देवाश्चतुर्णिकायाः
devāścaturṇikāyāḥ
Celestial beings (devas) are of four orders.
Jainism · Acharya Umaswati
Chapter 4: Celestial beings
The one text accepted by Digambara and Svetambara Jains alike: the whole Jain path in short Sanskrit sutras.
सम्यग्दर्शनज्ञानचारित्राणि मोक्षमार्गः
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This chapter in brief
This chapter describes the devas, celestial beings who, in Jain teaching, are still worldly souls bound by karma (subtle matter attached to the soul), not liberated ones. They are of four orders: residential (bhavanavasi), peripatetic (vyantara), luminous (jyotishka: sun, moon, planets and stars) and those dwelling in heavenly abodes (vaimanika). The chapter gives their ranks, their leshya (the colouring of the soul's states) and their lifespans. Digambaras count sixteen heavens (kalpas) and Svetambaras twelve, so the lists in the two recensions differ.
आदितस्त्रिषु पीतान्तलेश्याः
āditastriṣu pītāntaleśyāḥ
In the first three orders the leshyas go up to yellow (pita).
दशाष्टपञ्चद्वादशविकल्पाः कल्पोपपन्नपर्यन्ताः
daśāṣṭapañcadvādaśavikalpāḥ kalpopapannaparyantāḥ
Counting up to the gods of the kalpa heavens, the four orders have ten, eight, five and twelve classes.
इन्द्रसामानिकत्रायस्त्रिंशपारिषदात्मरक्षलोकपालानीकप्रकीर्णकाभियोग्यकिल्बिषिकाश्चैकशः
indrasāmānikatrāyastriṃśapāriṣadātmarakṣalokapālānīkaprakīrṇakābhiyogyakilbiṣikāścaikaśaḥ
Each class has ten ranks: lord (indra), peers, ministers, courtiers, bodyguards, guardians of the regions, army, common folk, attendants and menials.
त्रायस्त्रिंशलोकपालवर्ज्या व्यन्तरज्योतिष्काः
trāyastriṃśalokapālavarjyā vyantarajyotiṣkāḥ
Peripatetic and luminous gods have no ministers or guardians of the regions.
पूर्वयोर्द्वीन्द्राः
pūrvayordvīndrāḥ
In the first two orders, each class has two lords.
कायप्रवीचारा आ ऐशानात्
kāyapravīcārā ā aiśānāt
Up to the Aishana heaven, gods enjoy sensual pleasure through the body.
शेषाः स्पर्शरूपशब्दमनःप्रवीचाराः
śeṣāḥ sparśarūpaśabdamanaḥpravīcārāḥ
The others enjoy it through touch, sight, sound or thought alone.
परेऽप्रवीचाराः
pare'pravīcārāḥ
Those higher up are free from such desire.
भवनवासिनोऽसुरनागविद्युत्सुपर्णाग्निवातस्तनितोदधिद्वीपदिक्कुमाराः
bhavanavāsino'suranāgavidyutsuparṇāgnivātastanitodadhidvīpadikkumārāḥ
The residential gods (bhavanavasi) are ten kinds of kumaras: asura, naga, vidyut, suparna, agni, vata, stanita, udadhi, dvipa and dik.
व्यन्तराः किन्नरकिंपुरुषमहोरगगन्धर्वयक्षराक्षसभूतपिशाचाः
vyantarāḥ kinnarakiṃpuruṣamahoragagandharvayakṣarākṣasabhūtapiśācāḥ
The peripatetic gods (vyantara) are kinnaras, kimpurushas, mahoragas, gandharvas, yakshas, rakshasas, bhutas and pishachas.
ज्योतिष्काः सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ ग्रहनक्षत्रप्रकीर्णकतारकाश्च
jyotiṣkāḥ sūryācandramasau grahanakṣatraprakīrṇakatārakāśca
The luminous gods (jyotishka) are the sun, the moon, the planets, the constellations and the scattered stars.
मेरुप्रदक्षिणा नित्यगतयो नृलोके
merupradakṣiṇā nityagatayo nṛloke
In the human region they move constantly around Mount Meru.
तत्कृतः कालविभागः
tatkṛtaḥ kālavibhāgaḥ
Time is divided (into day, night and so on) by their movement.
बहिरवस्थिताः
bahiravasthitāḥ
Beyond the human region they stay still.
वैमानिकाः
vaimānikāḥ
The fourth order is the vaimanika gods, who live in celestial abodes (vimanas).
कल्पोपपन्नाः कल्पातीताश्च
kalpopapannāḥ kalpātītāśca
They are of two kinds: those born in the kalpas (heavens with ranks) and those beyond the kalpas.
उपर्युपरि
uparyupari
Their abodes lie one above another.
सौधर्मैशानसानत्कुमारमाहेन्द्रब्रह्मब्रह्मोत्तरलान्तवकापिष्ठशुक्रमहाशुक्रशतारसहस्रारेष्वानतप्राणतयोरारणाच्युतयोर्नवसु ग्रैवेयकेषु विजयवैजयन्तजयन्तापराजितेषु सर्वार्थसिद्धौ च
saudharmaiśānasānatkumāramāhendrabrahmabrahmottaralāntavakāpiṣṭhaśukramahāśukraśatārasahasrāreṣvānataprāṇatayorāraṇācyutayornavasu graiveyakeṣu vijayavaijayantajayantāparājiteṣu sarvārthasiddhau ca
They live in Saudharma, Aishana, Sanatkumara, Mahendra, Brahma, Brahmottara, Lantava, Kapishtha, Shukra, Mahashukra, Shatara, Sahasrara, Anata, Pranata, Arana, Achyuta, the nine Graiveyakas, Vijaya, Vaijayanta, Jayanta, Aparajita and Sarvarthasiddhi.
