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IMAGE WORSHIP AND PILGRIMAGE
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Anta Krita Siddhas. As to the rest, it is peopled by the liberated souls of AniaKrila-Siddhas who have been subjected to disturbance (upasarga) by some Gods and then dropped by them just before attaining Nirvana, and who have therefore attained Nirvana from some where in 24 dvipas, but outside of the 15 Karmabhumis. The least duration of 13th Gunasthana. vibratory omniscience is an antara: muhurta, i.e. at the least one Avali and one Samaya and at the most 48 minutes minus one Samaya or instant. The 14th Gunasthana lasts only so long as one can utter a, i, u. ri, Iri. A soul's age-Karma may be very little ; and he may begin the ascent up the destructive ladder Kshapaka Sreni, and be about to enter the 13th Gunasthana. Some God may lift him then and take him bodily away into space above non-karma-bhumi ; and drop him down there. Then omniscience may dawn upon the Saint just as he is dropped ; i.e. he may enter the 13th stage when he is dropped. Now the attainment of omniscience is accompanied by the body of the saint rising at once to a height of 5000 bows, measured by the measure of his own hand and finger. So instead of touching land of water again, the Saint enters and crosses the 13th and 14th stages from mid-air, and as the movement of a free soul is straight up to the end of the universe, the Saint goes to Siddha Kshetra at a point out of the 15 Karma-bhumis. But this is obviously very rare.
Note also the difference between Siddha Sila and Siddha Kshetra. The Sila is the 8th earth which tops the universe. It is 12 Yojanas thick, one raju wide and one raju long. On the top and in the centre of it there is a cup-like cavity which is 45 lacs of yojanas in depth. The depth at the top is only the thickness of a fly's wing. This is only to say that the depth begins from the top, as the cup exactly fits the hollow. The inner sunface of the cup is pure white crystal diamond. This is the lowest throne of Siddha Kshetra, which is the space (again with 45 lacs yojanas in diameter) al the end of the universe, i.e., at the end of the outermost atmosphere, the Tanuvata-valaya of the universe. Above the Siddha Sila there is a sheath of 3 atmospheres totaling 4 kosas id Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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