Chapter-16 - The Body-form of Hell

1. In how many body-forms, the worldly beings have been divided ?

Worldly being have been divided in four life-courses - body-form of hell, body-form of animal and plant, body-form of human beings & the celestial body-form.

2. What is called 'Gati'?

Due to fruition of which Karma the living being gets hellhood, animal or planthood, human and celestial body-form, is called 'Gati'.

3. What is called hellish body-form ?

1. Because of which 'Name Karma', the soul gets hellish disposition / temperament, is called hellish body-form.
2. Because of sinful Karmas, a being suffers / endures many terrible unbearable sufferings, is called a hellish being and his body-form is called hellish-body-form.
3. That which causes human beings to fall down and grinds them, is called hell. (Shri Dhavla, Book 1/24/202)
4. Those who are not on mutually affectionate terms are called 'Narat', i.e. not an affectionate person, their body-form, is hellish body-form. (G .Jeeva Kand, 147) (Hellish beings cause sufferings and pains to one another)

4. Why description of hellish body-form first ?

Having knowledge of the nature of hellish beings fear is created in 'Bhavya Jeeva', (one who is eligible to get salvation) so his wisdom is fixed unwaveringly in Dasa Dharma' (Ten right virtues of Jain religion-forgiveness, etc.), i.e. in "Muni Dharma' (The religion observed by Jain Muni) with this understanding the hellish body-form has been described first. (Shri Dhavla, Book 3/15/122)

5. What are the distinguishing features/peculiarities of hellish-beings ?

1. The body of hellish beings remains inauspicious Vaikriyika' (bad transformable body), extreme bad smelling and fearsome.
2. Their structure of body remains unsymmetrical (Hundak Sansthan, i.e. disproportionate body).
3. They are black complexioned similar to smoke.
4. Their body contains blood, pus, meat, excrement, etc.
5. Hellish beings do only 'Aprathak Vikriya' (not different from the body), i.e. they make their own body transformed into arms and weapons.
6. There is no untimely (premature death) death of hellish beings even if their body is cut to pieces, their body is united again.
7. No 'Nigodia Jeeva' (lowest form of life - one sensed beings) remain in their body.
8. They are of neuter gender (Hermaphrodite libido) and do not have beards and moustaches.

6. How many abodes ('Bill' or dwelling place of hellish-beings) are there in seven earths (hells)?

84 lakh cells. 30 lakh in 'Ratanprabha', 25 lakh in 'Sharkaraprabha', 15 lakh in 'Balukaprabha', 10 lakh in 'Pankprabha', 3 lakh in 'Dhoomprabha', 5 less in one lakh, i.e. 99995 in 'Tamahprabha' and 5 in 'Mahatamahprabha'. Dwelling place of hellishbeings are called 'Bill'. (Tattvartha Sutra 3/2)

7. What are other names of seven earths (Hells) ?

Dhamma, Vansha, Megha, Anjana, Arishta, Maghavi & Maaghavi. (Tiloya Pannati 1/153)

8. How many 'Patala' (layers) are there in each of seven earths?

13 in the first earth and thereafter 11, 9,7,5, 3 and 1 in sequence.

9. Which kind of soil is there in hells ? And what will happen if the smell of that place is brought here?

The soil of hells is infinite-times more worse smelling than the smell of rotten dead bodies of pig, dog, she-goat, elephant, buffalo, etc. Living beings within one 'Kosa' (approximately two miles) can die of the bad smell of the soil of first land of the hell. Ahead of it the killing power of the second, third, etc. land's soil is increased by half'Kosa' (one kilometer) each in sequence. (Tiloya Pannati 2/347-349)

10. What is the duration of life of the dwellers of these 7 earth ?

The maximum duration of life of the dwellers of these earths is 1, 3, 7, 10, 17, 22 and 33 Sagara respectively and the minimum duration is 10,000 years 1,3, 7, 10, 17, 22 Sagara respectively in sequence.

11. What is the maximum and minimum measurement (height) of infernal beings ?

(T. P., 2/217-69)

12. How many kinds of sufferings and pains are there in hells ?

There are many kinds of sufferings in hells, out of which some are main - Sufferings related to region, mental suffering, bodily pains, sufferings created by 'Asurkumardeva', sufferings caused mutually by each other, sufferings of diseases and sufferings of hunger and thirst.

