Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

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

Page 545

520
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SŪTRA [Ch. IX examples of the inability of ten swiftest gods to reach the end of the Universe and that of the Non-Universe with their fastest divine speed. But the uncrossed space of the Universe and that of the Non-Universe of those gods are much more than their Crossed space of the Universe and that of the Non-Universe.?
Thus the Universe is stated to be very spacious ; in the east it is countless Kotikoți yojanas (crores & crores of leagues); in the west it is countless, etc., likewise it is in the south and the north : thus with regard to the upper and lower regions also it is countless crores of leagues in length and breadth."
In this extensive Universe there is no part, having the size of an atom, where this soul (or being) was not born nor died from the point of view of the state of eternality of the Universe, its beginningless state, the eternality of Jiva (soul), manifoldness of Karma, and many births and deaths.
. It is explained by a familiar analogy of one large enclosure and one hundred he-goats, kept therein by some man that as within six months every part of that enclosure, having the size of an atom, becomes touched with the excrement, or urine, or phlegm, or mucus of nose, or vomit, or bilious humour, or pus, or semen, or blood, or skin, or hairs, or hoofs, or nails of those he-goats, just like that in every part of the Universe having the dimension of an atom, the soul was born and died." Existence of Beings in the Universe
All beings from the one-sensed being upto the quasi-sensed beings (anindriya) exist in the part of Space of the Universe without causing any trouble to one another like the female dancer and spectators witnessing the performance of dance-drama by her in a theatre hall.
As she or they cannot cause any pain, or trouble, or injury, or dismemberment of the body of one another with their respective looks, so the beings exist in one part of Space of the Universe without binding, touching and causing pain to one another."
1 Bhs, 11, 10, 421. 8 Ib, 12, 7, 457.
· 10, 12, 7, 457, • 16, 11, 10, 422.