Lay Follower Kamadeva (श्रमणोपासक कामदेव)

जइ णं भंते ! समणेणं भगवया महावीरेणं जाव संपत्तेणं सत्तमस्स अंगस्स उवासगदसाणं पढमस्स अज्झयणस्स अयमट्ठे पण्णत्ते, दोच्चस्स णं भंते ! अज्झयणस्स के अट्ठे पण्णत्ते ? ॥२.१॥

O Venerable One! The meaning of the first chapter of the Upasakdashang — the seventh Anga — has been set forth. What meaning is set forth in the second chapter?

Jambu Swami asks his teacher Arya Sudharma Swami about the second chapter's content. This standard opening bridges the chapters and establishes the chain of oral transmission from Mahavira. The yāvat formula (jāva sampatteṇaṃ) stands for Mahavira's full laudatory epithet, avoiding repetition of the long canonical formula.

Simply Put: Jambu asks his teacher: 'You've explained the first chapter about Ananda — now what is the second chapter about?'

एवं खलु जंबू ! तेणं कालेणं तेणं समएणं चंपा णामं णयरी होत्था। पुण्णभद्दे चेइए। जियसत्तू राया। कामदेवे गाहावई। भद्दा भारिया। छ हिरण्ण-कोडीओ णिहाण-पत्ताओ, छ वुड्ढि-पत्ताओ, छ पवित्थर-पत्ताओ, छ वया दस-गो-साहस्सिएणं वएणं। जहा आणंदो तहा सावगधम्मं पडिवज्जइ। ॥२.२॥

Thus O Jambu! At that time, in the city of Champa, at the Purnahbhadra Chaitya, King Jiyasattu ruled. Kamadeva was a householder with wife Bhadra. He possessed six crore gold in deposits, six crore in income, six crore in trade, and six herds of ten thousand cattle each. Just as Ananda (of Chapter 1) had done, so Kamadeva accepted the householder's dharma and began practicing poshadha.

Champanagari (modern Bhagalpur, Bihar) was a major ancient city. The elaborate wealth description — six crore in each category — follows the Upasakdashang's standard formula, establishing that spiritual choice was made from abundance not deprivation. Kamadeva swept the poshashala, inspected the ground for creatures (ahimsa), spread a sacred grass mat, and sat in deep dharmadhyana — the state in which the ordeal begins.

Simply Put: In the wealthy city of Champa, householder Kamadeva accepted Lord Mahavira's teachings, took his vows, and went to his prayer hall to observe a sacred fast in deep meditation.

तए णं तस्स कामदेवस्स समणोवासयस्स अंतिए पुव्वरत्तावरत्त-काल-समयंसि एगे देवे मायीमिच्छदिट्ठी पाउब्भूए। ॥२.३॥

Then, in the latter half of the midnight period, a deceitful and wrong-visioned deity appeared before the shramanopasak Kamadeva.

The timing is deliberate: the deepest, darkest part of night — when mental defenses are lowest — is when the test begins. The deity is described as māyī (deceitful, using illusion) and mithyadrishti (holding wrong views about the true nature of reality). This is not just a test of physical courage but a spiritual confrontation: a being invested in illusion versus a practitioner rooted in right knowledge.

Simply Put: At the darkest hour of midnight, a powerful but deceitful deity with misguided beliefs appeared in front of Kamadeva while he sat in meditation.

तए णं से देवे एगं महं पिसायरूवं विउव्वइ। सींसे से गो-किलंज-संठाण-संठियं, सालिहसेल्ल-सिरिसा से केसा, महल्ल-उडिया-कभल्ल-संठाण-संठिया णिंडाल, मुगुंस-पुच्छं च तस्स भुमगाओ, सीस-घडि-विचिंगवाई अच्छीणि, फाल-सिरिसा से दंता, जिभ्भा सुप्प-कत्तर-संणिभा, हल-कुदाल-संठिया से हणुया। ॥२.४॥

The deity created a great Pishacha (demon) form: head shaped like a grass basket, hair like paddy sheaves, forehead like a broken pot, brows like a mongoose's tail, eyes like inverted fire-pots, ears like winnowing fans, nostrils like forge bellows, moustache like a horse's tail, teeth drooping like a camel's, tongue like a harvesting knife, jaw shaped like a plough — grotesque and horrifying from head to toe.