1. Sufferings related to the region

Dense darkness remains in bills (abodes of hellish beings) the soil remains bad smelling. want shade (i.e. shelter) (Vasu Shravakachar 156) then there are silk-cotton tree (semar trees) which do not give shade but cause to fall leaves which are as sharp as the dagger and thorn, sting, etc. From first earth to 3% of the fifth earth there is extreme heat and in the remaining one-forth part of the fifth earth there is cold, the sixth earth is also cold and in the seventh earth there is extreme cold. (T. P. 2/29-30, 34-36)

2. Mental agony

"Alas! Alas! we are lying in this terrible hell because of fruition of our sinful Karmas" thinking so they repent. "We had disdained preachings of 'Veetragi' saints and worthy men which were conducive to our well-being. I had done all the five sins being blinded by sensual pleasures. Whom I caused suffering now he is ready to kill me. Who is to save me ? Of whom I should take refuge ? How shall now I bear this trouble ? Why those kith and kins do not come and help me for whom I did sins. None is helper/rescuer in this world except the religion". Thus they repent for their previously committed sins. (Gyanarnava 36/33,59)

3. Bodily Sufferings

Infernal beings take birth instantaneously Uppada birth). The place of instantaneous birth is not on the ground floor of the respective abode. It is situated in upper side like the mouth of the camel. Taking birth at that place he completes his all Paryaptiain' (gaining the capacity to develop fully the characteristics of his body) within one Antarmuhurta' and then falls down from his birth place (uppad sthan), being overturned, on the ground of hell in the midst of 36 arms (sword/spear, etc. and then springs up 7 'yojana' 3 '%, 'Kosa',

(i.e. 311/4 Kosa or roughly 62'/, miles) above the ground of hell of the first earth. This length becomes double the magnitude for the other infernal earths in sequence. (i.e. the length of sprining up of infernal beings in the second infernal earth is double the length of the first infernal earth and the length of this sprining up in the third infernal earth is double the length of the second infernal earth and so on in this sequence), i.e. 62 /, 'Kosa', 125 'Kosa', 250 'Kosa', 500 'Kosa', 1000 'Kosa' and 2000 'Kosa'. (one yojan = 4 'Kosa') (Tirloksar 182)

4. Sufferings created by 'Asurkumara deva'

Up to the third earth, the deity (deva) of Asurkumar species inspire and instigate the infernal beings of the respective hells to fight each other by causing them to remember the enmity of their previous birth. Just as here men cause to fight rams, buffalo, etc. similarly, a kind of 'Asurkumar deva's, the 'Ambrish' go up to the third earth and cause to fight them with each other. They themselves also beat them. (Tiloya pannati, 2/253)

5. Sufferings caused mutually by each other

Infernal beings neither can sit peacefully nor let others to sit calmly. They beat and kill other infernal beings at first sight, cut them to thousands of pieces and throw them into the pan of boiling oil, some times they cause them to embrace the heated iron puppets. (What other kinds of sufferings they cause to each other, can not be described even by Kevali Bhagwan. (Tiloya Pannati 2/318-327, 341-345)

6. Sufferings caused by diseases

All unbearable and incurable diseases that exist in the world are found in every fibre and pore of the bodies of infernal beings. (Gyanarnava 36/20)

7. Sufferings of hunger and thirst

Infernal beings feel so much hunger that even if they eat the whole grains of all the three worlds their hunger is not satiated and they remains so much thirsty that if they drink the whole water of all the seas even then their thirst is not quenched(Gyanarnava 36/77, 78) but they eat the bad-smelling soil of the hell and the water of 'Baitarni river' which is extreme sharp, saltish and hot.

13. How many times a living beings can go in continuous sucession to the hell ?

The living being can go from the first earth to the seventh earth for 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,3 & 2 times respectively in continuous succession.

Note - An infernal being does not become infernal being immediately after death. He will take one birth as human or Tiryanchas having fives senses (i.e. Animal & Plant) being and then can again go to the hell. (Triloksar, 205)

14. With regard to different beings, what is the maximum gap of time of taking birth in hells ?

In case no living beings takes birth in the hell then the maximum gap can be of 48 Gharhi (19 hours 12 minutes), one weak, one fortnight, one month, two months, four months and six months respectively from the first earth to the 7th earth. (Triloksar, 206)

15. What is the range of the clairvoyance region of the infernal beings?

Calculation - 1 Kosa = 2000 Dhanusha 1 Dhanusha = 4 Hands

1 Hand= 24 Angul (finger length) (Triloksar, 202)