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ÂKÂRÂNGA SÚTRA.
FIRST BOOK'.
FIRST LECTURE,
CALLED KNOWLEDGE OF THE WEAPON.
First LESSONS O long-lived (Gambdsvâmin)! I (Sudharman) have heard the following discourse from the venerable (Mahavira): (1)
Here many do not remember whether they have descended in an eastern direction (when they were born in this world), or in a southern, or in a western, or in a northern direction, or in the direction from above, or in the direction from below, or in a direction intermediate (between the cardinal points), or in a direction intermediate between these and the
1 Suyakkhamdha, srutaskandha.
Agghayana, adhyayana. The first lecture is c parinnà (sastra-parigña), knowledge of the weapon.' Weapons are divided into material weapon and weapon consisting in a state (bhava). The latter is explained to be non-control (a samyama) or the wrong use of mind, speech, and body. Knowledge (parigña) is twofold: comprehension and renunciation. The subject of the first lecture is, therefore, the comprehension and renunciation of everything that hurts other beings.
• Uddesaya, uddesaka.
• Gambûsvâmin was the disciple of Sudharman, one of the eleven chief disciples (ganadhara) of Mahavira.
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