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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
It is not to be supposed that souls pass out of the cycle of transmigration by going to heaven or hell; on the contrary, they are all re-born in the world after undergoing experiences of pleasure or pain in those regions, and remain wandering about in the cycle of births and deaths till they evolve out sufficient excellence to attain Nirvana. So far as heaven and hell are concerned, the former is open only to those who perform pious and meritorious deeds (tapas) in this life, and the latter is meant for all the rest who are cruel, vicious or unsympathetic. But, since piety includes the knowledge of God, i.e., Self-consciousness, in its definition, and since it is difficult to be pious in the absence of the knowledge of the indestructibility of the soul, it would seem that the gates of the paradise do not generally open to admit the unbelievers.' Thus, with the exception of a few
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Realistic point of view, however, heaven and hell are just as real as our universe, and separate regions of space, the former being situated above and the latter below the part called the Madhyaloka, of which Jambu Dvipa, the central region, and not the little globe of our earth, as has been erroneously supposed by modern orientalists, is a continent inhabited by men. The names of the sixteen heavens, according to Jaina Cosmogony, are as follows: (1) Saudharma, (2) Aişánu, (3) Sanatkumára, (4) Mahendra, (5) Brahmaloka, (6) Brahmottara, (7) Lántaka, (8) Kapistha, (9) Sukra, (10) Mahásukra, (11) Satara, (12) Sahasrara, (13) Anata, (14) Pranata, (15) Arana, and (16) Achyuta. The seven hells are known as: (1) Ratnaprabha, (2) Sarkara prabha, (3) Vâlukaprabha, (4) Pankaprabha, (5) Dhumaprabhá, (6) Tamaḥprabha, and (7) Mahatamaḥprabha,
The region of the perfected Souls is above the heavens, on the top of the world.
It is not to be supposed that there is any real difference between the teachings of Vedanta and Jainism about the nature of heavens and hells; for even if we regard them as an illusion, pure and simple, it must be conceded that the illusion only appears in certain characteristic forms. Thus, there is no dispute about the manner of existence of things, but only about their description. Christianity and Islam, too, acknowledge the existence of heavens and hells, though, unlike the purely Indian religions, they maintain that the soul's sojourn in those regions is eternal.
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