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Sāra, A-sara, Sam-sāra
143
(Vikramacarita Southern Recension of 7, p.78. lines 16-18)
"Though he was thus endowed with all good fortune, there arose in his heart a consciousness of the transiency of all goods : 'How now! unprofitable is this round of existence, and the whole mass of objects of wealth is transient.”
(Edgerton) 8.9
(1-8) One should always think of asărată of saṁsāra :
Kāharniśam anucintyā saṁsārāsāratā na tu pramadā || Kā preyasī vidheyā karunā dākṣinyam atha maitrī ||
(IS. 1717) “What should be thought of day and night ? Essencelessness (asāratā) of the world of transmigration (samsāra), but not women.
What should be taken to be the dearest ? Compassion, skilfulness and friendliness."
II
(2) asāra (nihsāra) and sāra.
(2-1) asāra and sāra.
Prior to considering asāre samsāre sāra, it is convenient to examine passages where the two words, asāra and sāra, are contrasted. (2-1-1) The best known example is found in the Pāli Dhammapada.
Asāre sāra-matino 10 sāre cāsāra-dassino | te sāram nādhigacchanti micchā-sankappa-gocarā || 11 Sārāñ ca sārato ñatvā asārāñ ca asārato te sāras adhigacchanti sammā-sankappa-gocarā ||
(Dhammapada 12)
"Holding the essential in the unessential, and seeing in the essential the unessential, they fail to reach the essential, their judgement being subject to error.
Knowing the essential as the essential and the unessential as the unessential, they reach the essential, their judgement being subject to right."12
