The second sub-bhūmi of Yogasthāna I. Avatārabhūmi describes the descent (avatāra) into the path — the transition from being merely fit (the gotrabhūmi end-state) into actively practicing. Six person-types map the journey from latent fitness to arhatship; eight marks identify what a descended practitioner looks like in life.
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Sanskrit
English
............................. II. avatārabhūmiḥ ...........
II. The Stage of Descent
The avatārabhūmi opens by enumerating the six person-types it will define: bhavya (merely fit), the three grades of wholesome roots (mild, middle, strong), niṣṭhā-prāyogika (applied to the ultimate), and niṣṭhā-gata (arrived at the ultimate). Sections 1.4–1.27 define each in turn.
yaiḥ ṣaḍbhirbhavyo mṛdukuśalamūlasamanvāgato madhyakuśalamūlasamanvāgataḥ |
By these six [person-types]: the merely fit person, one endowed with mild wholesome roots, one endowed with middle wholesome roots,
The opening enumeration is six person-types/stages, not six independent factors: merely fit, mild/middle/strong wholesome roots, applied to the ultimate, and arrived at the ultimate. The wording is kept aligned with the structural overview and the definitions that follow.
niṣṭhāprāyogiko, niṣṭhāgataśca |
one applied to the ultimate, and one arrived at the ultimate.
yo gotrasthāna naṁ cā bhi dhyāyi yī tatprathamatastathāgatapravedite dharmavinaye śraddhāṁ pratilabhate |
He who, on the basis of being established in the lineage, first of all gains faith in the dharma-vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata,
yo gotrasthastena vā tathāgatapravedite dharmavinaye tatprathamataḥ śraddhā pratilabdhā bhavati |
He who, established in the lineage, first gains faith in the dharma-vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata,
yāvad dṛṣṭi ṛjūkṛtā |
and so on up through making the view upright.
yāvat dṛṣṭi-ṛjū-kṛtā — the Sanskrit yāvat signals 'as elaborated above, up to the point of ...'. Standard Buddhist-text shorthand: the full description from the bhavya entry above is implied, repeated in summary by the trailing milestone (here, 'making the view upright').
ayamucyate mṛdukuśalamūlasamanvāgataḥ |
This is called one endowed with mild wholesome roots.
madhyakuśalamūlasamanvāgato gotrasthaḥ pudgalastatprathamatastathāgatapravedite dharmavinaye śraddhāṁ pratilabhya, yāvaddṛṣṭimṛjuṁ kṛtvā ekamvā kaṁ vā , dve vā, sambahulāni vā janmānyabhinirvarttayati |
One endowed with middle wholesome roots — a person established in the lineage who, having first gained faith in the dharma-vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata and (in the same way as before) made his view upright, produces one, two, or several further births,
no caramamātmabhāvaṁ pratilabhate |
but does not yet attain the final individual existence.
yatra sthitaḥ parinirvātyayamucyate |
[The one] established in [those further births who] attains final nirvāṇa — this is called
adhimātrakuśalamū lasamanvāgataḥ pudgalaḥ |
the person endowed with strong wholesome roots.
yaḥ pudgalaścaramamātmabhāvaṁ pratilabhyāsravakṣayāya samyagavavādānuśāsanīṁ, saddharmaśravaṇaṁ vā pratilabhya samyageva prayujyate |
He who, having attained [his] final individual existence, having received the right admonition-and-instruction for the destruction of the fluxes — or having heard the true dharma — rightly applies himself,
ātmabhāva-pratilambha — 'attainment of [the final] individual existence.' Refers to the body-and-mind continuum that becomes the substrate for the path's culmination. The 'final' here means carama- (last in the saṁsāric series for this person), not chronologically late in life.
