Life of Arish<I>t</I>anemi

Jaina Sutras, Part II (SBE22), tr. by Hermann Jacobi, [1884], at sacred-texts.com

p. 276

LIFE OF ARISHTANEMI.

In that period, in that age lived the Arhat Arishtanemi, the five most important moments of whose life happened when the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Kitrâ. In Kitrâ he descended from heaven, &c. (see § 149, down to) obtained final liberation. (1 70)

In that period, in that age, in the fourth month of the rainy season, in the seventh fortnight, the dark (fortnight) of Kârttika, on its twelfth day, the Arhat Arishtanemi descended from the great Vimâna, called Aparâgita, where he had lived for thirty-six Sâgaropamas, here on the continent Gambûdvîpa, in Bharatavarsha, in the town of Sauripura ¹, and in the middle of the night when the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Kitrâ, he took the form of an embryo in the womb of the queen Sivâ, wife of the king Samudravigaya, &c. (the seeing of the dreams, the accumulation of riches, &c., should be repeated here). (171)

In that period, in that age the Arhat Arishtanemi--after the lapse of nine months and seven and a half days, in the first month of the rainy season, in the second fortnight, the light (fortnight) of Srâvana, on its fifth day, &c.--(Sivâ), perfectly healthy herself; gave birth to a perfectly healthy boy. (Repeat the account of the birth, substituting the name Samudravigaya,

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all down to) therefore shall the name of our boy be Arishtanemi ¹.

The Arhat Arishtanemi, clever, &c. (see §§ 155157, all down to) indigent persons. (172) In the first month of the rainy season, in the second fortnight, the light (fortnight) of Srâvana, on its sixth day riding in his palankin called Uttarakurâ, and followed on his way by a train of gods, men, and Asuras, &c. (Arishtanemi) went right through the town of Dvârâvatî to the park called Revatîka, and proceeded to the excellent Asoka tree. There, &c. (see § 116, down to) five handfuls. When the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Kitrâ, after fasting two and a half days without drinking water, he put on a divine robe, and together with a thousand persons he tore out his hair, and leaving the house entered the state of houselessness. (173)

The Arhat Arishtanemi for fifty-four days neglected his body, &c. (see §§ 117-120). During the fifty-fifth day--it was in the third month of the rainy season, in the fifth fortnight, the dark fortnight of Âsvina, on its fifteenth day, in the last part of the day, when the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Kitrâ--(Arishtanemi) under a Vetasa ² tree on the summit of mount Girnâr ³, after fasting three and a half days without drinking water, &c., obtained infinite, &c., highest knowledge and intuition called Kevala, &c. (see § 121, down to) moment. (174)

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The Arhat Arishtanemi had eighteen Ganas and eighteen Ganadharas. (175)

The Arhat Arishtanemi had an excellent community of eighteen thousand Sramanas with Varadatta at their head; (176) forty thousand nuns with Ârya Yakshinî at their head; (177) one hundred and sixty-nine thousand lay votaries with Nanda at their head; (178) three hundred and thirty-six thousand ¹ female lay votaries with Mahâsuvratâ at their head; (179) four hundred sages who knew the fourteen Pûrvas, &c.; (180) fifteen hundred sages who were possessed of the Avadhi knowledge; fifteen hundred Kevalins; fifteen hundred sages who could transform themselves; one thousand sages of vast intellect; eight hundred professors; sixteen hundred sages in their last birth; fifteen hundred male and three thousand female disciples who had reached perfection.

The Arhat Arishtanemi instituted, &c. (see § 146, down to) the former ended in the eighth generation, the latter in the twelfth year of his Kevaliship. (181)

In that period, in that age the Arhat Arishtanemi lived three centuries as a prince, fifty-four days in a state inferior to perfection, something less than seven centuries as a Kevalin, full seven centuries as a Sramana, a thousand years on the whole. When his fourfold Karman was exhausted and in this Avasarpinî era a great part of the Duhshamasushamâ period had elapsed, in the fourth month of summer, in the eighth fortnight, the light (fortnight) of Ashâdha, on its eighth day, in the middle of the night when the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Kitrâ, (Arishtanemi), after fasting a month

p. 279

without drinking water, on the summit of mount Girnâr, in the company of five hundred and thirty-six monks, in a squatting position, died, &c. (all down to) freed from all pains. (182)

Since the time that the Arhat Arishtanemi died, &c. (all down to) freed from all pains, eighty-four thousand years have elapsed, of the eighty-fifth millennium nine centuries have elapsed, of the tenth century this is the eightieth year. (183)

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End of the Life of Arishtanemi.

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Footnotes

276:1 The Prâkrit form is Soriyapura, which would correspond to Sanskrit Saurikapura. It is, of course, Krishna's town.

277:1 His mother saw in a dream a nemi, the outer rim of a wheel, which consisted of rishta stones flying up to the sky. Hence the name Arishtanemi.

277:2 Vata in some MSS.; it is the Banyan tree.

277:3 Ugginta in the original.

278:1 Read khattîsam in the printed text.