This is one of the most detailed body-horror descriptions in the entire Upasakdashang. The Pishacha form is constructed systematically from head to foot using vivid similes, creating an image of something almost-human but violently wrong in every proportion. The tradition uses such descriptions to illustrate the full scale of a test: a being this terrifying in appearance should shatter ordinary courage — yet a consciousness grounded in dharmadhyana remains unmoved by appearance.

Simply Put: The deity transformed itself into a horrific demon — a nightmare creature with a head like a basket, teeth like a camel's, and a jaw like a plough — utterly grotesque in every detail.

लंडहमहाजापुए, भीममुक्कट्टहासे, णीलुप्पल-गवल-गुलिय-अयिसकुसुमप्पगासं खुरधारं असिं गहाय, जेणेव कामदेवे समणोवासए— हं भो कामदेवा ! णो खलु कप्पइ तव देवाणुपिया ! जं सीलाइं, वयाइं, वेरमणाइं, पच्चक्खाणाइं, पोसहोवासाइं भंजेसि, तो खंडाखंडि करेमि जहा अकाले जीवियाओ ववरोविज्जसि। ॥२.५॥

Laughing a fearsome laugh, garlanded with lizards and mice, grasping a razor-sharp sword that gleamed like a blue lotus, the demon marched to Kamadeva and declared: 'It is not proper for you to abandon your vows and poshadha-fast! If you break them today, I will cut you to pieces with this sword so you die prematurely!'

The demon's long threatening speech is self-defeating: it insults Kamadeva for 'seeking what is undesirable' (liberation), calls him devoid of fame and steadiness — yet the narrative proves the opposite. The sword described glows with the combined light of blue lotus, buffalo horn, iron, and sirisha flower — beautiful yet deadly. Kamadeva's response to this vivid, specific death threat is the key teaching that follows.

Simply Put: Dressed in rotting garlands of lizards and rats, roaring with horrible laughter, the demon threatened Kamadeva with its gleaming razor-sharp sword: 'Abandon your vows or I will cut you to pieces!'

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए तेणं देवेणं पिसाय-रूवेणं एवं वुत्ते समाणे, अभीए, अतत्थे, अणुविग्गे, अक्खुभिए, अचलिए, असंभंते, तुसिणीए धम्मज्झाणोवगए विहरइ। ॥२.६॥

Then, when thus addressed by the deity in Pishacha form, shramanopasak Kamadeva remained fearless, unfrightened, undisturbed, unshaken, unmoved, unperturbed — silent, and completely absorbed in religious meditation.

Six words describe Kamadeva's inner state: fearless (abhīta), unfrightened (a-trasta), undisturbed (an-udvigna), unshaken (a-kṣubhita), unmoved (a-calita), unperturbed (a-sambhraṃta). These are not synonyms — each targets a different dimension of psychological disturbance. The final phrase — 'silent, absorbed in dharmadhyana' — is the key: he does not argue, does not pray loudly, does not call for help. He simply continues what he was doing. This is the response of complete integration.

Simply Put: Despite all the demon's horrifying threats, Kamadeva didn't flinch, didn't tremble, didn't speak — he simply remained in deep, undisturbed silence and meditation, completely unafraid.

तए णं से देवे पिसायरूवे कामदेवं समणोवासयं अभीयं जाव विहरमाणं पासइ, पासित्ता दोच्चंपि तच्चंपि कामदेवं समणोवासयं एवं वयासी जाव जीवियाओ ववरोविज्जसि। ॥२.७॥

The demon, seeing Kamadeva fearless and continuing in meditation (yāvat), addressed shramanopasak Kamadeva a second and then a third time with the same threats — up to 'you will be expelled from life.'

The three repetitions are not redundancy — they represent a deepening test. The first threat catches one off-guard; the second tests whether calm was genuine; the third tests persistence under sustained pressure. Most people can hold composure once. Holding it three times in succession reveals structural steadfastness, not a momentary state.

Simply Put: The demon threatened Kamadeva a second time, then a third time, with the exact same words. Kamadeva's response was the same each time — complete stillness.

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए तेणं देवेणं दोच्चंपि तच्चंपि एवं वुत्ते समाणे, अभीए जाव विहरइ। ॥२.८॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva, addressed thus a second and third time by the deity, remained fearless (yāvat) and continued in dharma-meditation.

The same inner state through the second and third threat confirms that Kamadeva's stillness is not a performance or a momentary state — it is who he is at this moment of practice. The brevity is deliberate: no new description is needed. The reader already knows the six qualities. Nothing changed.

