, O Lord! appropriate external material clusters, creating by his protean power, the varied forms of all kinds (of bodies of human and animals) inhabiting Rajagṛha, enter in the interior of the Vaibhara Mountain and make its even surface uneven and vice-versa? "Yes, he can."
3.190 se bhamte! kim mal vikukuvvai? amâi vikuvvai? goyama! mat vikuvvai, no amal vikuvvai.
Does he, O Lord! exercise his protean power (for formation of forms) as one instigated by deceit or one free from deceit1?
"O Gautama! it is the deceitful (one instigated by deceit)' that exercises his protean power, and not the un-deceitful (one who is free from deceit)","
Bhasya
1,2. Deceitful, Un-deceitful
The expression deceitful (māyā) has more than one meaning; one meaning of maya is crookedness, the third variety of passions. Among the three (psychical) thorns, the first is 'deceit. Another meaning of māyā is Sambari Vidya-sorcery. magic.' The person who knows maya is called māyākāra or mayī. The Vṛtti has explained may as 'a person possessed of passions' or 'a person possessed of remissness'. According to it, the person devoid of remissness cannot exercise protean power. This opinion of the Vṛtti is directly confirmed by the text, "no umāyi vikuvvat." This interpretation of the Vṛtti needs scrutiny. The amayi also exercises the protean power-potential. Now, if mayi is explained as 'remiss' and amāyī as 'non-remiss', how could the latter exercise the protean power; because absence of remissness confers on him a higher status that prevents him from such detrimental act. The whole dialogue given in sutras 3.231-239 (supra) describes creation of protean body by the amayi. Here, the meaning of mayr as 'remiss' or 'possessed of passions' is obviously irrelevant.
In the present dialogue, mayr plausibly stands for one who practises incantation and auspicious rite, inspired by the cultivation of sorcery or occult power. In support of this guess of ours, there are sutras 3.219-220 (supra), according to which, the mayi ascetic is born in the heaven of 'attendant gods" and the amāyī ascetics is