________________
118
Mahāvira's Words by Walther Schubring
[3.] 'What should I, tell me, do with these (people)?' (so they have thought;)24 after they have stherefore) forsaken father and mother, the relatives and wife, (after they set out, as if they would be Vīra [himself],)27 see, [now], those who did not [want] to injure [anymore), who were true to the vows, who controlled themselves, dejected, (who rushed out, sink back.) Wretched, [because] unfree, faint-hearted, are the people, offenders (of the faith). (Here, then, the reputation of some will be bad: "he is disloyal to the monks, he is disloyal to the monks!" See, how some together with the faithful are unfaithful, with the pious not pious, with the renouncers not renouncing, with the competent ones not competent. Full of knowledge, clever, prudent,) always a fixed goal in sight may (you) the brave one, proceed on the strength of the holy rule. So I say.* (Within or among houses, villages, cities, countries there are people who are offenders (of the faith)', or temptations appear. These temptations 'a brave one should bear untouched by them'.) After he has learnt to feel compassion (103) for the world, strong (in spirit) and of right faith, ('may the truly knowing one communicate it 29 towards the east, west, south, north, ‘make it known, proclaim it praisingly'; to those ready to act [and] to those not ready [but] willing to hear,30 may he proclaim peace, renunciation, peaceableness, extinction, purity, honesty, humility (and) the monastic order which harms no lower animal, no plant, no higher being (and) no other living being, 32 'in close observation'. [Moreover,) when he proclaims the monastic order in logical de
23, 22
25
32,5
26 evamp'ege viitta is another reading for tti mannamāņā, as C shows. The point after viittā is to be deleted.
27 virāyamānā instead of Omāne will have to be preferred. The Nägärjuniya have: "after they have gone out in the thought: we want to be monks, without a house, without property, without a son, without cattle; we want: not to injure anymore, to be true to the vows, to control ourselves, cat only what others give us, we do not showever) want to commit an evil deed."
28 The Nāgāriuniva have: "whoever truly is a monk, learned in the tradition, knowing the canon, experienced in going for alms (? aharana-heum kusale), in possession of understanding for the teaching in the doctrine, she is capable (and) a proclaimer of the doctrine when it is a matter of place, time and human object (and one asks:) "who is this person and to which faith does he adhere?", in case [he) proves himself useful."
29 The words aikkhe vibhae kitte, though they are metrical are, however, in the form of a quotation also in Sūy. II 1, 57 from where this place here in single quotes seems to stem.
30 A restriction! They should turn only towards those who permit success. They are not appointed for the mission proper. As occasional helpers in the teaching post, they are also in need of the reminder that in this activity they, in fervour, do not offend what they preach (32, 5 below). This new thought at the same time leads into the next verse line (32, 8).
3 In his personal copy Schubring refers to Tattvarthadhigama Sūtra 9, 6 (WB).
» In 32, 3 is to be read anaivāiyam savvesim po. As soon as a meaning which is more than rhetorical is ascribed to the four words pāna, etc., (cp.fn. 25, p. 82 above) then anaivattiyam (see 9, 1, 17) is impossible.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
