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TRANSMIGRATION
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ing alone. When they come close to one another, their anger develops into a rage. They recollect their past lives and begin to strike at one another like dogs. and jackals. With various weapons made by themselves and with their hands, feet and teeth they indulge in cutting, splitting and biting one another. Pain is also caused to them by wicked demons who make them drink molten iron, embrace red-hot iron pillars and ascend and descend trees with sharp thorns. The lifetime of infernal beings cannot be cut short, hence, they do not meet with premature death. Their birth takes place in special beds (in bladders hung from the ceilings of the holes in hell). They are not of uterine birth. The body possessed by them is of transformable type.
Excessive killing and attachment on the part of anyone cause the influx of the karma that leads him to hell in the next birth. In other words, the actions of a person who cruelly tortures and kills living beings and extremely strives after passions produce the karma which causes birth in the infernal regions. Human Beings :
Human beings as well as animal beings live in the middle world. Human beings are of two kinds: the Aryas and the Mlecchas. Those who are possessed of virtues are called Aryas (civilized people). They are of two categories: those with supernatural powers and those without such powers. The former are of seven divisions on the basis of extraordinary knowledge, change of form, austerity, might, healing power, occult power to transform simple food into delicious dishes and power to ensure food inexhaustible even while feeding any number. The latter are of five divisions based on region, family, occupation, conduct and faith. The Mlecchas (barbarians) are of two sorts: those born in midisles (antardolpas) and those born in regions of labour (karmabhumis). The midisles are fifty-six in number. The number of the regions of labour is fifteen (five Bharatas,, fie
