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URDHVALOK JAIN CONCEPT OF COSMOLOGY
73
___ स्थितिप्रभावसुखद्युतिलेश्याविशुद्धीन्द्रियावधिविषयतोऽधिकाः ॥४7811
गतिशरीरपरिग्रहाभिमानतो हीनाः ॥४-२२॥
4.21: Sthitiprabhävsukhdyutileshyävishuddheendriyavadhivishayato'dhikäh
4.22: Gatishareerparigrahäbhimänato Hinäh
(At higher levels the life span is longer, authority is greater, happiness is higher, bodies are more lustrous, aura is purer, sense gratification is subtler and clairvoyance is higher. Their movement is less, body-size is smaller, belongings are fewer and ego is lower.)
The position of Vaimänik beings at the higher levels is superior in the wholesome respects and lower in the unwholesome ones. Higher the level, longer the life span, greater the authority, superior the happiness, more lustrous the bodies, purer the aura, subtler the sense gratification and higher the degree of clairvoyance. Those in the higher realms thus live longer, have greater authority, avail more happiness, are more lustrous, have purer aura, have subtler sense gratification and hold higher level of clairvoyance. On the other hand, their tendency to make movement is lower, the bodies are smaller, belongings are fewer and ego is lower. It is also said that their respiration is less frequent, food-intake is lower, degree as well as frequency of the uncomfortable situations is lower and the locations, where they can be reborn, are fewer.
The contents of these sutras would be of significance even to those, who do not believe in existence of celestial abodes. They can consider the celestial realms as commensurate to the
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