THIRD LECTURE,

CALLED

KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD.

O long-lived (Gambusvamin)! I (Sudharman) have heard the following discourse from the Venerable (Mahavira). We now come to the Lecture called 'Knowledge of Food.' The contents of it are as follows:

Here in the East, West, North, and South there are, all in all, in the world four kinds of seed: seeds generated at the top (of the plant), at its root, at its knots, at its stem . According to the seed and place

[paragraph continues] (of growth) of these plants some beings--born in earth, originated in earth, and grown in earth, having in it their birth, origin, and growth, being impelled by their Karman, and coming forth in it on account of their Karman, growing there in particles of earth, the origin of various things--come forth as trees . (1)

These living beings feed on the liquid substance of these particles of earth, the origin of various things; these beings consume earth-bodies, water-bodies, fire-bodies, wind-bodies, bodies of plants; they deprive of life the bodies of manifold movable and immovable beings; the destroyed bodies which have been consumed before, or absorbed by the rind, (are) digested and assimilated (by them). And the bodies of these (trees) which bring forth their different parts, are of manifold colours, smells, tastes, touches, forms, and arrangement of corporeal particles .

These beings (animating trees) come into existence because of their Karman; so we are taught (by the Tirthakaras, &c.) (2)

And again it has been said of old: some beings born in trees, originated by trees, sprung from trees, (&c., as in section 1, down to) springing from trees that originated in earth, come forth as trees originated by trees . These beings feed on the sap of the trees originated in earth, (&c., all as in section 2, down to the end). (3)

(In the same way, and in nearly the same words, the offshoots of the trees mentioned in the preceding paragraph are treated of.) (4)

And again it has been said of old: some beings born in trees, (&c., all as above, down to) growing in trees, that are originated by trees, come forth as their roots, bulb, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds . These beings feed on the sap of those trees originated by trees, (&c., all as in section 2, down to) and the bodies of the roots, bulb, stem, &c. are of manifold colours, (&c., all as in section 2, down to the end). (5)

(The four paragraphs that come next, 6-9, are identical with the preceding ones, except that 'creeper ' is substituted for 'tree.') (6-9)

(In the same way 'grass ' is treated in four paragraphs, but the whole is much abridged; then

it is said that 'herbs ' and 'plants ' are to be treated in four paragraphs each.) (10-15)