na cādhmāyi yī sarveṇa sarvaṁ sarvathā pratipadyate |
and, no longer wavering, in every way and altogether practices,
āsravakṣayamanuprāpnoti |
[Damaged/Conjectural]: but does not attain the destruction of the fluxes —
The root text as extracted prints āsrava-kṣayam anuprāpnoti ('attains the destruction of the fluxes'), but that would make the niṣṭhā-prāyogika an arhat and collapse the contrast with the immediately following niṣṭhā-gata. The recapitulation at 2.9–2.13 explicitly says this person realizes stream-entry, once-returning, or non-returning but not arhatship. The English therefore restores the required negative sense and marks the line [Damaged/Conjectural]; Sanskrit JSON is left unchanged.
na niṣṭhāṁ gacchatyayamucyate niṣṭhāprāyogikaḥ pudgalaḥ |
and does not yet arrive at the ultimate. This is called the person applied to the ultimate.
yadutāsravakṣayāya tathā tathā pratipadyate |
namely for the destruction of the fluxes — practices accordingly,
yat sarveṇa sarvaṁ sarvathā āsravakṣayamanuprāpnoti |
and in every way and altogether attains the destruction of the fluxes.
kṛtakṛtyo bhavati paramaśītībhāvaprāptaḥ |
He has done his task, attained supreme calming.
paramaśītī-bhāva-prāpta — literally 'attained the supreme state of becoming-cool.' Coolness (śīta) is the standard Buddhist metaphor for nirvāṇa, contrasting with the burning of the kleśas. Rendered 'supreme calming' for English readability; 'supreme cooling' or 'highest peace' would also work.
tatra bhavyajātīyaḥ pudgalo gotraṁ niśritya, gotraṁ pratiṣṭhāya mṛdūni kuśalamūlāni pratilabhate |
Here, a person of fit-nature, relying on the lineage and established in it, attains the mild wholesome roots
so a vatīrṇo mṛdūni kuśalamūlāni niśritya, pratiṣṭhāya, madhyāni kuśalamūlāni pratilabhatetaiścātmānamparipācayati |
Having descended, relying on the mild wholesome roots and established in them, he attains the middle wholesome roots, and by these matures himself.
sa tathā paripacyamāno madhyāni kuśalamūlāni niśritya pratiṣṭhāyādhimātrāṇi kuśalamūlāni pratilabhate |
Being thus matured, relying on the middle wholesome roots and established in them, he attains the strong wholesome roots
so a dhimātrakuśalamūlahetusamudāgatenātmabhāvapratilambhena yadā sambhārañca samudānayati |
With the individual existence attained through the cause that is the strong wholesome roots, when he gathers the requisites
samyaktvañca nyāmamavakrāmati |
and enters the fixed course of rightness [samyaktva-niyāma],
strota āpattiphalamvā, sakṛdāgāmiphalaṁ vā a nāgāmiphalamvā sākṣātkaroti |
he realizes the fruit of stream-entry, or once-returning, or non-returning,
no tvagraphalamarhatvaṁ ttvaṁ sākṣātkaroti |
but does not yet realize the supreme fruit, arhatship.
yadā tu sarvakleśaprahāṇamarhatvaṁ ttvaṁ sākṣātkaroti |
When he realizes the abandonment of all defilements, arhatship,
saiṣā sādimadhyaparyavasānā sarvaśrāvakacaryā ṣaḍbhiḥ pudgalavyavasthānaiḥ sandarśitā bhavati |
This whole course of the disciple, from beginning to middle to end, is shown by the six person-delineations.
tatra gotreṇādi ḥ śrāvakacaryāyāḥ sandarśitaḥ |
By the lineage, the beginning of the disciple-course is shown;
tatrāvatīrṇānāṁ pudgalānāṁ kiṁ parimāṇaniyatastulyaśca sarveṣāṁ kālo bhavati |
For persons who have descended, is the time required by all of them — for final nirvāṇa — of fixed measure and equal across all?