Simply Put: Even when threatened a second and third time, Kamadeva remained completely still and undisturbed in his meditation — every time.

तए णं से देवे पिसायरूवे... आसुरत्ते जाव कामदेवस्स सरसरस्स कायं दुरहइ, दुरहित्ता पच्छिमेणं भाएणं तिक्खुत्तो गीवं वेढेइ, वेढिता तिक्खाहिं विसपरिगयाहिं दाढाहिं उरंसि चेव णिकुट्टेइ। ॥२.९॥

The demon in Pishacha form, seeing Kamadeva still unmoved, became enraged (yāvat) and grabbed Kamadeva's slender body. It coiled around his neck three times from behind, then with its sharp, venom-filled fangs pierced him in the chest.

When verbal threats fail completely, the demon escalates to direct physical violence. The three-coil grip around the neck threatens asphyxiation; the venom-filled bite threatens poisoning. Kamadeva's body is described as 'slender' — he is not physically hardened. His endurance will come from dharmadhyana alone, not physical toughness. This is the first of three physical attacks across the chapter.

Simply Put: When threats failed, the demon attacked physically — it grabbed Kamadeva, wrapped around his neck three times, and bit him in the chest with its poison fangs.

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए तं उज्जलं जाव अहियासेइ। ॥२.१०॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva endured all of that bright, intense (yāvat) suffering — harsh, deep, fierce, painful — with complete equanimity.

The word ujjala (bright, intense) applied to suffering indicates the pain was real, sharp, and fully present. The four verbs implied by yāvat — saha (bore), khama (endured), titikkha (tolerated), ahiyāsei (withstood) — form an ascending scale. Kamadeva reaches the highest level: withstanding with equanimity. Pain was not absent; suffering (the mental resistance to pain) was. This is the culminating demonstration of the first round.

Simply Put: Despite being physically attacked and in real pain, Kamadeva bore all of it calmly — completely unbroken in his meditation.

तए णं से देवे पिसायरूवे... दिव्यं हत्थि-रूवं विप्पजहइ, विप्पजहित्ता एगं महं दिव्यं हत्थिरूवं विउव्वइ, उग्गविसं, चंडविसं, घोरविसं, महाकायं, मसी-मूसा-कालगं, वीसइं-पुच्छं, गुलगुलेंत। ॥२.११॥

Unable to dislodge Kamadeva from the Nirgranth teachings (yāvat), the deity abandoned the Pishacha form and took a great divine elephant form — with fierce venom, raging venom, terrifying venom; enormous body; black as ink; eyes full of venomous fury; with twenty tails; roaring thunderously.

The escalation from Pishacha to divine elephant changes the nature of the threat: from ugliness and revulsion to raw cosmic power. The divine elephant is not merely large — it is a being of extraordinary force with divine characteristics (twenty tails, three grades of venom). The shift mirrors how adversity works: when one kind of pressure fails, a different kind — not ugliness but overwhelming force — is applied.

Simply Put: When the demon form failed, the deity abandoned it and became a massive divine elephant — dark as ink, enormous, roaring like thunder, with eyes blazing with fury.

विउव्वित्ता जेणेव पोसहसाला... हं भो कामदेवा ! जाव भंजेसि, तो ते अज्ज अहं सोंडाए गिण्हेइ, उड्डं वेहासं डाहि, तिक्खेहिं दंतमुसलेहिं पडिच्छामि, अहे धरणितलंसि तिक्खुत्तो पायसु लोलेमि। ॥२.१२॥

Taking elephant form, it came to the poshashala and threatened Kamadeva: 'If you break your vows today, I will seize you with my trunk, throw you high into the sky, catch you on my sharp mace-like tusks, and drag you three times along the ground with my feet until you die!'

The elephant's threat is a specific, sequential torture: grab with trunk, hurl skyward, impale on tusks, grind along ground. The specificity is designed to trigger imagination — to make Kamadeva picture exactly what is about to happen. Additionally, being torn from the poshashala by a trunk is a desecration of the sacred space itself — the ordeal attacks not just the body but the container of the practice.

Simply Put: The elephant stormed into Kamadeva's prayer hall and threatened: 'I'll grab you with my trunk, throw you into the sky, catch you on my tusks, and drag you along the ground until you die!'

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए तेणं देवेणं हत्थिरूवेणं एवं वुत्ते समाणे अभीए जाव विहरइ। ॥२.१३॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva, addressed thus by the deity in elephant form, remained fearless (yāvat) and continued in dharma-meditation.

