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CHAPTER III
THE LOWER WORLD AND THE MIDDLE WORLD
The inhabitants of hell have been mentioned in certain aphorisms such as, 'Clairvoyance arising from birth is possessed by celestial and infernal beings'. Who are they? In order to explain this, first their abode, the lower world, is described.
रत्नशर्करावालुकापङ्कधूमतमोमहातमःप्रभा भूमयो । Thiryarataria fagt: FASTSET:
11 Ratnaśarkarāvālukāpankadhūmalamomahātamahprabhā bhūmayo ghanāmbuvātākāśapratisthāḥ saptādho(a)dhaḥ (1) 1. The lower world consists of seven earths one below the other, surrounded by three kinds of air and space.
Ratnam, Sarkarā, Vālukā, Panka, Dhūma, Tamaḥ and Mahātamaḥ become Ratnasarkarāvālukāpankadhūmatamomahātamāmsi. The word prabhā is taken with each of these. As these earths have the lustre of jewels (ratna) etc., these are called Ratnaprabhā etc. That which has the lustre of various jewels (ratna) is Ratnaprabhā. That which has the colour of pebbles (šarkarā) is sarkarā prabhā. That which has the colour of sand (vālukā) is Vālukāprabhā. That which has the colour of clay or mud (panka) is Pankaprabhā. That which has the colour of smoke (dḥūma) is Dhūmaprabhā. That which has the colour of darkness (tamaḥ) is Tamaḥprabhā. That which is like thick darkness (mahātamaḥ) is Mahālamaḥprabhā. These names are derived in this manner. The word 'earth’is intended to indicate the particular nature of the substratum which is solid like the earth. The infernal regions are not like the layers of heavens, which rest without any substratum like the earth. But the infernal regions rest on solid earth. The circles of atmosphere are mentioned in order to indicate the support of these earths. Ghanāmbu ca vātasca ākāśam ca ghanāmbuvātākāśāni. Those which have these for their support are
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