Restructured as a single question across 4.1–4.3 — the source uses three short |-separated clauses (asking about fixed measure, equal duration, and certainty respectively) that together form one question whose answer is given in 4.4. Punctuation here makes that visible.
na parinirvāṇāya āho naiṣāṁ parimāṇaniyataḥ kālo nāpi tulyaḥ sarveṣāmparinirvāṇāya |
[Answer:] no — their time for final nirvāṇa is not of fixed measure, nor is it equal for all.
api tu yathāyogameṣāṁ yathāpratyayalābhaṁ parinirvāṇaṁ veditavyaṁ |
Rather, their final nirvāṇa is to be understood as appropriate to each, according to their gaining of conditions.
keṣāṁciccireṇa, keṣāṁciccāticireṇa, keṣāṁcitpunaḥ kṣiprameva parinirvāṇaṁ bhavatyapi tu yo gotrasthaḥ pudgalaḥ sa sarvakṣipraṁ parinirvāti |
Some after long, some after very long, some again swiftly attain final nirvāṇa; but the person established in the lineage attains final nirvāṇa most swiftly.
parañca saptabhavānabhinirvarttayatīdamucyate avatāravyavasthānaṁ |
And he produces at most seven existences — this is called the delineation of descent.
iha gotrasthaḥ pudgalaḥ avatīrṇamātra eva yadā janmāntaraparivarttenāpi smṛtisaṁpramoṣaṁ pratilabhate |
Here, a person established in the lineage who has just descended — even when, through the transition to another birth, he experiences loss of memory;
Sections 4.15–4.25 describe the descended person's distinctive first mark through a two-part contrast: 4.16–4.19 — rejection of an ill-stated dharma even when praised; 4.20 — simile for the un-descended state, where one cannot connect with even the well-stated dharma (like a honey-creature thrown into vinegar); 4.21–4.24 — the descended person's positive embrace of the well-stated dharma (like a honey-creature in honey). The contrast is the mark — what distinguishes the descended from the un-descended is precisely this changed orientation toward dharma.
āśāstari dharmavinaye vā sati samvidyamāne a pi durākhyāte dharmavinaye svākhyāte a pyanekaparyāyeṇa durākhyātasya dharmavinayasya varṇaṁ stutimānuśansaṁ śaṁsaṁ śrutvā nāvatarati |
and even when, with a Teacher and the [true] dharma-vinaya present and available, an ill-stated dharma-vinaya is praised in many ways — hearing the praise, eulogy, and commendation of that ill-stated dharma-vinaya rather than the well-stated one, he does not descend [into it];
pravrajito a pyavatīrṇo laghu laghveva pratyudāvarttakhe |
and even if he has gone forth and descended [there], he turns back lightly, very lightly;
prakṛtyaiva cāsya tatrārocakaḥ saṁtiṣṭhate |
and by nature distaste for it remains in him.
madhuni jātasyeva ca prāṇakasya śuktiprakṣiptasya kāmopabhogino vā karde nde ṇa, syandanikāyāmvā prakṣiptasya yathāpi tatpūrvakeṇaiva hetubalādhānena svākhyātasya vā punardharmavinayasya naiva varṇa ṁ stutimānuśansaṁ śaṁsaṁ śrṛṇoti vā kaṇḍati vā |
Just as a creature born in honey, when thrown into vinegar — or a sensualist when cast into mire or a foul drain [cannot thrive there] — just so, by the prior force of conditioning, [the un-descended person] neither hears the praise, eulogy, and commendation of the well-stated dharma-vinaya, nor longs for it.
svākhyātasya … dharmavinayasya — 'of the well-stated dharma-vinaya.' Counterintuitive in context (the descended person is supposed to embrace the well-stated), but coherent if read as describing the un-descended state to which the simile compares: the un-descended person, like a honey-creature thrown into vinegar, cannot survive in the well-stated dharma until descent has occurred. 4.21 then turns to the post-descent positive case.
alpamātramavaramātramvā śrutvā, aśrutvā vā laghu laghvevāvatarati pravrajati vā |
Whereas [the descended person], having heard even a little — even just a scrap — lightly, very lightly descends and goes forth.
