English
However, the nature of nāgas manifests in five instances: at the time of rebirth, at the time of shedding their skin, at the time of mating with their own kind, at the time of excreting waste, and at the time of death. But aren't devas also unsuitable for ordination? Then why are only the four realms of misery mentioned as unsuitable for ordination? True, even so, because of the devas' inability and the established nature of the teaching of penetration, it should be understood that they are mentioned thus to distinguish them from those who are incapable. For it will be said in the Samantapāsādikā Vinaya commentary, in the Mahāvagga, "Here, 'one gone to the animal realm, O bhikkhus,' means whether it be a nāga, or one of the supaṇṇa youths, or another, even including Sakka, the king of the devas, whoever is of non-human birth, all should be understood in this context as 'gone to the animal realm,'" therefore, it is said, "one gone to the animal realm means whoever is of non-human birth." Here someone says, if nāgas and supaṇṇas are inferior in rebirth, then why in the Vidhurajātaka do four people, desiring that very same state in the nāga, supaṇṇa, Sakka, and Dhanañjaya Korabya realms, perform meritorious deeds such as giving? Of those, one, at the end of his life, was reborn in the nāga realm as a nāga king with his wife and children; one was reborn in the supaṇṇa realm in the simbali mansion as a supaṇṇa king; one was reborn in the Tāvatiṃsa realm as Sakka; one was reborn in the womb of the chief queen of King Dhanañjaya Korabya. Thus, for all four people, the occurrence of rebirth through wholesome deeds is stated. If it were to occur through wholesome deeds, then according to this Paṭṭhāna text, "wholesome volition is a condition by way of kamma-condition for the aggregates that are its result and for the materiality," even for those without roots, the state of being a kamma-condition would be stated at the moment of rebirth. But this should not be said. How then is this to be understood? Thus it is said, Due to the strength of attachment, And the seven kinds of sexual union, Their wholesome intentions are impure, And being impure, They cannot generate rebirth in a happy realm. Even when actions leading to a bad realm are occurring, At the time of accumulation, The desire for that particular realm, The preliminary intention conjoined with craving, By its strength, Causes rebirth in those animal realms, Not by any other unwholesome deed. For in this way, the desired wish might be fulfilled. If it were to occur by another unwholesome deed, Even the desired wish would be unfulfilled. This attachment, Even a strong intention conjoined with jhāna can be resisted. Just as Gopaka Devadatta's teacher, Not being reborn in the Brahma realms due to jhāna, Having resisted the jhāna, Is reborn among the Gandhabba deities by another deed. "For, monks, the aspiration of the virtuous succeeds, due to purity." Their detailed account has come in the Dīgha Nikāya, Those who desire should look there. Also, beings do not escape from suffering Because of the seven kinds of sexual union. For it was said by the Blessed One, "Here, brahmin, a certain ascetic or brahmin, Professing to be truly celibate, Does not engage in dual contact with a woman, But he enjoys being rubbed, bathed, massaged, and caressed by a woman, He savors it, he desires it, And he falls away from it. This too, brahmin, is a flawed, broken, spotted, and blemished celibacy. This, brahmin, is called impure celibacy. Bound by sexual union, He is not freed from birth, old age, and death... ...I say he is not freed from suffering." "Furthermore, brahmin, here a certain ascetic... ...professing to be... Does not engage in dual contact with a woman, Nor does he enjoy being rubbed... ...by a woman, But he laughs, plays, and amuses himself with a woman, He savors it..." ...I say, is suffering. Furthermore, brahmin, here some ascetic... ...does not engage with women. Nor does he enjoy the grooming of women. Nor does he laugh, play, or frolic with women. But he gazes intently at a woman, and he savors that... ...I say, is suffering. Furthermore, brahmin, here some ascetic or brahmin... ...does not engage with women, nor with the grooming of women, nor does he gaze at women. But he hears the sound of a woman beyond a wall or a fence, laughing, talking, singing, or crying, and he savors that... ...I say, is suffering. Furthermore, brahmin, here some ascetic or brahmin... ...does not engage with women, nor with the grooming of women, nor with women, nor with the crying of women... ...but he recalls those past times when he laughed, joked, and played with women. And he savors that... ...I say, is suffering. Furthermore, brahmin, here some ascetic or brahmin... ...does not engage with women, nor with the grooming of women... ...nor does he recall those past times when he laughed, joked, and played with women, but he sees a