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FASTING UNTO DEATH ACCORDING TO THE JAINA TRADITION
53
The text sums up Khandaga's religious life: after having studied the sacred texts, fulfilled the life of a perfect and heroic niggantha for twelve years, he wasted himself away in starvation, withheld from himself sixty meals', 'confessed, repented (and made appropriate atonement), he correctly attained the perfect religious dispositions, and he progressively ended his life'. 36
His companions, knowing that he has passed away, observe the rites of renunciation which should favour Khandaga's nivvāna. They collect his religious insignia, descend Mount Vipula, inform Mahāvīra, and give him the robe and bowl of their dead companion. Questioned, Mahāvīra answers that Khandaga will be reborn as a god in one of the highest heavens; and that, after an ultimate rebirth, in the Mahāvideha Continent, he will reach Deliverance. 37
This passage of the Viy(āhapannatti) is perfectly clear: samlehaņā cannot be resorted to except after a long, progressive training, a life in which every progress has been tested. 38 In Khandaga's
ritual career, three stages are registered: 1. the perfect observance of all vows; 2. the observance of more and more difficult austerities; 3. then, and only because circumstances were favour
1. the per difficult
With sasiram vosirāmi, cp. Bhagavā ... āyu-samkhāram ossaji, Digha Nikāya (PTS) II 106, 22 (on which J. Filliozat, 'La mort volontaire', 31-32).
On samlehaņā, 'kāyasya tapasā kļši-karanam' and jhūsaņā, 'castigation', Leumann, Aup, Gloss., s.v. S. and jhüs, jhūsiya.
36 Barnett's trsl. (with changes). - Sāmāiya-m-āiyāim ikkārasa Angāim ahijjittā, bahu-padipuņņāim duvālasa-vāsāim
samanna-pariyāgam pāuṇittā, māsiyāe samlehaņāe attānam jhūsittă saffhim bhattain anasaņāe cheditta aloiya-padikkante samāhi-patte āņupuvvie kāla-gae, ib, 19-21. - On sāmāiya, etc. and Angas, Lehre 37; 151 and 40; Caillat, Candāv, p. 106-107.
37 Accue kappe devattāe uvavanne ... Mahāvidehe väse sijjhihiti bujjhihiti muccihiti parinivvähiti savva-dukkhāņam antam karehiti, ib, 426, 5-10.
38 Cp. J. Filliozat, 'La mort volontaire', specially p. 31; 45f. The author shows how the Buddhist arhat is systematically trained by Buddhist discipline, so that, in the end, he is psychically detached and corporeally insensible. His soul is absolutely free. He sees his individuality as an object from which he is totally dissociated. If, then, he puts an end to his life, his act is absolutely passionless. He just gets rid of his mortal coil, which has become altogether vain and useless. His death can, to a certain extent, be compared with that of the Buddha himself who, according to the Mahāparinibbāna-sutta, let drift away the constituents of life, the vital principles (supra n. 35; also n. 6, on Buddhaghosa's position). In brahmanism, cf. J. Filliozat, 'L'abandon de la vie', particularly p. 68.
