1. Life of Mahavira, Lecture 1

1Obeisance to the Arhats! Obeisance to the Liberated Ones! Obeisance to the Religious Guides! Obeisance to the Religious Instructors! Obeisance to all Saints in the World!

2This fivefold obeisance, destroying all sins, is of all benedictions the principal benediction.

3In that period, in that age lived the Venerable Ascetic Mahāvīra, the five (most important moments of whose life happened) when the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalgunī; to wit, in Uttaraphalgunī he descended (from heaven), and having descended (thence), he entered the womb (of Devānandā); in Uttaraphalgunī he was removed from the womb (of Devānandā) to the womb (of Triśalā); in Uttaraphalgunī he was born; in Uttaraphalgunī, tearing out his hair, he left the house and entered the state of houselessness; in Uttaraphalgunī he obtained the highest knowledge and intuition, called Kevala, which is infinite, supreme, unobstructed, unimpeded, complete, and perfect. But in. Svāti the Venerable One obtained final liberation. (1)[1]

4End of the First Lecture[2].

5Cf. Ācārāṅga Sūtra II, 15, § 1.

6Vācanā. These vācanās are the parts into which the Kalpa Sūtra is generally divided by some commentators. I have adopted the distribution of Samayasundara.