स्थितिप्रभावसुखद्युतिलेश्याविशुद्धीन्द्रियावधिविषयतोऽधिकाः
sthitiprabhāvasukhadyutileśyāviśuddhīndriyāvadhiviṣayato'dhikāḥ
Going upward, they have more lifespan, power, happiness, radiance, purity of leshya, and range of senses and of clairvoyance.
गतिशरीरपरिग्रहाभिमानतो हीनाः
gatiśarīraparigrahābhimānato hīnāḥ
And they have less movement, bodily size, possessions and pride.
पीतपद्मशुक्ललेश्या द्वित्रिशेषेषु
pītapadmaśuklaleśyā dvitriśeṣeṣu
In the first two pairs, the next three pairs and the rest of the heavens, the leshyas are yellow, pink (padma) and white.
प्राग्ग्रैवेयकेभ्यः कल्पाः
prāggraiveyakebhyaḥ kalpāḥ
The heavens below the Graiveyakas are called kalpas.
ब्रह्मलोकालया लौकान्तिकाः
brahmalokālayā laukāntikāḥ
The Laukantika gods live in the Brahma heaven.
सारस्वतादित्यवह्न्यरुणगर्दतोयतुषिताव्याबाधारिष्टाश्च
sārasvatādityavahnyaruṇagardatoyatuṣitāvyābādhāriṣṭāśca
They are the Sarasvatas, Adityas, Vahnis, Arunas, Gardatoyas, Tushitas, Avyabadhas and Arishtas.
विजयादिषु द्विचरमाः
vijayādiṣu dvicaramāḥ
Gods in Vijaya and the other highest abodes attain liberation within two more human births.
औपपादिकमनुष्येभ्यः शेषास्तिर्यग्योनयः
aupapādikamanuṣyebhyaḥ śeṣāstiryagyonayaḥ
All beings other than those born by upapada (gods and hellish beings) and humans are tiryanch: animals, plants and the like.
स्थितिरसुरनागसुपर्णद्वीपशेषाणां सागरोपमत्रिपल्योपमार्द्धहीनमिताः
sthitirasuranāgasuparṇadvīpaśeṣāṇāṃ sāgaropamatripalyopamārddhahīnamitāḥ
The maximum lifespan of the asura, naga, suparna and dvipa kumaras and the other residential gods is one sagaropama, three palyopamas, two and a half, two, and one and a half palyopamas.
सौधर्मैशानयोः सागरोपमेऽधिके
saudharmaiśānayoḥ sāgaropame'dhike
In Saudharma and Aishana it is a little more than two sagaropamas.
सानत्कुमारमाहेन्द्रयोः सप्त
sānatkumāramāhendrayoḥ sapta
In Sanatkumara and Mahendra it is a little more than seven.
त्रिसप्तनवैकादशत्रयोदशपञ्चदशभिरधिकानि तु
trisaptanavaikādaśatrayodaśapañcadaśabhiradhikāni tu
In the following pairs it is greater by three, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen and fifteen sagaropamas.
आरणाच्युतादूर्ध्वमेकैकेन नवसु ग्रैवेयकेषु विजयादिषु सर्वार्थसिद्धौ च
āraṇācyutādūrdhvamekaikena navasu graiveyakeṣu vijayādiṣu sarvārthasiddhau ca
Above Arana and Achyuta it rises by one sagaropama at each step: through the nine Graiveyakas, in Vijaya and the others, and in Sarvarthasiddhi.
अपरा पल्योपममधिकम्
aparā palyopamamadhikam
The minimum lifespan (in Saudharma and Aishana) is a little more than one palyopama.
परतः परतः पूर्वापूर्वाऽनन्तराः
parataḥ parataḥ pūrvāpūrvā'nantarāḥ
Further up, the maximum of each heaven is the minimum of the next.
नारकाणां च द्वितीयादिषु
nārakāṇāṃ ca dvitīyādiṣu
The same applies to hellish beings from the second earth onward.
दशवर्षसहस्राणि प्रथमायाम्
daśavarṣasahasrāṇi prathamāyām
In the first earth the minimum is ten thousand years.
भवनेषु च
bhavaneṣu ca
The same minimum holds for residential gods.
व्यन्तराणां च
vyantarāṇāṃ ca
And for peripatetic gods.
परा पल्योपममधिकम्
parā palyopamamadhikam
The maximum for peripatetic gods is a little more than one palyopama.
ज्योतिष्काणां च
jyotiṣkāṇāṃ ca
The same is true for the luminous gods.
तदष्टभागोऽपरा
tadaṣṭabhāgo'parā
Their minimum is one-eighth of that.
लौकान्तिकानामष्टौ सागरोपमाणि सर्वेषाम्
laukāntikānāmaṣṭau sāgaropamāṇi sarveṣām
All Laukantika gods live for eight sagaropamas.
Sanskrit sutras: Sanskrit Wikisource (public domain), with clear digitisation errors corrected and listed in our build notes. Meanings, summaries and Navkar text: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by Digambara and Svetambara scholars. Sutra counts follow the Digambara recension; Svetambara texts number some sutras differently.
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