Mahaviras Word

Author(s): Walther Shubring
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 70

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2. The Ways of Action (Suyagaḍa II 2.)
Introductory Words
A. Guilty and pious action and the relation between both. The first case-guilt-appears only by way of announcement; the second and the third are dealt with by closely relying on the places in B or of the Uvavaiya. The general impression of A is of a subsequent compensation as a consequence of the one-sided negating content of B.
B. On forbidden action. 1. (2-24): 13 cases of action called 1-5 daṇḍa-samāyāṇa, 6-13 kiriya-tṭhāṇa. The tenth among these would belong to the former; 13 presents the required action. 2. (24. 79-85): reinforcement and teaching of opponents. 3. (28-57.61-68): violent action, especially towards people. (The same beginning as 1.) 4. (25-27): Appendix: prohibited influence on people (purisa-vijaya).
I have heard, o venerable one, that the Lord has spoken thus [as follows]. Here [is] now the section of the teaching called "The Ways of Action". The following content [is] known of it.
Here two cases are being presented in summary, namely, merit and guilt, peaceful and without peace. The discourse on the first case, however,-[and this should be] guilthas the following content.
In this world truly, in the east, west, north [or] south, there are many people, as there are Aryans, non-Aryans, nobles, inferiors, big, small, well-coloured, discoloured, well formed [and] deformed; and they [exercise] the committing of violent deeds, as the case may be, to ...' and whatever else such beings there are which are sentient and feel pain, of the following kind. [Another tradition:] And for them apply, so it has been proclaimed, the following thirteen cases of violent deeds. They arise out of: (1) purposeful violent deed, (2) purposeless violent deed, (3) militant violent deed, (4) accidental violent deed, (5) a violent deed through an optical illusion, (6) an act that
The text has: "to hell beings, animals, people or gods," which is meaningless because people cannot commit an offence to hell beings and gods.
2 The first five of these thirteen cases are also in fact to be supposed after the words: "of the following kind". (See also Leumann's review (tr. in Appendix 2) p. 2 where he defends the traditional classification (WB).)