________________
CHAPTER THREE
137
five-sensed animals. The possibility of a human being occupying them arises because a person engaged in kevali-samudghāta, being spread out throughout the loka, stretches his soul-units also in those six hellish grounds. Besides, also the human beings possessed of the super-ordinary power of vaikriya-formation can reach these grounds. As for the animals they can certainly reach these grounds but exclusively as possessed of the super-ordinary power of vaikriya-formation. In the case of heavenly beings there is a possibility that they visit such hellish beings as are their friends of a former life and that with a view to removing the suffering of the latter. However, even such heavenly beings can proceed only upto the third hellish ground—not beyond. The paramādhārmikas who are a type of heavenly beings and wardens of the hell are found in the first three hellish grounds ever since their birth, but the other types of heavenly beings can be found ever since their birth only in the first hellish ground. 6.
An Account of the Middle Loka-portion :
The continents are Jambūdvīpa etc., each bearing an auspicious name. Similarly, the oceans are Lavana etc., each bearing an auspicious name. 7.
All these continents and oceans are like a bracelet in shape; of them, an inner lying one is surrounded by the immediately outer lying one and the breadth or diameter of the latter is double that of the former. 8.
In the middle of them all is situated the continent Jambūdvīpa which is of the shape of a full circular disc, is 1 lac yojanas in diameter, and has the mountain Meru situated in its middle. 9.
In the Jambūdvīpa there are seven regions-viz. Bharatavarşa, Haimavatavarşa, Harivarsa, Videhavarsa, Ramyakavarşa, Hairanyavatavarşa, and Airāvatavarşa. 10.
Separating these regions from one another and running from east to west there are here six mountains designated varsadhara (lit. holder of the region), their names being
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
