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## [202]
The walls of these mansions are marked with the imprint of a hand with five fingers, made with a fragrant paste of red sandalwood. Similarly, the staircases of these mansions are also marked with the imprint of a hand with five fingers, made with a paste of sandalwood and red sandalwood. These mansions are filled with the fragrance of burning incense, made with fragrant woods like *kalaaguru*, *kundaru*, and *turushk* (loban). They are magnificent, fragrant, and beautiful. Incense sticks are burning there. These mansions are as pure as the sky, as radiant as crystal, extremely smooth, polished, free from dust, clear, dark-free, pure, radiant, filled with rays, filled with cool light, pleasing to the mind, worth seeing, beautiful, and charming.
Just as the mansions of the Asura-Kumaras have been described, so too should the mansions of the Naga-Kumaras and other celestial beings be described in a similar manner, wherever appropriate. And the mansions described in the verses above should be described in the same way.
## 587
**Question:** How many abodes are there for the earth-bodied beings, O Venerable One?
**Answer:** There are countless abodes for the earth-bodied beings, O Gautama! Similarly, one should know the abodes of the water-bodied beings, up to and including humans.
**Explanation:** The abodes of the womb-born humans are countable, but the abodes of the *sammucchima* humans are not countable. However, it should be known that since there is one being in each body, they are countless.
## 588
**Question:** How many abodes are there for the *vanavyantara* beings, O Venerable One?
**Answer:** O Gautama! On this earth, which is radiant with gems, there is a gem-like *kanda* (core) that is a thousand yojanas thick. Above this *kanda*, for a hundred yojanas, and below it, for a hundred yojanas, there are countless millions of *bhoameyaka* cities, the abodes of the *vanavyantara* gods, in the middle eight hundred yojanas. These *bhoameyaka* cities are round on the outside and square on the inside. Just as the mansions of the *bhavana-vaasi* gods have been described, so too should the mansions of the *vanavyantara* gods be described. The only difference is that these mansions are adorned with flags and garlands. They are beautiful, pleasing to the mind, worth seeing, beautiful, and charming.
## 589
**Question:** How many abodes are there for the *joisiya* beings, O Venerable One?
**Answer:** O Gautama!