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## Second Study: The Story of Kamadeva
[105]
"I have seen all that you have achieved and acquired. Devānupriya! I beg your forgiveness. Devānupriya! Please forgive me. Devānupriya! You are capable of forgiving. I will never do this again." Saying this, he fell at his feet and repeatedly begged for forgiveness. After begging for forgiveness, he went back in the direction from which he had come.
**Discussion**
In this sūtra, the use of the word "vikūvvai" (reaction or transformation) in the context of the god assuming the forms of a demon, an elephant, and a serpent, indicates his divine body, which is a result of his birth as a god. In this context, it is important to know that Jain philosophy recognizes five types of bodies: audārika, vaikriya, āhārika, taijasa, and kārmaṇa. The vaikriya body is of two types: aupapātika and labdhipratyaya. The aupapātika vaikriya body is obtained from birth in the realm of gods and hell. There is a combination of past karma that results in birth in this form. The labdhipratyaya vaikriya body is obtained through special achievements gained through austerities, etc. This is found in the human realm and the realm of animals.
The vaikriya body does not contain impure substances like bones, marrow, flesh, and blood. Instead, these are transformed into desirable, radiant, mental, pleasant, and superior particles, forming the body. After death, the vaikriya body does not leave a corpse. Its particles disperse like camphor. As the word "vaikriya" suggests, this body can perform various reactions and specific actions, such as assuming multiple forms while being one, assuming one form while being multiple, making a small body large, making a large body small, assuming various types of bodies capable of moving on earth and in the sky, becoming invisible, etc.
The gods of the Saudharma and other heavenly realms are capable of performing all kinds of reactions or transformations: one, many, countable, uncountable, similar to themselves, dissimilar to themselves. They can assume all kinds of forms, from one sense to five senses, within these transformations.
In this case, the god assumed various forms to torment the ascetic Kamadeva. These were his "uttaravaikriya" forms, i.e., vaikriya bodies created based on his original vaikriya body. The reason why the god caused so much trouble to torment the ascetic Kamadeva is explained in this sūtra. That god was a "mithyādr̥ṣṭi" (one with false belief). Despite being a "mithyātvī" (one with false belief), he had attained the realm of gods due to his austerities in a previous life. However, due to his "mithyātvī" nature, he remained unfaithful to the "nirgrantha-pravacana" (the teachings of the liberated ones) or Jainism, even after becoming a god. Hearing Indra praise Kamadeva and seeing Kamadeva engrossed in intense religious devotion, he felt a burning hatred. This resulted in him inflicting cruel and intense suffering on Kamadeva to distract him from the "nirgrantha-pravacana."