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भगवती सूत्र शः १ उः १
Q. 17. Bhante! What's the duration of the breathing activity, inhaling and exhaling, of the Asurakumāras ?
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A. 17. Gautama! Minimum duration of breathing activity is seven stokas, and maximum slightly more than a pakşa32.
Q. 18. Bhante! Are the Asurakumāras keen for intake ?
A. .8. Yes, they are so.
Q. 19. Bhante! After what time-gap do they feel the desire for intake ?
A. 19. Gautama Their intake is stated to be of two types. They are conscious and unconscious. Of these, unconscious intake is incessant and takes place every moment; but the desire for conscious intake grows after a minimum gap of a full-fast day losing in all four meals33 and a maximum gap of slightly more than 1,000 years.
Q. 20. Bhante! What's the sort of intake by the Asurakumāras ?
A. 20. Gautama! From the standpoint of substance, (they take) substances consisting of infinite spaces; from the standpoint of time, place and modification, (it is to be understood to be the same) as stated (in the twenty-eighth chapter) in the Pannavaṇa Sutra. The rest as with the infernal beings.
Q.21. In what form does matter taken in by the Asurakumāras transform again and again?
A. 21. Gautama! It transforms again and again into organs of hearing, vision, smell, taste and touch. It transforms into forms which have beauty, complexion, superiority, agreeableness, attractiveness, stature, pleasantness and into forms conducive to happiness but never to degradation and misery.
Q. 22. Does matter taken by the Asurakumāras in the past transform ?