The response is structurally identical to sutra 2.6. This repetition is the teaching device: the form changes; the inner state does not. Inner stillness that has become form-independent — no longer depending on external conditions — has become genuinely integrated.

Simply Put: The elephant's threats had no more effect on Kamadeva than the demon's had — he remained completely still in silent meditation.

तए णं से देवे हत्थिरूवे... दोच्चंपि तच्चंपि कामदेवं समणोवासयं एवं वयासी— हं भो ! कामदेवा ! जाव विहरइ। ॥२.१४॥

The elephant, seeing Kamadeva fearless and still in meditation, addressed him a second and third time. Kamadeva (yāvat) remained absorbed in dharma-meditation.

Second round: elephant form, three verbal threats, same result. The pattern is now fully established. Kamadeva's stillness cannot be eroded by repetition.

Simply Put: The elephant threatened Kamadeva a second and third time — and Kamadeva remained completely unmoved each time.

तए णं से देवे हत्थिरूवे... आसुरत्ते जाव कामदेवं समणोवासयं सोंडाए गिण्हेइ, उड्डं वेहासं उड्डविहइ, तिक्खेहिं दंतमुसलेहिं पडिच्छइ, अहे धरणितलंसि तिक्खुत्तो पायसु लोलेइ। ॥२.१५॥

The enraged elephant seized Kamadeva with its trunk, threw him high into the sky, caught him on its sharp mace-like tusks as he fell, and dragged him three times along the ground with its feet.

The threat of sutra 2.12 is now carried out exactly. The narrative moves directly from the physical action to Kamadeva's response — no pause to describe shock or cries. The equanimity is simultaneous with the suffering, not sequential to it. This is the second of three physical attacks.

Simply Put: The enraged elephant did exactly what it threatened — grabbed Kamadeva with its trunk, threw him into the sky, caught him on its tusks, and dragged his body along the ground three times.

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए तं उज्जलं जाव अहियासेइ। ॥२.१६॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva endured all of that intense (yāvat) suffering with complete equanimity.

Second round complete — same result. Pishacha attack: endured. Elephant attack: endured. The cumulative picture is of a practitioner whose inner stability is simply not available to be shaken. The form of the test changes; the depth of the stillness does not.

Simply Put: Despite being physically tortured by the divine elephant, Kamadeva bore all of it with the same complete equanimity as before.

तए णं से देवे हत्थिरूवे... दिव्यं सप्प-रूवं विउव्वइ, उग्गविसं, चंडविसं, घोरविसं, अणागलिय-तिव्व-चंड-रोस-सप्परूवं। जाव भंजेसि, तो सरसरस्स कायं दुरहामि, पच्छिमेणं तिक्खुत्तो गीवं वेढेमि, तिक्खाहिं विसपरिगयाहिं दाढाहिं उरंसि णिकुट्टेमि। ॥२.१७॥

Unable to move Kamadeva, the deity abandoned elephant form and became a great divine serpent — with fierce, raging, terrifying venom; enormous; black as ink; coiled and hissing — and threatened: 'If you don't break your vows, I will coil around your neck three times and pierce your chest with my venom-filled fangs!'

The three forms have a logic: Pishacha (revulsion and fear of darkness), elephant (terror of overwhelming force), serpent (fear of venom and constriction — intimate, slow dissolution). Each appeals to a different primal fear, together exhausting the typology of supernatural challenge. The serpent is the most personally intimate form — it wraps around the body rather than acting at a distance.

Simply Put: After the elephant failed, the deity became an enormous divine serpent — black, coiled, dripping venom — and threatened to wrap around Kamadeva's neck and kill him with its bite.

तए णं से देवे सप्परूवे कामदेवं समणोवासयं अभीयं जाव विहरइ। सो वि दोच्चंपि तच्चंपि भणइ। कामदेवो वि जाव विहरइ। ॥२.१८॥

The serpent, seeing Kamadeva fearless and in meditation (yāvat), also spoke a second time and a third time. But Kamadeva (yāvat) also remained absorbed in dharma-meditation.

The 'also' (vi) in 'Kamadeva also remained' is quietly powerful: just as he was unmoved by Pishacha's words and the elephant's words — so too with the serpent's. There is no surprise. The same ground holds. By this point in the narrative, the repetition has become the teaching itself.

