Jaina Sutras Part IIJainismAccepted ScripturePrakritShareUttaradhyayana Sutra 9Hermann Jacobi / SBE vol. 45 - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableHermann Jacobi / SBE vol. 45LanguageEnglishEspañol‹Uttaradhyayana Sutra 1Uttaradhyayana Sutra 2Uttaradhyayana Sutra 3Uttaradhyayana Sutra 4Uttaradhyayana Sutra 5Uttaradhyayana Sutra 6Uttaradhyayana Sutra 7Uttaradhyayana Sutra 8Uttaradhyayana Sutra 9Uttaradhyayana Sutra 10Uttaradhyayana Sutra 11Uttaradhyayana Sutra 12Uttaradhyayana Sutra 13Uttaradhyayana Sutra 14Uttaradhyayana Sutra 15Uttaradhyayana Sutra 16Uttaradhyayana Sutra 17Uttaradhyayana Sutra 18Uttaradhyayana Sutra 19Uttaradhyayana Sutra 20Uttaradhyayana Sutra 21Uttaradhyayana Sutra 22Uttaradhyayana Sutra 23Uttaradhyayana Sutra 24Uttaradhyayana Sutra 25Uttaradhyayana Sutra 26Uttaradhyayana Sutra 27Uttaradhyayana Sutra 28Uttaradhyayana Sutra 29Uttaradhyayana Sutra 30Uttaradhyayana Sutra 31Uttaradhyayana Sutra 32Uttaradhyayana Sutra 33Uttaradhyayana Sutra 34Uttaradhyayana Sutra 35Uttaradhyayana Sutra 36Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.1Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.2Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.3Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.4Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.5Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.6Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.7Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.8Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.9Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.10Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.11Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.12Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.13Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.14Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.15Sutrakritanga Sutra, First Book 1.16Sutrakritanga Sutra, Second Book 2.1Sutrakritanga Sutra, Second Book 2.2Sutrakritanga Sutra, Second Book 2.3Sutrakritanga Sutra, Second Book 2.4Sutrakritanga Sutra, Second Book 2.5Sutrakritanga Sutra, Second Book 2.6Sutrakritanga Sutra, Second Book 2.7›Uttaradhyayana Sutra: Ninth Lecture - The Pravragya of King NamiUttaradhyayana Sutra 9ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1NINTH LECTURE. THE PRAVRAGYA OF KING NAMI®. After (Nami) had descended from the world of the gods, and had been born as a man, he put an end to the influence of delusion, and remembered his former birth, (i) Remembering his former birth, king Nami ^ Rdkshasis in the original. ® The Life of king Nami and his B 6 dhi is told m the^ com- mentary. The PrakrA text of this romance is printed in my ‘ Ausgewahlte Erzahlungen in MdhSrSshfri,’ Leipzig, j 8 S 6 , p. 41 «. Nami is one of the four simultaneous Praty&kabuddhas, i.e. one of those saints ^vho reach the highest stage of knowledge by an effort of their own. not through regular instruction discipline. The Pratygkabuddhas or Svayawsambuddhas {Sah.-isam- buddha in Pi^krA) do not, however, propptc the true Law, as the Tirthakaras do. As the legend of Nairn is not material^ connected with our text, 1 need not give an abstract of it here. D 2 became a Svayawsawbuddha in the true Law, and placing his son on the throne he retired from the world. (2) After having enjoyed, in the company of the beautiful ladies of his seraglio, excellent pleasures which match those of the heavens, king Nami became enlightened awd gave up his pleasures. (3) Having given up the town and country of MithiH, his army, seraglio, and all his retinue, the venerable man retired from the world and resorted to a lonely place. 2(4) When the royal Seer Nami retired from the world, at the occasion of his Pravra^i there was an uproar in Mithila. (5) To the royal Seer who had reached the excellent stage of Pravra^i, .Sakra in the guise of a Br&hma«a addressed the following words : (6) * Why is now Mithili ^ full of uproar ? Dreadful . noises are heard from palaces and houses.’ (7) On hearing this, the royal Seer Nami, pursuing his reasons and arguments, answered the king of the gods thus ; (8) ‘ In hlithila is the sacred - tree Manorama, full of leaves, flowers, and fruits, which sheds a cool shadow; this tree is always a favourite resort of many (birds). (9) * The text has hlahilaS, which is against the metre. The locative makes the construction needlessly involved. ® A’Gid, X'aitya. The commentator interprets it as meaning udyana, park ; but to make good his interpretation lie takes vaZ-/7/(; for an instrumental plural instead of a nominative singular. The context itself seems to militate against this interpretation ; for it is natural to say of a tree that it has many leaves, but it is rather strained to say the same of a park. LECTURE IX. * Now, as this sacred tree Mandrama is shaken by the storm, the birds, suffering, destitute of refuge, and miserable, scream aloud.’ (lo) On hearing this, the king of gods, pursuing his reasons and arguments, answered the royal Seer Nami thus ; 3(ii) “ This is fire and storm, your palace is on fire ! Reverend sir, why do j'ou not look after your seraglio?” (12) Nami answered (see verse 8) : (13) * Happy are we, happy live we who call nothing our own ; when Mithila is on fire, nothing is burned that belongs to me. (14) ‘ To a monk who has left his sons and wives, and who has ceased to act, nothing pleasant can occur, nor anything unpleasant. (15) ‘ There is much happiness for the sage, for the houseless monk, who is free from all ties, and knows himself to be single and unconnected (with the rest of the world).’ (16) Indra answered (see verse ii) : (17) “ Erect a wall, gates, and battlements I dig a moat; construct 5ataghnis^: then you will be a Kshattriya.” (18) Nami answered (see verse 8) : (19) ‘MakingFaith his fortress, Penance and Self-control the bolt (of its gate), Patience its strong wall, so that guarded in three ways ® it is impregnable ; making Zeal his bow, its string Carefulness in walking (iriya), and its top ( where the string is ' An instrument for defending a town. ^ a Gakk/i&sl The commentator explains this is an jmperat , but there is no necessity for it. ® Tigutta, this is a pun on the three guptis. 4fastened) Content, he should bend (this bow) with Truth, piercing with the arrow, Penance, (the foe s) mail, Karman — (in this way) a sage will be the victor in battle and get rid of the SawsS.ra.’ (20-22) Indra answered (see verse ii) : (23) “ Build palaces, excellent houses and turrets ; thus you will be a Kshattriya.” (24) Nami answered (see verse 8) : (25) ‘ He who builds his house on the road, will certainly get into trouble ; wherever he wants to go, there he may take up his lodgings.' (26) Indra answered (see verse ii) : (27) “ Punishing thieves and robbers, cut-purses and burglars, you should establish public safety; thus you will be a Kshattriya.” (28) Nami answered (see verse 8) : (29) ‘ Men frequently apply punishment wrongly : the innocent are put in prison, and the perpetrator of the crime is set at liberty.’ (30) Indra answered (see verse ii) : (31) “ O king, bring into subjection all princes who do not acknowledge you ; thus you will be a true Kshattriya.” (32) Nami answered (see verse 8) : (33) ‘ Though a man should conquer thousands and thousands of valiant (foes), greater , will be his victory if he conquers nobody but himself. (34) ‘ Fight with your Self; why fight with external foes? He who conquers himself through himself, will obtain happiness. (35) * The five senses, anger, pride, delusion, and greed ^ Vardhamanagr/ha ; 5the houses w-hich are so called, belong to the best kind, see Var&ha Alihira, Bnbat SawihitS 53, 36. LECTURE IX. — difficult to conquer is one’s self ; but when that is conquered, everything is conquered (36) Indra answered (see verse ii): (37) “ Offer great sacrifices, feed 5 rama«as and Brdh- ma^^as, give alms, enjoy yourself, and offer sacrifices : thus you will be a true Kshattriya." (38) Nami answered : (39) ‘ Though a man should give, every month, thou- sands and thousands of cows, better will be he who controls himself, though he give no alms.’ (40) Indra answered : (41) “You have left the dreadful &jrama (that of the householder)® and are wanting to enter another; (remain what you were), O king, and be content with observing the P6saha-days.” (42) Nami answered : (43) * If an ignorant man should eat but a blade of Kuia-grass every month, (the merit of his penance) will not equal the sixteenth part of his who possesses tile Law as it has been taught/ (44) Indra answered ; (45) “ Multiply your gold and silver, your jewels and ' The first line of this verse is in the Aryil-metre, the second in Anush/ubh ; the whole will not construe, but the meaning is clear. 6There are numerous instances in which the metre changes in the same stanza from Aryfi to Anush/ubh, and vice versa, so frequent they are that we are forced to admit the fact that the authors of these metrical texts did not shrink from taking such liberties. ® Ghfirasama. AG.aina author cannot forbear to name things from his religious point of looking at them. Thus only can it be explained that here Indra is made to apply to the fijrama ol the householder an attribute which not he but bis opponent cou have used. Our verse is, however, probably only a later addiuon, as it has not the burden of the verses put into the mouth ot Indra. UTTARADIIYAYANA. pearls, your copper, fine robes, and carriages, and your treasury; then you will be a true Kshat- triya.” (46) Nami answered: (47) ‘ If there were numberless mountains of gold and silver, as big as Kailisa, they would not satisfy a greedy man; for his avidity is boundless like space. (48) ‘ Knowing that the earth widi its crops of rice and barle3»^, with its gold and cattle, that all this put together will not satisfy one single man, one should practise austerities.’ (49) Indra answered : (50) “ A miracle ! O king, j'ou give up those wonderful pleasures, in search of imaginary objects ; your very hope will cause j^our ruin.” (51) Nami answered : 7(52) ‘ Pleasures are the thorn that rankles, pleasures are poison, pleasures are like a venomous snake; he who is desirous of pleasures will not get them, and will come to a bad end at last. (53) ‘ He will sink through anger ; he will go down through pride ; delusion will block up his path ; through greed he will incur dangers in both worlds.’ (54) Throwing off the guise of a Br 5 ,hma«a, and making visible his true form, 6akra saluted him respectfully and praised him with these sweet words : (55) “ Bravo ! you have conquered anger ; bravo ! you have vanquished pride ; bravo ! j^ou have banished delusion ; bravo ! you have subdued greed. (56) “ Bravo for j'our simplicity, O saint ! bravo for your humility, O saint! bravo for your perfect patience ! bravo for your perfect liberation I (57) LECTURE X. “ H ere (on earth) you are the highest man, Reverend sir, and hereafter you will be the highest ; exempt from all blemishes you will reach Perfection, a higher state than which there is none in this world.” (58) Thus praising the royal Seer, ^akra in perfect faith kept his right side towards him and paid reverence to him, again and again. (59) After having adored tlie best sage’s feet marked by die ATakra and the Ahku5a\ he flew up through the air, with his crown and his earrings prettily trembling. (60) Nami humbled himself; 8enjoined by ^akra in person, the king of Vid^ha left the house, and took upon him 5 rama«ahood. (61) Thus act the enlightened, the wise, the clever ones; they turn away from pleasures, as did Nami, the royal Seer. (62) Thus I say. ‹Previous chapterUttaradhyayana Sutra 8Next chapterUttaradhyayana Sutra 10›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public-domain 1895 English translation