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42
UTTARADHYAYANA.
come to its close); Gautama, be careful all the while! (1)
As a dew-drop dangling on the top of a blade of Kusa-grass lasts but a short time, even so the life of men; Gautama, be careful all the while! (2)
As life is so fleet and existence so precarious, wipe off the sins you ever committed; Gautama, &c. (3)
A rare chance, in the long course of time, is human birth for a living being ; hard are the consequences of actions; Gautama, &c. (4)
When the soul has once got into an earth-body ?, it may remain in the same state as long as an Asamkhya 2; Gautama, &c. (5)
When the soul has once got into a water-body, &c. (all as in verse 5). (6).
When a soul has once got into a fire-body, &c. (all as in verse 5). (7)
When the soul has once got into a wind-body, &c. (all as in verse 5). (8)
When the soul has once got into a vegetablebody, it remains long in that state, for an endless time, after which its lot is not much bettered 3 ; Gautama, &c. (9)
When the soul has once got into a body of a Dvîndriya (i.e. a being possessing two organs of
1 Verses 5-9 treat of the êkêndriyas or beings which possess but one organ of sense, that of touch. A full description of them as well as of the dvîndriyas, &c. is given in the last lecture.
2 The periods called a sankhya are measured by utsarpinis and a vasarpinîs which correspond to the kalpas of the Hindus, but greatly exaggerated. An asamkhya is the longest time (ukkô sam = utkarsham) which a soul may be doomed to live in earth-bodies; see below, XXXVI, 81 ff.
This is, according to the commentary, the meaning of duranta.