Simply Put: The serpent threatened Kamadeva a second and third time — and just as before, Kamadeva's response was complete, undisturbed silence every time.

तए णं से देवे सप्परूवे... आसुरत्ते जाव कामदेवस्स सरसरस्स कायं दुरहइ, पच्छिमेणं भाएणं तिक्खुत्तो गीवं वेढेइ, तिक्खाहिं विसपरिगयाहिं दाढाहिं उरंसि चेव णिकुट्टेइ। ॥२.१९॥

The serpent, enraged (yāvat), seized Kamadeva's slender body, coiled around his neck three times from behind, and with its sharp venom-filled fangs pierced him in the chest.

The serpent's physical attack mirrors the Pishacha's exactly. The third repetition reveals that the entire ordeal is a single complete teaching: threefold in form, threefold in verbal threats, threefold in physical attack — each pair of (verbal threat → endured, physical attack → endured) being a complete unit. The serpent's venom adds dissolution to the injury — the body being broken down from within — yet dharmadhyana remains unbroken.

Simply Put: The serpent finally attacked — wrapping around Kamadeva's neck and biting his chest with its venomous fangs, just as it had threatened.

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए तं उज्जलं जाव अहियासेइ। ॥२.२०॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva endured all of that intense (yāvat) suffering with complete equanimity.

Three rounds complete. Three forms, three attacks, three endurances. The Jain tradition is precise: the three rounds correspond to the three main categories of beings who can inflict upsarg — divine, human, and animal. Together they exhaust the typology of possible supernatural adversity. Kamadeva has now been tested by everything — and has endured it all.

Simply Put: Kamadeva endured the serpent's venom and physical assault with the same complete calm and equanimity as the two attacks before it.

तए णं से देवे सप्परूवे... पोसहसालाओ पडिणिक्खमइ, पडिणिक्खमित्ता दिव्यं देव-रूवं विउव्वइ। हार-विराइय-वच्छं, दिव्वेणं वण्णेणं... दस दिसाओ उज्जोवेमाणे, पासाइयं दरिसणिज्जं — हं भो कामदेवा ! धण्णसि णं तुमं देवाणुपिया ! सुलद्धे णं तव माणुस्सए जम्मजीवियफले ! ॥२.२१॥

The deity abandoned serpent form, left the poshashala, and manifested its true radiant divine form — adorned with garlands and jewels, shining with twelve categories of divine radiance, illuminating all ten directions. Entering in this beautiful form, it said: 'O Kamadeva, you are truly blessed! The fruit of your human birth is well-gained. Your dharma cannot be shaken.'

This is the chapter's turning point. The same being that was a grotesque Pishacha, a fury-filled elephant, a venom-dripping serpent — now shines with divine light illuminating all ten directions. The transformation from terrifying to glorious is complete and instantaneous. The twelve categories of divine radiance (color, fragrance, beauty, touch, gait, prosperity, radiance, light, shadow, fire, brilliance, luster) mark a genuinely powerful celestial being — which retroactively reveals that Kamadeva was tested by something real, not trivial.

Simply Put: Having failed in all three forms, the deity dropped every disguise and revealed its true glorious divine form — shining with light that lit all directions — and told Kamadeva: 'You are truly blessed. Your faith is real and cannot be broken.'

एवं खलु देवाणुपिया ! सक्के देविंदे देवराया, वज्जपाणी, पुरंदरे, सयक्कउ, सहस्सक्खे, मघवं, पागसासणे, एरावणवाहणे... जंबुदीवे वासे चंपाए णयरीए कामदेव समणोवासए पोसहसाले पोसिहए — धण्णसि णं ! सेणूणं कामदेवा ! तुब्भं अंतिए एगे देवे पाउब्भूए, एवं तिण्णि वि उवसग्गा कहेइ। हंता, अत्थि। ॥२.२२॥

Thus declared the deity: 'I am Shakra, king of the gods — Vajrapani, Purandra, Sahasraksha, Maghava, Indra — lord of thirty-two hundred thousand celestial vehicles, seated in Saudharma heaven amid all the divine court...' He recounted all three ordeals and asked: 'Was this so, O Kamadeva?' And Kamadeva replied: 'Yes, Bhagavan, it was so.'

The self-identification of Indra with his full catalogue of epithets establishes the weight of his praise: this is not a minor deity but the overlord of the entire first heaven bearing personal witness. For Indra — a being of enormous merit who has not yet attained liberation — to recognize and praise a lay householder's accomplishment is a reversal of the usual hierarchy. Kamadeva's simple 'Yes, it was so' is his quiet acknowledgment of what he passed through — an invitation to consciously claim the experience.

