________________
JIVA
137
asamjñins are instinctive.
The Human State of Existence : The general division of mankind is into those who are in some sense infirm, i. e, those in whom not all organs and faculties have fully grown and those in whom all the physical organs and psychical faculties are well-developed. The latter have the greatest advantage in the matter of attaining liberation, for, self-discipline, the pre-requisite for salvation is possible only for beings whose sensory and mental organs are fully developed. In this sense we see the recognition given to the state of well-beingboth physical and mental-so essential for even turning the human species towards the aspiration for release from the cycle of birth and death. When there is physical ill-health or infirmity or mental ill-health, the mental equipoise,--the sine qua non for ethical preparation-is just not possible.
The Celestial State : Gods (devas), when compared to human beings have long lives enjoying different states of bliss. The state of godhood is not the 'end-state' according to Jainism. Even the gods do not enjoy an infinite state of bliss or birthlessness. They are also reborn as human beings or as animals, according to their karma. According to the karmas they appear' through 'manifestation' (utpāda) and such a state of existence also comes to an end when the karmas are ended. Here again they differ from the human beings in that, unlike the latter, there is no determining cause of death, terminating their state of existence in a particular mode. The characteristic feature of godly existence is stated to consist in their faculties—both physical and mental--being fully developed. 8
The celestial beings are classified into four types;
(1) The Bhāvanavāsins : These are considered to belong to the lowest species, and are sub-divided into ten classes. 9
(2) The Vyantaras : These are supposed to live in all three worlds and they are not completely free as is evident from the fact that sometimes they serve even human beings. They are sub-divided into eight groups.10
8 Karmagrantha, I. 115b
9 The ten groups are: Asura-kumāru, Nāga-Kumāra, Vidyiti-Kumāra, Suparna-kumära, Agni-kumāra, Väta-kumāra, Stanita-kumāra, Udüdhi-kumāra, Dvipa-kumāra, and Dik-kumara.
10 The eight classes are : Kinnara, Kimpuruşa, Mahoraga, Gandharva, Yakşa,
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