________________
232
Bhagavati Sūtra
ration, assimilation, absorption, fructification, suffering and exhaustion. These are major steps by which all matter-particles are thrown out and the soul is liberated. But in between, certain matter-atoms need special attention in order to be thrown out. Hence certain new terms have been introduced. They are:
uvvattana-increase/decrease of effect (rasa);
sankāmaṇa-process of altering, say, short-span ones into long-span ones, and vice versa ;
nihattana-process of piling up matter-particles one on the other in a heap; and
nikāyaṇa-process of cementing the entire bunch of matterparticles into one inseparable unit, to be thrown out together at one stroke.
In all, then, they take 18 forms as follows:
Separation, assimilation,
absorption,
in
fructification, suffering, exhaustion Effect (rasa) increased / decreased, creasing/decreasing, to be increased/to be decreased
Altered, altering, to be altered Piled, piling, to be piled
Cemented, cementing, to be cemented
32. The calculations are as follows:
one śvāsa-one prāṇa seven prāņas-one stoka seven stokas=one lava 77 lavas one muhurta (48 minutes, antar-muhurta is less than 48 minutes pakşa is a fortnight.
3333
18
33. Literally, it should mean missing four principal meals, two on the fast day, one in the afternoon of the day preceding, and one in the morning of the day following the fast.
