Viyahapannatti 13.4.583

13.4.583

kiṃsaṃṭhie ṇaṃ bhaṃte! loe pannatte?
goyamā! supaiṭṭhiyasaṃṭhie loe pannatte–heṭṭhā vicchiṇṇe, majjhe saṃkhitte, uppiṃ bisāle; ahe paliyaṃkasaṃṭhie, majjhe varavaira-viggahie, uppiṃ uddhamuiṃgākārasaṃṭhie| taṃsi ca ṇaṃ sāsayaṃsi logaṃsi heṭṭhā vicchiṇṇaṃsi jāva uppiṃ uddhamuiṃgākārasaṃṭhiyaṃsi uppannanāṇa-daṃsaṇadhare arahā jine kevalī jīve vi jāṇai-pāsai, ajīve vi jāṇai-pāsai, tao pacchā sijjhai bujjhai muccai parinivvāi savvadukkhāṇaṃ aṃtaṃ kareti|
eyassa ṇaṃ bhaṃte! ahelogassa, tiriyalogassa, uḍḍhalogassa ya kayare kayarehiṃto appā vā? bahuyā vā? tullā vā? visesāhiyā vā?
goyamā! savvatthove tiriyaloe, uḍḍhaloe asaṃkhejjaguṇe, aheloe visesāhie|
sevaṃ bhaṃte! sevaṃ bhaṃte! tti|

"Of what shape, Venerable Sir, is the world declared to be?"
"Gautama! The world is declared to be of the shape of an auspicious stand: wide at the bottom, contracted in the middle, and broad at the top; like a couch below, contracted like an excellent diamond in the middle, and shaped like an upright mṛdaṅga drum at the top. And in that eternal world, wide at the bottom up to shaped like an upright mṛdaṅga drum at the top, the arhat, jina, kevalin, possessing arisen knowledge and vision, knows and sees the living beings, and knows and sees the non-living things; then afterwards he attains perfection, becomes enlightened, is liberated, attains final nirvāṇa, and brings an end to all suffering."
"Venerable Sir! Among this lower world, horizontal world, and upper world, which is less, more, equal, or especially greater than which?"
"Gautama! The horizontal world is the smallest of all; the upper world is innumerably times greater; the lower world is especially greater."
"So it is, Venerable Sir! So it is, Venerable Sir!"