法苑珠林 3.42

3.42

Question: What are the servants and mounts of the devas like? Answer: As the sūtra states: The six heavens of the desire realm have servants and mounts. 'Servants' refers to attendants, and 'mounts' refers to riding mounts. Because in the six desire heavens there are rulers and ministers, wives and concubines, noble and base, high and low, the base must attend upon the noble, and the low must follow the high. As for 'mounts', because the six desire heavens have various animals, when the devas wish to roam, they mount them as they please, sometimes riding elephants or horses, sometimes peacocks, or various dragons. According to the *Vibhāṣā-śāstra*, from Trāyastriṃśa downward, they fully possess elephants, horses, ducks, wild geese, mandarin ducks, peacocks, dragons, and the like. From the Yāma Heaven upward, there are entirely no four-footed creatures such as elephants or horses; there are only birds that admonish negligence, truth-speaking birds, red-water birds, and the like, which reproach the devas and admonish them against negligence.