Verse 4.26 - Two final births

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 4.26:

विजयादिषु द्विचरमाः ॥ ४.२६ ॥

vijayādiṣu dvicaramāḥ || 4.26 ||

In Vijaya, and the others, the deva are of two final births. (26)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: विजय, वैजयन्त, जयन्त, अपराजित और अनुदिश विमानों के अहमिन्द्र द्विचरमा होते हैं अर्थात् मनुष्य के दो जन्म (भव) धारण करके अवश्य ही मोक्ष जाते हैं (ये सभी जीव सम्यग्दृष्टि ही होते हैं)।

Anvayartha: vijaya, vaijayanta, jayanta, aparajita aura anudisha vimanom ke ahamindra dvicarama hote haim arthat manushya ke do janma (bhava) dharana karake avashya hi moksha jate haim (ye sabhi jiva samyagdrishti hi hote haim) |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

It has been said that the ‘laukāntika’ deva take one birth as a human being and attain liberation (nirvāṇa). Is there any such rule relating to the liberation of the other deva?

Here ‘ādi’ means ‘of that sort’. By this Vijaya, Vaijayanta, Jayanta, Aparājita and the nine anudiśa are included. What is meant by ‘of that sort’? They are supreme lords–ahamindra–and are born with right belief (samyaktva). It is argued that Sarvārthasiddhi also is included here. No. They are of still superior excellence. And from the etymological meaning of the word, they are of one birth, that is, take human birth only once. Those who take two human births are called ‘dvicarama’. They come down from Vijaya, etc., and are born as men without any fall in their right belief (samyaktva). They practise restraint (saṃyama) as saints and are born again in Vijaya, etc. Finally, they are born as men and attain liberation (nirvāṇa). Hence they are described as of two births.

It is possible that a particular deva from Vijaya, etc., is born as a man, is reborn as a deva in Saudharma, etc., born again as a man, is reborn as a deva in Vijaya, etc., and born again as a man to attains liberation (nirvāṇa). In such a case, though three births as a man are involved, but from Vijaya, etc. the soul takes only two births as a man, before attaining liberation.