Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra
by Helen M. Johnson | 1931 | 742,503 words
This is the English translation of the Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Charita (literally 鈥淭he lives of the sixty-three illustrious People鈥�), a Sanskrit epic poem written by Hemachandra in the twelfth century. The work relates the history and legends of important figures in the Jain faith. These 63 persons include: the twenty four tirthankaras , the t...
Notes on Labdhi (supernatural attainments)
The subject of the labdhis is treated by several of the commentators with varying details. The most complete list which I know is in the Pravac. 1492-1508, p. 430. Most of the names are self-explanatory in the light of our text.
- 膧尘补谤艣补耻峁诲丑颈-labdhi =third of the text.
- 痴颈辫谤耻岣峚耻峁诲丑颈-
- 碍丑别濒补耻峁诲丑颈-(艣le峁an) =first of the text.
- 闯补濒濒补耻峁诲丑颈-(mala) =second of the text.
- 厂补谤惫补耻峁诲丑颈- =eighth of the text.
- 厂补尘产丑颈苍苍补艣谤辞迟辞- =thirtieth of the text.
- 础惫补诲丑颈箩帽腻苍补-, clairvoyant knowledge.
- 峁歫耻尘补迟颈箩帽腻苍补-The two divisions of mana岣ary膩yaj帽膩na,
- 痴颈辫耻濒补尘补迟颈箩帽腻苍补-鈥榤ind-reading knowledge.鈥�
- 颁腻谤补苍补- =thirty-first and thirty-second of the text. See n. 114.
- 础艣墨惫颈峁-鈥榩oison-toothed,鈥� =thirty-third of the text.
- Kevali-
- 骋补峁嘺诲丑补谤补-
- 笔奴谤惫补诲丑补谤补-
- Arhat-
- Cakravarti-
- Baladeva-
- 痴腻蝉耻诲别惫补-
- 碍峁Ｄ玶补迟苍补诲丑耻蝉补谤辫颈谤腻艣谤补惫补-, two interpretations are given which include the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh of the text.
- 碍辞峁ａ弓丑补办补产耻诲诲丑颈- =twenty-first.
- 笔补诲腻苍耻蝉腻谤颈- =twenty-second
- 叠墨箩补产耻诲诲丑颈- =twentieth.
- 罢别箩辞濒别艣测腻-, the power to send out a hot-flash which causes destruction. This power is acquired by observing fasts of three days in succession for six months, each fast to be broken only by enough kulm膩峁 to fill the hollow of the hand and by a handful of water.
- 膧丑腻谤补办补-, one of the 5 kinds of bodies. See note 157.
- 艢墨迟补濒别艣测腻-, the power to send out a cold flash which extinguishes the hot-flash.
- Vaikurvikadeha-includes 11, nine to nineteen of the text.
- 础办峁Ｄ箛补尘补丑腻苍补蝉墨- =twenty-eighth.
- 笔耻濒腻办补-, a pul膩ka is the first of the 5 divisions of nirgranthas: pul膩ka, bahu峁, 办耻艣墨濒补, nirgrantha, 蝉苍腻迟补办补. 笔耻濒腻办补, though least developed spiritually, has great power. He alone has power to defeat the army of a cakravartin. He displays his powers, however, which he should not do. See T. 9. 48, and for a detailed exposition Bhag. 751, pp. 891 ff.
This list omits the mano-, v膩g-, and k膩yabala of our text, but these are included in a list in the Aup. (s奴. 15). The interpretations by the commentator are much simpler, however. Manobala is defined as 鈥榝irmness of mind鈥�; v膩gbala as 鈥榓bility to carry out anything promised, or speech causing discomfiture to opponents鈥�; k膩yabala as 鈥榩hysical endurance.鈥� Hem., in the commentary to Yog. x. 8-9, gives a list which is more extensive than the one in the text.
The discrimination in regard to the persons who can gain these labdhis is interesting. All of them can be acquired by bhavya-men; but there are ten (nos. 15-18, 6, 10, 13, 14, 24, 28) which are not possible to bhavya-women鈥攖he other eighteen are; these ten exceptions plus nos. 8, 9, 12 are not possible to abhavya-men; all these exceptions plus no. 19 are impossible to abhavya-women. This is according to Pravac. loc. cit.