Jain Journal 1997 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 28

HOERNLE : THE DOCTRINE OF GOSĀLA MANKHALIPUTTA
125 of a blade of 'kusa' grass, one drop once in every hundred years. With regard to these great periods,' his belief is that after the lapse of eightyfour hundred thousands (8,400,000) of them, the fool and the wise alike-as he says-will make an end of their suffering (balo cha pandito cha dukkhass'antar karonti).22 Even the wise, he means to say, cannot become perfected within a shorter time, nor can even a fool go beyond
it.
The expression by religious precept (silena) means 'by (observing) the precept of nakedness or any other that they may have'. In the expression by religious rites (vatena), the word 'rite' has the same meaning (as with us Buddhists). In the expression by ascetic practices (tapena) the word 'ascetic practice' (tapo-kamma) has its ordinary meaning
The expression he cherishes immature (knowledge) (a-pari-pakkam scl. ñānam, paripāceti) describes one who, thinking himself to be a wise man, becomes (as he fondly imagines) perfected within a shorter time (than 8,400,000 ‘great periods'). The expression he more and more removes from himself mature (knowledge) (paripakkam phussa phussa vyanti-karoti) describes one who, thinking himself to be a fool, (fondly imagines that he) may go beyond the period limited as above stated.
By the expression it is not so (hevan n'atthi) he means to show that it is impossible that either of the two cases should happen.23
The expression dona-measured (dona-mita) means 'measured, as it were, with a droņa.'
The terms pleasure and pain (sukkha-dukkha) have their ordinary meaning.
The expression one who has reached the end (kata-pariyanta) means ‘one whose end coincides with the end of the period limited as above stated.'
The expression there is neither decrease nor increase (n'atthi hāyanavaddhana) means that there is no diminution nor any augmentation. His meaning is, that the period of transmigratory existence neither decreases in the case of the wise, nor increases in the case of the fool.
22. Bālo and pandito have the theological sense; the fool is the 'worldly', and
the wise, the 'religious'; of course, from Gosāla's point of view. 23. I.e., either falling short of, or exceeding the above-stated limit of 8,400,000
great periods.'