householder or a householder's son enjoying the five strands of sensual pleasure, and he savors that... ...I say, is suffering. Furthermore, brahmin... ...does not engage with women... ...nor does he recall, nor does he see a householder or a householder's son enjoying himself, but he practices the holy life aspiring to a certain group of gods, thinking, "By this virtue, or practice, or austerity, or holy life, I will become a god, one of the gods." And he savors that, he desires that, and he finds satisfaction in that. This, brahmin, is a flaw, a blemish, a mottled spot in the holy life, for the sake of gain and honor. And here, it should be understood that the state of being broken, etc., is included by means of the seven kinds of sexual intercourse. But in the case of matricide, if a mother is killed who is a human female, even if she is not the actual mother, such as a foster mother, a wet nurse, a stepmother, a grandmother, or a birth mother who is a non-human female, then ordination is not prohibited for that person, nor is he considered to have committed an immediately ripening offense. Even a female animal, having associated with a human male, gives birth to a human son, like the two elder brothers, sons of a Kinnari. They are indeed egg-born. Thus, in these three realms—the realm of ghosts, the animal realm, and the human realm—four modes of generation are possible. Among humans, only a few are spontaneously born, such as Prince Mahāpaduma and others. And egg-born are the sons of the Kinnari, the two elder brothers. The full story, however, should be consulted in the Sinhalese commentary. Here, "Konta" means a Kinnarī, and her sons are Kontaputtā. In the time of King Asoka Dhammarāja, she was captured by a forest dweller, and having come into human society, she gave birth to two sons. Thinking, "Now she will not leave the children behind," the forest dweller gave her a wing. Having received the wing, she flew away and returned to her own place. Kinnarīs cannot fly without a wing. Therefore, the ascetic said, "Do not give her the wing." Their wings are born of karma and seasonal conditions, like the wheel-jewel of a universal monarch. Thus, the universal monarch's ability to travel through the sky, etc., is a power born of merit, but he cannot travel by his own nature without the wheel-jewel or the elephant-jewel or the horse-jewel. The wheel-jewel, having arisen from the power of the universal monarch's karma, even when arising in the middle of the ocean, is said to be born of karma and seasonal conditions. The elephant-jewel and the horse-jewel, however, are said to be born of karma and the results of karma. The ability of birds to travel through the sky, etc., is a power born of the results of karma. Kinnarīs, however, cannot fly by their own nature without a wing. Therefore, their wings should be seen as born of karma and seasonal conditions. They are innate. Some say they come with rebirth, like ornaments of gods. That is not to be accepted, as it is impossible for egg-born and womb-born beings. Some say they are created at the time of activity. That too is unreasonable, as spontaneous beings are born in lotus calyxes or bamboo clumps, like Pokkharasāti the Brahmin, Padumavatī, and Veḷuvatī Devī. Womb-born beings are clearly evident. One who, being a mere animal, killed his mother who was a human woman, is not an offender of immediate consequence, because he is an animal. However, his ordination is prohibited, but his deed is weighty, standing close to an offense of immediate consequence. Human women also conceive by approaching animals, just as the mother of Bhūridatta did. For women, conception occurs in eight ways: by misconduct, by bodily contact, by garment contact, by drinking impurity, by touching the navel, by seeing a form, by hearing a sound, or by smell. There, by misconduct, Sudinna's former lover conceived and gave birth to a son named Bījaka, resembling a golden statue, in his last existence. Sometimes, some women, in their fertile period, enjoying the touching of hands, hair, and limbs of men, also conceive. Thus, conception occurs by bodily contact. For Udāyī Thera's former lover, a nun, took some of that impurity in her mouth, and some she placed in her private parts along with the garment. She conceived by that. Thus, conception occurs by garment contact. The mother of Migasiṅga the ascetic, a deer, came to the ascetic's urinal during her fertile period and drank with intimacy. She conceived by that and gave birth to a boy ascetic named Migasiṅga. Thus, conception occurs by drinking impurity. The mother of Sāma, the Bodhisatta, touched her navel during her fertile period and conceived, giving birth to a boy ascetic, Sāma. Thus, and also for Maṇḍabya and Caṇḍapajjo, their mothers conceived by touching the navel during their fertile period. By a touch of the navel by Asena, there was the birth of Maṇḍabya, who saw auspicious signs there.