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48
TATTVÄRTHA SUTRA
2.52: Aupapätikcharamdehottampurushä'sankhyeyavarshäyusho'napavartyäyushah
(Infernal and agglutinated bodies are hermaphrodite. Heavenly beings are not. The heavenly and infernal beings, those undergoing the last birth, the highest personages and those living for innumerable years have the irreversible life span.)
These three sutras deal with gender and life span. They stipulate that the infernal and Sammoorchchhim (agglutinated) beings are invariably hermaphrodite, while heavenly beings have either a male or a female body. All others can be male or female or hermaphrodite.
The life span can be reversible or irreversible. All heavenly and infernal beings, those who are at the end of the life cycle and those having immeasurably long life have irreversible life span, while others can have either reversible or irreversible one. The reversibility is only in one direction; it can be reduced but cannot be increased. The reversible life span is termed as Apavartaniya and the irreversible as Anapavartaniya.
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