Simply Put: The deity revealed itself as Indra, king of all the gods, surrounded by his entire heavenly court. He praised Kamadeva, confirmed all three ordeals had truly happened, and asked for Kamadeva's own confirmation.

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए णिरुवसग्गं इति कट्टु पडिमं पारेइ। ॥२.२३॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva, recognizing that the ordeal (upsarg) was finished, completed his pratima vrata.

Kamadeva's first act when the ordeal ends is not to rest or to tell anyone — it is to complete the vow. The demon came specifically to interrupt the poshadha observance. Kamadeva did not let it. When the demon finally departed, Kamadeva simply continued to the natural completion of the practice. This is the practice orientation the Upasakdashang honors: the purpose of the upsarg is not the drama itself but the completion of the vow the drama was trying to prevent.

Simply Put: When the ordeal ended, Kamadeva did the most natural thing — he simply finished his meditation vow. He completed the practice he had started, as if nothing had interrupted it.

तेणं कालेणं तेणं समएणं समणे भगवं महावीरे जाव जेणेव चंपा णयरी, जेणेव पुण्णभद्दे चेइए, तेणेव उवागच्छइ, संजमेणं तवसा अप्पाणं भावेमाणे विहरइ। ॥२.२४॥

At that time, Shraman Bhagavan Mahavira came to Champanagari, to the Purnahbhadra Chaitya. Accepting appropriate shelter, engaged in restraint and austerity, he remained purifying his soul.

Mahavira's arrival creates the context for the second half of the chapter: the meeting, the confirmation, and the public teaching. The description of Mahavira's own practice — restraint and austerity, purifying the soul — is a quiet counterpoint to Kamadeva's test. Both are different forms of turning toward the true nature of the self.

Simply Put: Around this time, Lord Mahavira arrived in Kamadeva's city of Champa and stayed at the Purnahbhadra garden, continuing his own spiritual practice.

तं सेयं खलु मम समणं भगवं महावीरं वंदित्ता... पोसहं पारित्तए ति कट्टु... जेणेव समणे भगवं महावीरे, तेणेव उवागच्छइ, तिक्खुत्तो आयाहिणं पयाहिणं करेइ, तिविहाए पज्जुवासणाए पज्जुवासइ। ॥२.२५॥

Hearing that Bhagavan Mahavira had arrived, Kamadeva thought: 'It would be best to first bow to Bhagavan, then return and complete the poshadha.' He put on pure auspicious clothes, went to Mahavira, circumambulated him three times clockwise, bowed, and attended him in the threefold manner of body, speech, and mind.

After the most extreme ordeal of his life, Kamadeva's first thought upon learning Mahavira has arrived is not 'I need to rest' but 'I should go see my teacher.' The orderly, reverent approach — proper clothes, three-times pradakshina, threefold service — reflects that the meeting with the teacher is itself a form of practice requiring full attention and care. The decision to visit Mahavira before completing the poshadha shows that the teacher's presence takes priority over formal observance.

Simply Put: Learning Mahavira had arrived nearby, Kamadeva put on his best clothes, walked to Mahavira's assembly, and bowed to him with deep reverence, sitting attentively to serve him.

तए णं समणे भगवं महावीरे कामदेवस्स समणोवासयस्स तीसे य जाव धम्मकहा समत्ता। ॥२.२६॥

Then Shraman Bhagavan Mahavira gave a religious discourse (dharmakatha) to shramanopasak Kamadeva and to the assembly (yāvat), and the discourse was completed.

The dharmakatha is compressed into a single sentence — it is not the dramatic focus. The discourse's content (covering the four essential topics: soul, non-soul, inflow of karma, cessation of karma) is implied by yāvat. It prepares the ground for what follows: Mahavira's public confirmation of the three ordeals and the teaching he draws from them for the entire monastic community.

Simply Put: Lord Mahavira gave a complete religious teaching to Kamadeva and the gathered assembly.

