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Teachings of Mahāvira
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sition of pure leśyā. This doctrine of the six Lešjās is merely hinted at here and there in the Satrakstāngal and fully explained in the Uttarādhyayana.? They are named in the following order : black, blue, grey, red, yellow, and white. The black Lesyā has the colour of a rain-cloud, a buffalow's horn. The blue Leśyā has the colour of the blue Aśoka having red flowers. The grey Lesyā has the colour of Atası having blue flowers, The red Leśyā has the colour of vermilion. The yellow Leója has the colour of orpiment. The white Leśyā has the colour of a conch-shell. The taste of the black Leśyā is more bitter than that of Tumbaka. The taste of the blue Lešja is infinitely more pungent than that of Trikațuka (black pepper and dry ginger). The taste of the grey Leśyā is infinitely sourer than that of unripe mango. The taste of the yellow Leśya is infinitely better than that of excellent wine and various liquors. The taste of the whitc Lešja is infinitely better than that of dates, grapes, and milk.
The smell of the bad Lešjās (viz., of the first three) is infinitely worse than that of a dead cow, dog or snake. The smell of the three good Leśyas is insinitely more pleasant than that of fragrant flowers and of perfumes when they are poundcd. The touch of the bad Lcśyās is infinitcly worse than that of a saw, the tongue of a cow, or the leaf of the icak tree. The touch of the three good Lešjās is infinitcly niore pleasant than that of cotton, bulter or Sirisha flowers.
The degrees of the Leśyās arc tlirce, or ninc, or twentyseven, or cighty-onc, or two hundred and forty-thrcc. Each of thesc degrees is thrce-fold : low, middle, and high. Ilc who acts on the impulse of the five sins, who commits cruci acts, and who is wicked and mischicvous, is described as one fostering the black Lesya. Hc who nourislıcs anger, ignorance, hatred, wickedness, doccit, grccd, carelessness. love of anima ment, etc., develops the blue Lesja. He who is distinges in Words and acts, who is a herctic, a deceiver. . vc!!c.. develops the grey Lessa. He who is humble, well-disciplim , restrained, free from doccit, who loves ihc lax, devels the 1. Säri, I, 4, 21, where a Jaina saint is descriu p asi!:)
is in a pure condition (I ). .. Chardi, xxxiv.
