Agam 05 Ang 05 Study Of Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra

Author(s): Suzuko Ohira
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

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X VI.6). Six le'syas were allotted to A'M, the last four les yas to A' (earth, water, plant), and the last three le'sya to A'(fire, wind) and A The allocation of their le'syas in the cosmographic regions in the universe must have been made in a similar way. The content expressed in our Bhagavati x IV.1.499 seems to be evincing the beginning process of the formulation of the Jaina theory of le'sya as such, so let us place it in the late third canonical stage.
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A jiva's le'syä may change during his lifetime. However, the Jaina theoreticians created a rule that a jiva has to carry his last le's yā to his next gati. This makes it automatically clear which gati A with grey lesya, for instance, has to take next. He has no alternative choice but to take the form of H according to the rebirth chart of A'M>H.G, because grey le's ya is absent in G. He is thus to be born next as H with grey le'sya. It also mechanically determines his next birth place in loka unless his le'sya changes during his lifetime, for the cosmographic regions are expressed in terms of the corresponding le'syas of beings.
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This rule of rebirth in relation to the le'syä theory is as follws: A M(bk.b.g)>H (bk.b.g), A M(r.p.w)>G(r.p.w) (bk=black, b=blue, g=grey, r=red, p=pink, w=white). Here A'M(r.p.w) cannot be born as H, and A' M(bk.b.g) cannot be born as G. Let us take some other rebirth rules likewise as an example at random. In the case of 'H>A'M, it is expressed in the context of the le's ya theory in the following way: H(bk.b.g)>A'M(bk.b.g). In the case of A'M>H.A.M.G: A'M(bk.b.g)>H.A'(F.Wi)-6M(bk.b.g), A'M(bk.b.g.r)> A' (E.Wa.P)(bk.b.g.r), A M(bk.b.g.r.p.w)>A M(bk.b.g.r.p.w), and ATM M(r.p.w)>A'M.G(r.p.w) (E=Earth, F=Fire, P=Plant, Wa=Water, Wi=Wind). Here A'M(r.p.w) cannot be born as H and A'(F.Wi)- ; A M(bk.b.g) cannot be born as G; and A'M(p.w) cannot be born as A'(E.Wa.P). In case of A.M.G>A' (E.Wa.P): A' (E.Wa.P)A M(bk.b.g.r)>A' (E.Wa.P)(bk.b.g.r), A' (F.Wi)-(bk.b.g)>A'(E.W.P)(bk.b.g), G(r)>A'(E.Wa.P)(r). Here, A.M.G(p.w) cannot be born as A'(E.Wa.P). We learn from these examples that the le's ya theory helps the rebirth chart in pinpointing more exactly what a being's mobility from one gati to others will be in the universe. This may be considered another role vested on the Jaina theory of lesya.
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Le'sya was thus understood in terms of karma-le'sya in the beginning. XIV.9. 533 reads that a spiritually advanced monk cannot know or see his own karmale'sya but knows and sees a jiva in the material form accompanied by karmale'syā. This text is likely to belong to the early layer of the le'sya theory, which we place in the late third canonical period. V1.9.253 argues whether a deva with impure le'sya can or cannot know and see the pure or impure le'sya of the other deva or devi by concentrating, not concentrating or half concentrating his thought (here 'samohaya' must mean 'samahata' but not 'samudghata' nor. 'samavahata'). In all cases, the reply is nagative, but a deva with pure le's ya