________________
CHAPTER FOUR
151
do not experience sexual enjoyment through a wholesale touch of body—as do men; they rather experience such enjoyment in a different manner. E.g. the gods residing in the third and fourth heavens satisfy their sexual hunger—and thus derive pleasurethrough a mere touch of the goddesses. The gods residing in the fifth and the sixth heavens derive satisfaction born of sexual enjoyment through a mere look at the decorated form of the goddesses. The gods residing in the seventh and eighth heavens have their sexual passion calmed down through a mere listening to the various sounds produced by the goddesses, and it is thus that they derive pleasure born of an experience of sexual enjoyment. The gods residing in the two pairs of heavens ninthtenth and eleventh-twelfth have sexual satisfaction through a mere thought of the goddesses; for this satisfaction they require neither to touch the goddesses; nor to have a look at their form, nor to listen to their songs etc. The idea is that the goddesses are to be found only upto the second heaven, not further upwards. Hence it so happens that when the goddesses find that the gods residing in the third heaven and further upwards are eager for sexual enjoyment and hence regardful towards them they straightaway approach those gods; and as soon as they appoach them the gods residing in the third and fourth heavens have sexual satisfaction through a mere touch of the hands etc. of these goddesses, those residing in the fifth and sixth heavens do so through a mere look at the finely decorated handsome body of these goddesses, those residing in the seventh and eighth do so through a mere listening to the beautiful musical sound of these goddesses. The access of the goddesses is possible only upto the eighth heaven, not further upwards. The gods residing in the heavens ninth upto the twelfth have sexual satisfaction through a mere thought of the goddesses. The gods residing in the heavens beyond the twelfth are calm and immune from sexual desire; that is why they do not require to experience enjoyment through touching the goddesses, through looking at their form, through listening to the sounds produced by them or through thinking of them and yet they feel more satisfied and more joyous than the remaining gods. The reason is
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org