tathā pravrajitaścāvatīrṇo na pratyudāvarttate |
And having so gone forth and descended, he does not turn back,
madhuprāṇakasya vā madhuni, kāmopabhogino vā praṇītāyāṁ kāmacaryāyāṁ |
like a honey-creature in honey, or a sensualist in refined sense-pleasure,
idaṁ prathamamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
This is the first mark of the descended person.
punaraparamavatīrṇaḥ pudgalaḥ lo na tāvadvisaṁyukto bhavatyapāyakṣaṇagamanīyaiḥ kleśaiḥ |
Further, the descended person is not yet free from the defilements that lead to unfavorable rebirth.
avatīrṇaṁ ca pudgalaṁ sandhāyoktaṁ bhagavatā |
And, with reference to the descended person, the Blessed One said:
api jātisahasrāṇi nāsau gacchati durgatim |
even for thousands of births does not go to a bad destiny.’
sa yadā adhimātreṣu kuśalamūleṣu pratiṣṭho bhavatyanupūrveṇa paripākagamanīyeṣu tathā nākṣaṇeṣūpapadyate |
When he is established in the strong wholesome roots in due order, progressing toward ripening, he is not reborn in unfavorable moments.
idaṁ dvitīyamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
This is the second mark of the descended person.
punaraparamavatīrṇa ḥ pudgalaḥ buddhasya vā, dharmasya vā, saṁghasya vā guṇāṁcchrutvā, anusmṛtya vā, labhate cetasaḥ prasādamudāraṁ, kuśalaṁ, naiṣkrabhyopasaṁhitaṁ, bhūyo bhūyastenālambanena, prasādadravacittatayā astraprapātādromāṁcā dīni pratilabhate idaṁ tṛtīyamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
Further, the descended person, hearing or recollecting the qualities of the Buddha, dharma, or saṅgha, gains clarity of mind — vast, wholesome, conjoined with renunciation — and again and again, with that as object, through the fluid quality of his cleared mind, he is moved to tears, horripilation, and the like. This is the third mark of the descended person.
punaraparamavatīrṇaḥ pudgalaḥ prakṛtyaiva tīvreṇa hrīvyapatrāpyeṇa samanvāgato bhavati |
Further, the descended person is by nature endowed with intense moral shame and dread of evil
yaduta sarvasāvaddyasthānasattā mu dācāreṣvidaṁ caturthamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
in all blameworthy occasions of conduct. This is the fourth mark of the descended person.
tīvracha ccha ndaḥ uddeśe, svādhyāye, paripṛcchāyāṁ, yoge, manasikāre, kiṁkuśalagaveṣī bhavati |
with intense eagerness for exposition, recitation, inquiry, yoga, and attention; he becomes a seeker of what is wholesome.
idaṁ pañcamamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
This is the fifth mark of the descended person.
punaraparamavatīrṇaḥ pudgalaḥ sarvakarmānteṣvanavadyeṣu sa rvasa mādāneṣu kuśalapakṣaprayogeṣu dṛḍhārambhaśca bhavati sthirārambhaśca niścitārambhaśca yaduta samāgamāya |
Further, the descended person, in every blameless act, in every undertaking, in every application to the wholesome side, is of firm resolve, stable resolve, determined resolve — namely for attainment [on the path].
idaṁ ṣaṣṭhamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
This is the sixth mark of the descended person.
punaraparamavatīrṇaḥ pudgalaḥ mandaraja ska jātīyo bhavati |
Further, the descended person is of little-dust nature.
mandamandaṁ kleśaparyavasthānamutpādayati |
He produces only mild, mild outbreaks of defilement,
na ca punaḥ prabandhaṁ sthāpayatyaśaṭhaśca bhavatyamāyāvī nihatamadamānāhaṁkāraguṇābhiniviṣṭo doṣadveṣṭā |
and does not let them continue. He is non-deceitful, non-fraudulent, with conceit, pride, and egotism struck down, intent on good qualities, and averse to faults.