सेणूणं कामदेवा ! तुब्भं अंतिए पुव्व-रत्तावरत्त-काल-समयंसि एगे देवे पाउब्भूए। तए णं से देवे एगं महं दिव्यं पिसाय-रूवं विउव्वइ, एवं तिण्णि वि उवसग्गा कहेइ। से णूणं कामदेवा ! अट्ठे समट्ठे? हंता, अत्थि। ॥२.२७॥

Bhagavan Mahavira addressed Kamadeva: 'O Kamadeva! At midnight a deity appeared before you. It took a great Pishacha form...' — and described all three ordeals — '...and returned in the direction from which it came. Was this so, O Kamadeva?' Kamadeva replied: 'Yes, Bhagavan, it was exactly so.'

Mahavira's act of naming what happened — publicly, before the assembly — transforms a private ordeal into a shared teaching. He already knows through omniscience (kevalajñāna) without having been physically present. The question 'Was this so?' invites Kamadeva to consciously claim his own experience — to actively witness himself. His simple 'Yes' is his act of ownership: yes, this happened, and I was there.

Simply Put: Lord Mahavira described to Kamadeva everything that had happened the previous night — all three ordeals — as if he had been watching the entire time. Then he asked: 'Was this so?' And Kamadeva said: 'Yes, exactly as you say.'

अज्जो ! जइ ताव, समणोवासगा, गिहिणो, गिहमज्झावसंता दिव्व-माणुस-तिरिक्खजोणिए उवसग्गे सम्मं सहंति, तितिक्खंति अहियासेंति, सक्का पुणाइं, अज्जो ! समणेहिं णिग्गंथेहिं दुवालसंगं गणिपिडगं अहिज्जमाणेहिं उवसग्गे सम्मं सहित्तए, अहियासित्तए। ॥२.२८॥

Bhagavan Mahavira then addressed the monks and nuns: 'O Noble Ones! If lay followers, householders living amid household life, can properly bear and endure ordeals from divine, human, and animal beings — then surely Nirgranth monks studying the twelve-fold scriptures can certainly do the same.'

This is the chapter's explicit teaching moment: Mahavira turns Kamadeva's private ordeal into public instruction for his monastic community. The argument is compelling: if a householder with family, wealth, and worldly concerns can endure such extreme ordeals with complete equanimity — then monks who have renounced everything and study the Dvadashangi daily should certainly be capable of at least as much. Not a criticism but an inspiration.

Simply Put: Mahavira turned to his monks and nuns and said: 'If a householder like Kamadeva — living with family and worldly responsibilities — could endure all of that without wavering, then you who study the scriptures every day should certainly be able to do the same.'

तओ ते बहवे समणा णिग्गंथा य णिग्गंथीओ य समणस्स भगवओ महावीरस्स तह ति एयमट्टु विणएणं पडिसुणेंति। ॥२.२९॥

Then the many monks and nuns of Shraman Bhagavan Mahavira accepted this teaching with the words 'So it is, O Bhagavan!' and received it with reverence (vinaya).

'Taha ti' (so it is) is the canonical formula of active acceptance in Jain Agamic literature — not just intellectual acknowledgment but volitional commitment to receive the teaching into practice. Vinaya (reverence) is named as the quality of reception. Both monks and nuns are included, the teaching applying equally.

Simply Put: The monks and nuns heard Mahavira's teaching and accepted it with deep reverence, saying: 'Yes, Bhagavan, so it is.'

तए णं कामदेवे समणोवासए हटु जाव समणं भगवं महावीरं पिसणाई पुच्छइ, अट्टुमादियइ। वंदित्ता णमंसित्ता जामेव दिसं पाउब्भूए, तामेव दिसं पिंडगाए। ॥२.३०॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva was overjoyed (yāvat) and asked Shraman Bhagavan Mahavira various questions, receiving answers. He bowed to Bhagavan three times and departed in the direction from which he had come.

Kamadeva's joy after the meeting with Mahavira contrasts with his composed silence during the ordeal: in the ordeal, stillness; in the teacher's presence, natural happiness. These are complementary: inner stillness under pressure and natural joy in wisdom's presence are both aspects of spiritual maturity. The act of asking questions is honored — a genuine student engages, seeks deeper understanding.

Simply Put: Filled with joy, Kamadeva asked Lord Mahavira his questions, received answers, bowed respectfully, and went home.

तए णं समणे भगवं महावीरे अण्णया कयाइं चंपाओ पडिणिक्खमइ, पडिणिक्खमित्ता बहिया जणवय-विहारं विहरइ। ॥२.३१॥

Then Shraman Bhagavan Mahavira, at some other time, departed from Champa city and began wandering through other regions for his itinerant teaching mission.

