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Message of Tattvarth Sutra/150
two sensed as 'worm', three sensed as 'ants' , four sensed as bumble- bee and even five sensed as subhumans have mostly instinctive life , with a little capacity to move out of conditioned existence. It is the human life alone, offering bright prospects - even of deliverance.
Chapter third and fourth deal with hells and heavens which are part of existence finding place almost in all philosophies. One special characteristic of hells given in this work is not only long- long spells of tortures, maiming and mayhems but even added ones, by fiendish gods (asurs) provoking them to ever fight mutually, they ever attempting to convert body to avoid pain, yet meeting more agony.
Chapter fourth succinctly deals with four classes of Gods (devta; unlike perfect liberated ones) mansion - dwelling, forest dwelling, luminous and empyreans. They all are hierarchical. Some of the mansion -dwelling and forest dwelling are fiendish type, enjoying teasing, tormenting helt -dwellers up to third hell. They include Asukumar - Demon, devil and goblins[4.6], besides twelve types of higher gods Saudharm and Ashian etc[4.20] . Up to Āshian all gods are given to fun and frolic and indulge in sex. Beyond that, the Gods are of greater restraint and therefore of greater life - spans, influence, joy, brightness, purity, and lesser inclination to visit other places, or cravings for sex, or possessions, egotism etc[4.21], [4.22]. even if the description given in the Third and Fourth chapter may elude such discovery yet, the earth it self provides enough object lessons of slums- hovels or brim stones of mental agonies; afflicting the mundane existence, and otherwise.
