Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 544

Sec. I]
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SUTRA
519
air (vāta), a highly rarified air (tanuvāta), a thick atmosphere (ghanavāta) a cloudy atmosphere (ghanodadhi), earth, islands, seas and continents (Vargas).
In the cases of Lokanta and Alokānta, the Lokānta and the Seventh intervening space, the Lokanta and the seventh world, tanuvāta and ghanavāta, ghanodadhi and the seventh world there is no succession.' Shapes of the Universe and the Non-Universe
The Universe is of the shape of a well-placed lid (sarā) on a water-pitcher; its lower region is wide apart standing as if on two legs; the middle one is narrow; the upper one is shaped like the mouth (face) of a standing drum.
The Non-Universe is stated to have a round shape with perforation in the centre.
The shape of the Adhahloka (lower region) is said to be like that of a lid of a vessel; that of the Tiryagloka (horizontal region) is like that of a cymbal (Jhallari santhie) and that of the Urddhvaloka (upper region) is like that of a standing drum."
According to the BhS there are infinite living, non-living and living-cum-non-living substances in the lower, horizontal and upper regions of the Universe from the point of view of substance, while they do not exist in the Non-Universe from the same point of view, but there is one part of non-living substance (ajīvadravyadesa) i.e. space which is the infiniteth part of the whole space (Akāša).
In those three regions of the Universe, Time is eternal from the point of view of time and there are infinite states of colour, smell, etc., upto the infinite states of not-heaviness-cumlightness in the Universe, while in the Non-Universe there are no states of colour, etc., but only space. Extent of the Universe and Non-Universe
The text deals with the question of immeasurable largeness of the Universe and the Non-Universe with the help of
1_Bhs, 1, 6, 53. 4.6 10, 11, 10, 420.
8 16, 7, 1, 261; 11, 10, 420