The teacher moves on — his role in this chapter's narrative is complete. In the Jain tradition, the teacher does not remain permanently with the student: the student internalizes the teaching and practices independently. The next three sutras describe Kamadeva doing exactly this over twenty years.

Simply Put: At some point, Lord Mahavira left Champa to continue his traveling mission to teach other communities.

तए णं कामदेवे समणोवासए पढमं उवासग-पडिमं उवसंपज्जित्ताणं विहरइ। जाव एक्कारसमं उवासगपडिमं सम्मं आराहेइ, जहा आणंदे जाव भत्त-पाण-पडियाइंखाए कालं अणवकंखमाणे विहरइ। ॥२.३२॥

Then shramanopasak Kamadeva took up the first stage (pratima) of the lay path and continued in it — (yāvat) properly fulfilling all eleven stages, just as Ananda had done — and remained, having renounced food and water, awaiting his end without anxiety.

The eleven pratimas represent a progressive movement from householder life toward near-monastic renunciation. The final stage culminates in bhatta-pana-pratyakhyana — the voluntary renunciation of food and water (santhara), the conscious, meditative, non-violent departure from life. The phrase 'awaiting the end without anxiety' captures the ideal: not rushing toward death, not fleeing from it — remaining present and at peace as the body's processes naturally cease.

Simply Put: After Mahavira's visit, Kamadeva committed fully to his spiritual path — progressively taking all eleven stages of the lay follower's journey — and at the end, he fasted peacefully and waited for death without anxiety.

तए णं से कामदेवे समणोवासए बहुइं सीलव्वय-गुण-वेरमण-पोसहवासेहिं अप्पाणं भावेत्ता वीसं वासाइं समणोवासगपरियायं पाउणित्ता, भत्ताइं अणसणाए छेदेत्ता, आलोइयपडिक्कंते, समाहिपत्ते, कालमासे काल किच्चा, सोहम्मं कप्पे सोहम्मावडिसए महाविमानस्स उत्तरपुरित्थमेणं अरुणाभे विमाणे देवत्ताए उववण्णे। चत्तारि पलिओवमाई ठिई पण्णत्ता। ॥२.३३॥

Shramanopasak Kamadeva, having purified his soul through many vows, virtues, and poshadha-fasts, completed twenty years of the shramanopasak's path. He fasted (anapana), performed confession and repentance, attained samadhi, and at the proper time departed from life. He was reborn as a deity in Saudharma heaven, in the Arunabha celestial vehicle in the northeast of the Saudharma-vatamsaka Mahavimana. His lifespan there: four palya.

The four-step sequence at death — anapana (voluntary fasting), alochana-pratikramana (confession/repentance), samadhi (meditative equanimity), and kalakriya (death with full awareness) — is the Jain ideal for a practitioner's final act. The Arunabha vimana ('possessing the radiance of the rising sun') in Saudharma heaven — the highest and most meritorious of the twelve heavens — with a four-palya lifespan is the natural consequence of twenty years of resolute lay practice and the steadfast endurance of the upsargas.

Simply Put: After twenty years of deep spiritual practice, Kamadeva died in perfect meditative peace through a voluntary fast — and was reborn as a radiant deity in Saudharma heaven, the highest level of the first heaven, with a lifespan of four palya.

से णं भंते ! कामदेवे ताओ देवलोगाओ आउक्खएणं ठिइक्खएणं कहिं गमिहिइ, कहिं उवज्जिहिइ ? गोयमा ! महाविदेहे वासे सिज्झिहिइ। णिक्खेवो जहा पढमस्स। ॥२.३४॥

'O Venerable One! When Kamadeva's lifespan in that heavenly realm is exhausted — where will he go, where will he be reborn?' Bhagavan replied: 'O Gautama! He will attain liberation in Mahavideha.' The closing verse (nikshepa) is the same as that of the first chapter.

The ultimate destination: liberation (siddhi/moksha) in Mahavideha — the one continental region where liberation is always available, since a Tirthankara is always teaching there. Kamadeva's trajectory, once set in motion by his steadfast practice and confirmed by the ordeal, is now irreversible. The chapter closes completing its full arc: from the wealthiest householder of Champa, through the three supernatural ordeals, twenty years of practice, celestial rebirth — to the final release from all existence.

Simply Put: Gautama asked where Kamadeva would go after his heavenly life. Mahavira's answer: 'He will be born in Mahavideha and attain complete liberation from all existence — forever free.'