Read the closing descriptors as nihata-mada-māna-ahaṁkāraḥ, guṇa-abhiniviṣṭaḥ, doṣa-dveṣṭā: conceit, pride, and egotism are struck down; the practitioner is intent on good qualities and averse to faults. The earlier reading treated guṇa-abhiniviṣṭa as part of what was struck down and emended doṣa-dveṣṭā toward a-doṣa/a-dveṣṭā; the transmitted wording makes better sense as positive ethical orientation.
idaṁ saptamamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
This is the seventh mark of the descended person.
punaraparamavatīrṇaḥ pudgalo ’saṁlīnacitto bhavatyudareṣvadhigamyeṣu sthāneṣu nātmānamparibhavati |
Further, the descended person is unshrinking in mind; in lofty matters to be attained, he does not despise himself,
idamaṣṭamamavatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgam |
This is the eighth mark of the descended person.
imānyevaṁbhāgīyāni prabhūtānyavatīrṇānāṁ pudgalānāṁ liṅgāni veditavyāni |
Such are the many marks of descended persons, to be understood.
punaretāni liṅgāni mṛdukuśalamūlasthasyāvatīrṇasya mṛdūni bhavanti |
Further, these marks, in one established in the mild wholesome roots, who has descended, are mild.
sachi cchi drāṇyanirantarāṇi apariśuddhāni |
They have gaps, are interrupted, and are not thoroughly pure.
madhyakuśalamūlasthitasya madhyāni, adhimātrakuśalamūlasthitasyādhimitrāṇi, nirantarāṇi, pariśuddhānīmānyucyante avatīrṇasya pudgalasya liṅgāni |
In one established in the middle wholesome roots, middle; in one established in the strong wholesome roots, strong, continuous, thoroughly pure — these are called marks of the descended person.
yailiṁgaiḥ samanvāgata ḥ avatīrṇa iti saṁkhyāṁ gacchati |
Endowed with which marks, he is reckoned ‘descended.’
api punaretāni gotrasthānāmavatīrṇānāñca pudgalānāṁ ānumānikāni liṅgāni veditavyāni |
Moreover, these are the inferential marks of those established in the lineage and of descended persons, to be understood.
buddhā eva tu bhagavantaḥ paramapārami tā prāptāśca śrāvakāstāyinaḥ |
Only the blessed Buddhas, who have attained the supreme perfection, and the disciples who are protectors,
suviśuddhena jñānadarśanena pratyanubhavanti |
By perfectly purified knowing-and-vision they experience them directly.
avatīrṇa eva, na paripacyamāno, na paripakvo, na niṣkrāntaḥ |
Only descended, not yet maturing, not matured, not yet gone out.
asti niṣkrānto na paripakva eṣāṁ ca pūrvavadvibhāgo veditavyaḥ |
There is the gone-out but not matured. Their division is to be understood as before.
ye a pi tadanye mṛdvindriyā dayaḥ pudgalāḥ |
Those other [person-categories] — the persons of mild faculty and so on,
teṣāmihāpi yathāyogaṁ vibhāgo veditavyaḥ |
their division here too is to be understood accordingly.
tatra yaścāyamavatārasya svabhāvaḥ, yacca vyavasthānaṁ, yāni cemānyavatīrṇānāṁ liṅgāni |
The own-nature of descent, its delineation, the marks of the descended,
ye ceme avatīrṇāṁ pudgalāḥ tatsarvamabhisaṁkṣipyāvatārabhūmirityucyate |
and who the descended persons are — all this gathered into one is called the avatārabhūmi.
svabhāvastad vyavasthānaṁ liṅgaṁ pudgala eva ca |
Own-nature, the delineation, marks, and the person itself,
avatārabhūmivijñeyā sarvametat samāsataḥ |
the stage of descent is to be known — all this in brief.
śrāvakabhūmā va vatārabhūmiḥ samāptā |
In the Śrāvakabhūmi, the stage of descent is complete.