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Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary)

by Vijay K. Jain | 2018 | 130,587 words | ISBN-10: 8193272625 | ISBN-13: 9788193272626

This page describes the kinds of seats-of-birth (yoni) which is verse 2.32 of the English translation of the Tattvartha Sutra which represents the essentials of Jainism and Jain dharma and deals with the basics on Karma, Cosmology, Ethics, Celestial beings and Liberation. The Tattvarthasutra is authorative among both Digambara and Shvetambara. This is verse 32 of the chapter Category of the Living and includes an extensive commentary.

Verse 2.32 - The kinds of seats-of-birth (yoni)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha ūٰ 2.32:

सचित्तशीतसंवृताः सेतर� मिश्राश्चैकशस्तद्योनयः � �.३२ �

sacittaśīٲsaṃvṛtā� setarā miśrāścaikaśastadyonaya� || 2.32 ||

With-life (sacitta), cold (śīٲ), covered (ṃvṛt), their opposites–without-life (acitta), hot (ṣṇ), exposed (ṛt)–and their combination–with-and-without-life (ٳ峦ٳٲ), cold-and-hot (śīٴṣṇ), covered-and-exposed (ṃvṛt-ṛt)–are the seats-of-birth (yoni). (32)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्�: [सचित्त शी� संवृताः] सचित्त, शी�, संवृ� [सेतरा] उससे उलटी ती�-अचित्त, उष्ण, विवृ� [� एकशः मिश्राः] और क्रम से एक एक की मिली हु� ती� अर्थात� सचित्ताचित्त, शीतोष्� और संवृतविवृत [तत� योनयः] ये नव जन्मयोनिया� हैं।

Anvayartha: [sacitta shita samvritah] sacitta, shita, samvrita [setara] usase ulati tina-acitta, ushna, vivrita [ca ekashah mishrah] aura krama se eka eka ki mili hui tina arthat sacittacitta, shitoshna aura samvritavivrita [tat yonayah] ye nava janmayoniyam haim |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

So far, the births, the basis for the attainment of enjoyment of things of the world, have been dealt with. Now, the kinds of seats-of-birth (yoni) must be described.

That which has consciousness is �sacitta�, that is, with-life. A kind of touch (貹ś) is �śīٲ� or cold. Like the word ‘white�, it denotes both the substance (dravya) and the quality (ṇa). Hence that which is ‘cold� denotes the substance too. That which is covered well is �ṃvṛt�. That place which cannot be seen is covered or hidden–�ṃvṛt�. �Setara� means the opposite. What are these? Matter without life, hot and exposed are the opposite. �Ѿś� is that which partakes of both natures mentioned above. Thus, with-and-without-life (ٳ峦ٳٲ), cold-and-hot (śīٴṣṇ), covered-and-exposed (ṃvṛt-ṛt) are �ś�. The word �첹ś�� in the ūٰ indicates the proper sequence of the seats-of-birth (yoni). It must be understood as follows–with-life, without-life, cold, hot, covered and exposed. The sequence is not with-life, cold, and so on. �Tat�, meaning ‘that�, is intended to indicate the kinds of birth. These are the seats-of-birth for spontaneous generation�ū󲹲Բ–etc. There are, thus, nine kinds of seats-of-birth (yoni).

Is there distinction between the seats-of-birth (yoni) and birth (janma)? Yes, there is; like between the container and the contained. These seats-of-birth (yoni), such as with-life, are the containers. The contained are the kinds of birth. In the seats-of-birth, that are with-life (sacitta), etc., the soul assimilates matter fit to be transformed into the body, the food, the sense-organs, etc., through the three kinds of birth. The celestial and infernal beings take their origin in the yoni that is without-life (acitta); the special bed�ܱ貹岹–is without-life. Those who take birth from the uterus have mixed (ś) seat-of-birth. In their case, the semen and blood in the mother’s womb are lifeless. But, as these are combined with the vitality of the living mother, it is called a mixed yoni.

The yoni of the spontaneously generated�ū󲹲Բ–are of three kinds. Some generate from the yoni with-life (sacitta). Others generate from the yoni without-life (acitta). And yet others generate from mixed (ś) yoni. Those who have common bodies (sādhāraṇa śarīra) generate from the living yoni since they inhabit the common body and are dependent on each other. The yoni of rest of the spontaneously generated�ū󲹲Բ–beings are of both kinds, without-life (acitta) and mixed (ś). The celestial and infernal beings take their rise from hot (ṣṇ) as well as cold (śīٲ) yoni as some of these places are hot and some are cold. Those who possess bodies that emit light take their rise from hot (ṣṇ) yoni. The rest of the beings have three kinds of seats-of-birth (yoni). Some have cold (śīٲ), some have hot (ṣṇ), and some others have mixed (ś) yoni. The yoni of the celestial, the infernal and the one-sensed beings are covered. Those with incomplete senses (vikalendriya), i.e., from two to four-sensed beings, have exposed (ṛt) yoni. Those who are born of uterus have mixed (ś) yoni.

The 84,00,000 kinds of yoni can be ascertained from the Scripture:

“The one-sensed souls with common bodies from eternity�nityanigoda, other one-sensed souls with common bodies�itaranigoda, earth-bodied (ṛt󾱱ī-⾱첹), water-bodied (Ჹ⾱첹), fire-bodied (Ծ⾱첹) and air-bodied (ܰ⾱첹) beings are of (originate from) 7,00,000 yoni, each. The yoni of trees and other vegetation are 10,00,000. The yoni of all the beings with incomplete senses (vikalendriya) are 6,00,000. The seats-of-birth (yoni) of celestial beings, infernal beings, and five-sensed animals are 4,00,000, each. The yoni of human beings are 14,00,000.�

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