Bhagavati-sutra (Viyaha-pannatti)
by K. C. Lalwani | 1973 | 185,989 words
The English translation of the Bhagavati-sutra which is the fifth Jaina Agama (canonical literature). It is a large encyclopedic work in the form of a dialogue where Mahavira replies to various question. The present form of the Sutra dates to the fifth century A.D. Abhayadeva Suri wrote a vritti (commentary) on the Bhagavati in A.D. 1071. In his J...
Part 7 - On change and non-change
Q. 307. Bhante! Does the restless change, and not the fixed171? Does the restless break, and not the fixed? Is the fool permanent, and foolishness temporary? Is the prudent eternal, and prudence transitory172?
A. 307. Gautama! They are so; the restless changes,...till prudence is transitory.
Bhante! So they are. Glory be to the Lord! So saying Gautama withdrew and resumed his seat.
Chapter nine ends.
Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):
171. In worldly sense, restlessness implies a state of change or transformation. In that sense, external form which changes is restless. In spiritual sense, karma is restless, since it sticks and can be absorbed, assimilated, till exhausted.
172. In vyavahāra naya, ‘bāla’ is a child, and ‘paṇḍita’ is the scholarly. In niścaya naya, ‘bāla’ is one who is unrestrained, while a ‘paṇḍita’ is one who is restrained.
The gist is that object is eternal, but its external form is transitory.