Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
This is the second section (**Sthanapad**) of the **Prajnapana Sutra**. The first section discussed the two types of beings: worldly and liberated. Since it is essential to understand the dwelling places of these beings, this second section explores that.
It is important to consider the dwelling places of beings because Jainism, unlike other philosophies, does not consider the soul (**Atma**) to be all-pervasive. Instead, it believes the soul is limited to the size of its body and is capable of expansion and contraction. Additionally, Jainism does not believe the soul is eternally static (**Kutesthanitya**) but rather believes it is eternally changing (**Parinama-nitya**). This means the soul takes birth in various forms (**Paryaya**) in the world and occupies a specific place while inhabiting a body. Therefore, it becomes crucial to understand which being resides in which place.
From the perspective of other philosophies, the soul is always present everywhere in the universe. They may consider the dwelling place based on the body, but they do not need to consider the location of the soul.
This **Sthanapad** discusses two types of dwelling places for beings based on the original text: (1) **Permanent** and (2) **Temporary**.
The permanent dwelling place is where the being resides from birth to death, referred to as **Swasthan** by the scholars. The temporary dwelling place is further divided into two types: **Upapat** and **Samudghāt**.
According to Jain terminology, a being is identified by a new name (**Paryaya**) after the end of its previous life (**Purvabhava**). For example, if a being was a god in its previous life but is going to be a human after death, it is identified as a human after the end of its godhood. However, since the soul is not all-pervasive, the soul, limited to the size of its body, needs to travel to its new birthplace after death. Since the being has left the god realm and has not yet reached the human realm, this period is considered its travel time.
The region the being travels through during this journey is also considered its dwelling place.
**References:**
1. (a) **Pramananyatatvaloka** (Ratnakaraavataarika) Commentary 4, (b) **Pannavanasuttam** Section 2, Introduction, Page 47-48.