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unit in thickness (ega-padesiyāe sedhie) that lies 42.000 yojanas beyond Arunavara, the body of darkness rises up (samutthiya) 1.721 yojanas; then, spreading sideways, covering (āvarittāna) the four nethermost heavens, it closes up (samnitthiya) on the surface of the Rittha region (R.-vimāņa-patthadam sampatte) in Bambhaloga. (Hence tamu-kāe kappa-panae in the mnemonic gāhā quoted in 81 below.) Below it is shaped like the bottom of a dish (mallaga-müla-samthiya), above like a bird-cage (kukkudaga-panjara-s.). Further particulars about its dimensions. In tamu-kkāya there are neither dwellings (gehā, geh’āvanā) nor settlements (gāmā jāva samnivesā). Rain and thunder exist there; they are made by a god, an asura or a nāga. Earth (bāyara pudhavī-kāya) and fire (bāyara agani-k.) as well as moon (and moonlight), stars and the like do not exist there. Its colour is so black that even gods would fly away from it. Its names are: Tama, Tamu-kkāya, Andhakāra, Mahā'ndbakāra, Log’andhakāra, Loga-tamissa, Dev'andhakāra, Deva-tamissa, Devaranna, Deva-vūha, Deva-phaliha (D.-parigha, Abhay.), Deva-padikkhobha, Arunodaya samudda.
2 (2709) The eight Black Fields (kanha-rāi) are situated in the Rittha region above Sanamkumāra and Māhinda, one interior (abbhintara) and one exterior (bāhira) Field in each quarter. The innermost eastern Field touches (puttha) the outermost southern Field, the innermost southern Field touches the outermost western Field etc. The innermost Fields are quadrangular, the northern and southern outermost ones are triangular and the eastern and western outermost ones are hexagonal (one mnemonic gāhā). Further particulars about their dimensions, the absence of dwellings there etc. (as in 1 above except that only a god can make rain and thunder in these regions and that water, fire and plants are absent there) up to their colour. Their generic names are: Kanha-rāi, Meha-rāi, Maghāvaī, Māghavaī, Vāya-phaliha, Vāya-palikkhobha, Deva-phaliha, Deva-palikkhobha. All beings have already several times or even an infinite number of times been reborn there, but, of course, not as water, fire or plants since these do not exist there.
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