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Mahavira's Words by Walther Schubring
draught ox, when the [other] draught animal urges it on, is weak, lacks inner strength, does not pull further, sinks down weak: 6. so too may he who knows what looking for desire means give up interaction [with it] today [itself or] tomorrow. If one would like to desire, one should not pursue desire, be it somehow fulfilled or not. 7. So that later no bad condition may arise go [beyond yourself] by controlling yourself! The one who is not good is very worried indeed, moans and complains a lot. 8. Look at the life here in the world! Young is the one who has left behind a hundred years." Awake in the short [existence] People are greedy, deluded in desires." 9. Those here in the world who clasp on to activity, (committing) a violent act against themselves [and] (are) nothing else but injurers [of other beings], they will attain the world of the evil, for a long time therein where there is no sun. 10. One says that life cannot be prolonged, and yet the fools are eager for action. [They think:] "We are concerned with the present. Who has come back after he has seen the beyond?" 11. Whether you have seen what is being proclaimed, or not: trust, you who does not see and still believes!" Woe to the one whose view is hindered by "deluding" acts which he committed! 12. Since in delusion one experiences suffering over and over again, one should feel displeasure about fame and honour. So the one who is ready, the controlled one, should recognize the unity of himself with the [rest of] beings." 13. Even though living in a house one should remain (there) being
70
(72)
156
According to C and Śīl. vāhayatîti vāhaḥ, śākaṭikaḥ, namely, "driver". (vaha vyādha, as C and Śil. also would like it, is ignored, because gava is not mrga.) (Jacobi and Bollée follow the commentary (WB).) 64 I would like to equate kām 'esaṇā with kämad eṣaṇā, because a term which corresponds to the "instigator" in the previous stanza is necessary. This is kāma.
65 C has: kanhui ti kvacit; Śil.: kanhai kutracit. (The 1916 ed. has kanhui; the ṭīkā: kutaścin nimittät (WB).)
66
The path. in C is probably dubbalam instead of jiviyam: "life here in the world is uncertain".
67 By way of conjecture. The metre requires the deletion of eva. Influenced by C I want to read tarune vasasayam tiuṭṭai (vāsa-sayam param 'ayu, tato tiuttati chidyate). Cp. Ayar. under vrt. (See Appendix 4.)
68
An ittariya-fast, as opposed to avakahiya, is "an occasional one", cp. Ayar; that is why ittara in the commentaries means alpa. (Jacobi 1895, p. 259 (and Bollée): 'mind that (your) years swiftly pass' (WB).) 69 In C vippitā (äkräntah) instead of mucchiya.
71
70 Only asuriyam disam is metrically correct, as C has it. (See Appendix 4 for "violent act" and the reading.) adakkhu-damsaṇā can also be understood as an ablative: "from (the standpoint of) faith, he does not see". But suniruddha-damsana, which follows it, determines the above understanding. (On a(d)dakkhuva see Bollée 1988, pp. 76f.)
72 Cf. perhaps Utt. 15, 9 no tesi vae siloga-puyam, 'these he must not praise and honour' Alsdorf 1962, p. 120 Kleine Schriften p. 235 (WB).
73 hiyasae seems to be a mis-reading by the editor for dhipasiyā, to which C and Sil. point out. (For "unity ..." (aya-tulam) see the discussion in Bollée 1988, pp. 77f. (WB).)
74
A lay person.
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