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112
SOME JAINA (ANONICAL SOTRAS
knowledge of the sacred texts and the pupil will gladden the heart of his teacher by his good cieeds.1
A wise man suffering from heat should not long for a bath or pour water over his body or fan himself. He should not care whether he gois alins or not. He should not long for pleasant things. He should comfort himself knowing the consequences of actions, as the actions productive of ignorance afterwards take effect. It is difficult for a living being to obtain four things of great value: (1) Human birth, (ii) Instruction in the law, (ii) Belief in it, and (iv) Energy in self-control.3 The universe is peopled by manifold creatures who are born in the world in different families and castes for having done various actions. Sometimes they go to the world of gods and sometimes to hells and sometimes they become usurus (demons) in accordance with their actions; sometimes they become Ksatriyas or Candālas or worms or ants. Living beings of sinful actions, who are born again and again, are not disgusted with this sumsāru. By the destruction of karmu living beings will reach in due time a pure state and will be born as men.5 Though born as human beings it will be difficult for them to hear the law; having lieard it they will do penances, combat their passions, and abstain from killing living beings. It will be difficult for them to believe in the law though they may hear it. Many who are shown the right way are led astray.
The pious obtain purity and the pure stand firmly in the law. After having enjoyed in due time the unrivalled pleasures of human life, he will obtain true knowledge by his pure religious merit acquired in a former birth. Knowing that the fo
e four requisites are difficult to obtain, he will apply himself to self-control and he will be an eternal siddha (perfected one), when he will be able to shake off the remnant of karma by his penances. 6
One cannot prolong one's life, therefore one should not be careless. Men who acquire wealth by evil deeds adhering to wrong principles will lose it. People in this world and in the next cannot escape the effect of their own actions.
i Uttaradhyayana, 1, 47.
2 Ibid., II, 41. 3 Ibid., III, I:
cattāri paramamgani dullāhāniha jantuno
mānusattam sui saddhā samjamummi ya viriyamn. Il * Ibid., III, 2:
samāvannana samsāre nänāgottāsu jaisu
kammā nānāvihā katļu pudho vissambhiyä payā || • Ibid., III, 7. Ibid., III, 1, 2. ? Cf. Sūtrakstānga, 1, 2, 2, 21.
