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XXXI. PRAISE OF THE LORD MAHAVĪRA
Having to such purpose, by way of discriminating certain matters, lauded the Lord's quality called statement according to fact, (238) (now) letting appear along with a simile his own incapacity for describing in detail all these superiorities of statement, and publishing his own name, concealed, in order to avoid conceit, under a different turn of words, he states in conclusion - XXXI. If we hope to discriminate Thy statement-mastery
'in its entirety, O prime of the venerable! we might with agility overleap the ocean,
might support a thirst for drinking the moonbeams. Mastery (vaibhava) is simply power (vibhava); Suffix an giving the same meaning, because it (the word) belongs to the group prajña, etc.); or else, 'mastery', the status of a master (vibhu), and his action, statement-mastery is 'mastery of statements, the highest accomplishment in stating. Or else, on the alternative of the status of an omnipresent (vibhu)'. a comprising of all the Methods, since the word 'omnipresent is conventionally established as a synonym for 'compriser'. Thy, with Thee connected; in its entirety, total; to discriminate, to consider; if, supposing; we hope, we desire; O prime of the venerable!, 'venerable', to be honoured, that is the Five Supreme onus); among them the 'prime', principal, because of being the first; to him belonging. 'Surely, as the Arhats") are of quality inferior to the Siddhas, how does primacy belong to them, although characterised by superiority of statement ? Nor is inferiority of quality unestablished, because we hear of obeisance on their part to the Siddhas, at the time of their taking orders; from the statement of a Sruta-kevalin): "After making obeisance to the Siddhas he obtains acceptance". - Say not so: (239) since only by the instruction of the Arhats are even the Siddhas made known. And to this effect the inspired text (ārsa)"): "By the instruction of the Arbats the Siddhas are known; therefore the Arhats are the beginning"). Thus is established a primacy on the part of the Holy One only. 'If we hope to discriminate Thy statement-mastery in its entirety', then what? He states: 'We might overleap, etc.' 'Then' is to be supplied. Then with agility, with nimbleness of leg, with possession of speed; we might overleap (langhema) the ocean, so to speak; we might cross the ocean. Likewise, we might support, we might maintain; & drinking of the moonbeams, the moon's rays: 'the drinking of the moon beams'; for that a thirst, a thirsting, desire, that is what it comes to, 'a thirst for drinking the moonbeams'; that. In both instances the Optative in the sense of supposition. Just as someone, because of having speed in his going about on foot,
1) Hemacandra's Grammar, VII. ii. 165 (M. L.), accounts for the grammatical form of the word vaibhava, derived from vibhava.
2) Sc. Siddhas, Arhats, Acāryas, Upadhyāyas and Sadhus: see Outlines of Jainism, pp. 2–3. *) Mahavira, while alive, was Arhat, not Siddha: see Outlines, pp. 2, 78, 129-31.
) See note I 13). 5) On arşa see note I). ) Višesävas yaka-bhäsya, 3213 (M. L.).
