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Above these 16 heavens, the abodes of Ahamindras are : 9 Graiveyaka heavens ; 9 Anudisha 5 Anuttara
i. e. Vijaya, Vaijayanta ; Jayanta ;
Aparajita ; Sarvartha-siddhi. Above the Sarvartha-siddhi, is the Siddha Kshetra the place of Liberated souls.
The first heaven Saudharma is the nearest, because its central heavenly car or abode (Vimana) is only one hair's breadth from the top of the Central Meru. This is 1,00,040 yojanas higb. 1,000 yojanas of it are embedded in the earth, the rest is above, the-top being 40 yojanas.
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THE 63 PATALA OF CELESTIAL STRATA OR LAYERS.
The upper world has in all 63 Patala, strata or layers. Each layer is co-extensive with the mobile channel (Trasa Nadi), which is a square of one raju or of the height of the whole Universe, or of the height of the upper world.
In the centre of each Patala is the centre abode or car or Indraka Vimana of that Patala. The Indras live only in these Vimana. The Indraka Vimana of the first patala is a circle of a diameter of 45 lacs yojanas; then it goes on decreasing in size till it becomes a circle of one lac yojanas diameter in the sixty-third Patala. In the 4 Cardinal directions of these 63 patala, there are other Vimanas. In the first patala there are 62 in each direction; in the second 61, and so on till in the sixty-second we have only 1 in each direction. In the sixty-third also there is only one in each direction.
In the intermediate directions and all over the rest of the Patala there are a great number of other Vimanas. .
The 16 heavens have 52 layers (patala) i. e. 31, 7, 4, 2, 1, 1 respectively for the 1st., 2nd., 3rd., 4th., 5th., and 6th. pairs of heavens and 6 for the 7th, and the 8th. pairs. There are 9 for the 9 Graiveyakas.
1, , 9 Anudisha.
1 , „ 5 Anuttara. In all there are 63 layers, (patala)
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