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CHAPTER THREE
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The Karmabhūmis Mentioned :
A Karmabhūmi is a place where there are born tīrtharkaras conversant with the path leading to mokṣa and actively engaged in preaching it to others. Within the limits of those two continents and a half 35 regions and 56 intermediate continents are the places where human beings are born; but among these there are only fifteen to fulfill the description of a Karmabhūmi just given : These are 5 Bharatas, 5 Airavatas, 5 Videhas. The remaining 20 regions and all the intermediate continents are but akarmabhūmis
=bhogabhūmis). And though the two sub-regions Devakuru and Uttarakuru lie within the limits of Videha they are not Karmabhūmis; for persons born there are born as a doublet and so are not in a position to practise Cāritra or an ideal conductjust as those born in the akarmabhūmis like Haimavata etc. are not. 16.
Life-duration of the Human beings and Animals :
In the case of the human beings the maximum lifeduration is 3 palyopamas, the minimum life-duration a period measuring less than a muhūrta. The same is true of animals; that is to say, in their case too the maximum life-duration is 3 palyopamas, the minimum life-duration a period measuring less than a muhūrta.
Life-duration is of two types—viz. bhavasthiti and kāyasthiti. The maximum or minimum life-duration that a being can enjoy after being born in a particular species is bhavasthiti appropriate to that species; the period for which a being continues to be born in a particular species rather than any other is kāyasthiti appropriate to that species. The just mentioned lifeduration appropriate to the species human beings and animals is in fact bhavasthiti appropriate to them. As for kāyasthiti appropriate to them the situation is as follows : In the case of human beings as well as animals the minimum kāyasthiti, like the minimum bhavathiti, is a period measuring less than a muhūrta. The maximum: kāyasthiti appropriate to human beings measures a period of seven or eight births; that is to say, a being who is
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