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VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
153
CHAPTER VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION?
Of yore, monks, in the past, incalculable, more than incalculable, inconceivable, immense, measureless Æons since, nay, at a period, an epoch far beyond, there appeared in the world a Tathagata, &c., named Mahâbhigñagñânâbhibha, endowed with science and conduct?, a Sugata, &c. &c., in the sphere Sambhava (i. e. origin, genesis), in the period Maharūpa. (You ask), monks, how long ago is it that the Tathagata was born ? Well, suppose some man was to reduce to powder the whole mass of the earth element as much as is to be found in this whole universe; that after taking one atom of dust from this world he is to walk a thousand worlds farther in easterly direction to deposit that single atom; that after taking a second atom of.dust and walking a thousand worlds farther he deposits that second atom, and proceeding in this way at last gets the whole of the earth element deposited in eastern
? Pârvayoga, which recurs as the heading of chaps. XXII and XXV, would at first sight seem to mean .former conjunction,' but that does not answer any more than ancient devotion. I think that yoga here is an alteration of yuga, age, period, or a Prâkritism for yauga, i.e. referring to an age. A Sanskrit pūrvayauga would be formed like pârva-yâyâta, &c.; cf. Panini VI, 2, 103. The original meaning of purva-yoga is, I suppose, pre-history. Cf. pubbayogo ti pubbakammam, Milinda Panho, p. 2.
i I. e. with light and motion.
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| SR No. | 007677 |
| Book Title | Saddharma Pundarika |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | H Kern |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1884 |
| Total Pages | 2546 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 46 MB |