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176
Mahavira's Words by Walther Schubring
a coexistence of being (not a succession) takes place, then he ends up stuttering and cannot repeat (publically what is proved to him, agreed to by him here). “This can be talked about this not" they say and: "all action is based on six causes.”? 6. So do these, the deed-deniers, since they do not attain knowledge, proclaim various (mutually excluding views) and many people who have accepted them err in the endless sea of existence. 7. [So then) the sun does not rise, not set, the moon does not wax, not wane, waters do not flow, the wind does not blow, truly the whole world is determined as (being) empty, (not true?!].8 8. Just as the blindman even with a light does not see the appearances, because he has no eyes, so the deed-deniers do not see the deed, although it is there, because their intellect is limited. 9. Many have studied the calendar, dreams, magical figures, omens, signs, phenomena, the well-known eightfold
science]' and know now what is forthcoming in the world. 10. Some portents come true, with others that learning goes astray; (as a result), without thoroughly examining the true being of the science, they preach nothing less than complete dissociation from the science." 11. So then (however), after they have grasped the world, those [former ones), wandering brothers and brahmins, advanced" to perfection say (a.): suffering (is) self-effected, not effected by others; and they call liberation (what is) brought about by knowledge. 12. They, the leaders in the visible world here, point out the way that is good for beings, and so they call the eternal in the world in which, o man, beings are submerged. (12) 13. The rākşasas and dwellers of the Yamaworld, asuras [and] gandharvas and the elementary particles (namely, the last), whether they move through the air or stick to their respective abodes," hasten towards ruin ever anew. 14.
This translation too of sammissa-bhāvam ca girā gahie (v. I. gihie; grhite) is only an attempt. The line, according to this, goes back to the view just mentioned. (See Appendix 4, also for "stuttering".)
Stanza 5 apparently goes back to a certain procedure. Unfortunately we do not know anything more about it.-5b shows that as "deed-deniers" (akriyavādin) not only the Bauddhas are meant--who indeed, though, naturally accept the effect of karman-but all philosophers generally who appeared to endanger morals (cp. Schrader 1902, p. 12), in this case the Ājīvika. (See Appendix 4 for the long addition to this stanza 5.) * An ironical question. (See Appendix 4 for the theory represented here.)
9 "Well-known" = eyam. According to Sil. astânga Enimitta, of which he mentions seven, not eight branches (bhauma, utpāta, svapna, äntariksa, ānga, svara, laksana, vyanjana) which partly cover the previous ones. (See Horsch 1966, p. 67 (WB) and Appendix 4 for "calendar" in this stanza.)
10 Another variant:"they say indolently: we know the world" (jāņāmu logam ti). (Apparently not science as such is meant here but prophecy (WB).) "Another variant to tahā taha: tahāgayā. (See Appendix 4 for Jacobi on this and the end of the stanza.)
See Appendix 4 for Jacobi's rendering of this stanza 12. 15 The actual gods of the upper world are missing in this list; so, deviating from the later understanding, they have to be referred to as gandharvas. (See Appendix 4, also for Jacobi's translation of this stanza 13.)
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