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Ancient Jaina Hymns
both work and pleasure. Tīrthankaras are always in existence there, pointing out the way to salvation. As a rule, each group of eight 'Vijayas' north and south respectively of the river Sītā, always has a Tirthankara in one or another of its parts, while it may also happen that Tirthankaras simultaneously exist in all the 32 Vijayas.
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Thus much for the 'Karmabhūmis'. The remaining four of the seven parts of Jambū-dvīpa are 'Bhogabhūmis', whose inhabitants, exempt from the necessity of working, eternally 'enjoy' themselves, living in never-changing Utopian conditions, such as prevail in the first three 'Aras' of an Avasarpiņi, but being also precluded from having the darśana of a Tīrthankara. Thus, the first 'Ārā' always prevails in the two 'Kurus', the second in Hari- and Ramyaka-Kṣetra, and the third in Haimavata and Hairaṇyavata.
All the above refers to Jambū-dvipa. The remaining parts of the Manusya-loka, viz., the whole of Dhāṭaki-khanda and the inner ring of Puskaravara-dvīpa, are likewise sub-divided into a number of continents, or rather worlds, and further divisions, in such a way that these ring-islands have each two sets of exact repliqua of the seven continents described just now with regard to Jambu-dvīpa.
Thus, the whole Manuṣya-loka has in all 15 'karmabhūmis' (viz. 5 Bharats, 5 Airāvatas and 5 Mahāvidehas ) and 30 'Bhoga-bhūmis' (viz. 5 Haimavatas, 5 Hari-kṣetras, 5 Devakurus, 5 Uttarakurus, 5 Ramyaka-kṣetras and 5 Hairanyavatas ) with 5 Merus, each with a separate system of suns, moons and other heavenly bodies".
Jain Education International
We are supposed to live in the Bharata-kṣetra of Jambūdvipa in the 3rd millennium of the 5th 'Ara' of an Avasarpiņi, the last Tirthankara of which latter, Mahāvīra, expired roughly two and a half millennia ago. This 'Ara' is assumed to have started 3 years and 81⁄2 months after Mahāvīra's Nirvāṇa. At present, not only Bharata, but also Airāvata is believed to be without a Tīrthankara, while four Tirthankaras exist in Mahāvideha. Exactly the same holds good for the other two ring-worlds outside Jambu-dvīpa, so
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