Viyahapannatti 6.8: Uddeśaka 8: pṛthvī

“Venerable Sir, how many earths have been declared?”
“Gautama, eight earths have been declared, namely: Ratnaprabhā up to Īṣatprāgbhārā.
“Venerable Sir, are there houses or shops in this Ratnaprabhā earth?”
“Gautama, that matter is not so.”
“Venerable Sir, are there below this Ratnaprabhā villages or up to settlements?”
“That matter is not so.”
“Venerable Sir, below this Ratnaprabhā earth, do dense clouds sweat, coalesce, [and] pour rain?”
“Yes, indeed. All three cause it: gods cause it, asuras cause it, [and] nāgas cause it.”
“Venerable Sir, is there in this Ratnaprabhā earth gross thunder-sound?”
“Yes, indeed. All three cause it.”
“Venerable Sir, is there below this Ratnaprabhā earth gross fire-bodied souls?”
“Gautama, that matter is not so, except for those undergoing intermediary transit.”
“Venerable Sir, are there below this Ratnaprabhā earth the bodies of the moon, sun, planets, constellations, and stars?”
“That matter is not so.”
“Venerable Sir, is there below this Ratnaprabhā earth moonlight or sunlight?”
“That matter is not so.”
“In this way it should be said of the second earth, and so also of the third earth, with this difference: gods cause it, asuras cause it, but nāgas do not cause it. For the fourth also it is the same, with this difference: only gods cause it, not asuras, not nāgas. Thus, in all the lower ones, gods cause it.
“Venerable Sir, below the Saudharma and Īśāna heavens, are there houses or shops?”
“That matter is not so.”
“Venerable Sir, are there dense clouds?”
“Yes, indeed.
Gods cause it, asuras also cause it, but not nāgas.
Likewise also for thunder-sound.
“Venerable Sir, are there gross earth-bodied souls? Gross fire-bodied souls?”
“That matter is not so, except for those undergoing intermediary transit.”
“Venerable Sir, are there the bodies of the moon, sun, planets, constellations, and stars?”
“That matter is not so.”
“Venerable Sir, are there villages or up to settlements?”
“That matter is not so.”
“Venerable Sir, is there moonlight or sunlight?”
“Gautama, that matter is not so.”
“The same applies to Sanatkumāra and Māhendra, with this difference: only gods cause it. The same also in Brahmaloka. In this way, above Brahmaloka in all of them gods cause it. And one should question concerning gross water-bodied souls, gross fire-bodied souls, [and] gross plant-bodied souls. The rest is just the same.”

In the mass of darkness and in the group of five heavens, [one asks of] fire and earth; and [of fire] in the earths [below];
[Gross] water, fire, and plants [should be asked of] above those heavens and in the black streaks.

“Venerable Sir, how many kinds of bondage of lifespan are declared?”
“Gautama, six kinds of bondage of lifespan are declared, namely: lifespan invariable with class-name, lifespan invariable with realm-name, lifespan invariable with duration-name, lifespan invariable with space-occupation-name, lifespan invariable with space-point-name, lifespan invariable with intensity-name. [Apply this] series of classes up to the celestial beings.
“Venerable Sir, are souls invariable with class-name? Invariable with realm-name? Invariable with duration-name? Invariable with space-occupation-name? Invariable with space-point-name? Invariable with intensity-name?”
“Gautama, they are invariable with class-name up to also invariable with intensity-name. [Apply this] series of classes up to the celestial beings.
“Venerable Sir, do souls have a lifespan invariable with class-name up to a lifespan invariable with intensity-name?”
“Gautama, they have a lifespan invariable with class-name up to also a lifespan invariable with intensity-name. [Apply this] series of classes up to the celestial beings.
In this way, these twelve series of classes are to be spoken:
‘Venerable Sir, are souls 1. invariable with class-name? 2. possessed of a lifespan invariable with class-name?
Venerable Sir, are souls 3. bound to class-name? 4. possessed of a lifespan bound to class-name?
Venerable Sir, are souls 5. invariable with class-lineage? 6. possessed of a lifespan invariable with class-lineage?
Venerable Sir, are souls 7. bound to class-lineage? 8. possessed of a lifespan bound to class-lineage?
Venerable Sir, are souls 9. invariable with class-name-lineage? 10. possessed of a lifespan invariable with class-name-lineage?
Venerable Sir, are souls 11. bound to class-name-lineage? 12. possessed of a lifespan bound to class-name-lineage?
up to 72. possessed of a lifespan bound to intensity-name-lineage?’
‘Gautama, they are possessed of a lifespan bound to class-name-lineage up to also possessed of a lifespan bound to intensity-name-lineage. [Apply this] series of classes up to the celestial beings.’”

"Venerable Sir! Is the Lavaṇa Ocean elevated in water? Level in water? Agitated in water? Unagitated in water?"
"Gautama! The Lavaṇa Ocean is elevated in water, not level in water; agitated in water, not unagitated in water."
"Venerable Sir! Just as the Lavaṇa Ocean is elevated in water, not level in water, [and] agitated in water, not unagitated in water, are the outer oceans likewise elevated in water? Level in water? Agitated in water? Unagitated in water?"
"Gautama! The outer oceans are not elevated in water, [but] level in water; not agitated in water, [but] unagitated in water, full to their full measure, overflowing and surging, standing like completely filled jars."
"Venerable Sir! Do many large clouds generate, form, [and] rain down rain in the Lavaṇa Ocean?"
"Yes, they do."
"Venerable Sir! Just as many large clouds generate, form, [and] rain down rain in the Lavaṇa Ocean, do many large clouds likewise generate, form, [and] rain down rain in the outer oceans as well?"
"That meaning is not valid."
"For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said thus: 'The outer oceans stand full […] like completely filled jars'?"
"Gautama! In the outer oceans, many water-origin jīvas and pudgalas enter into the state of water, pass out of it, fall away, and accumulate.
For that reason, Gautama, it is said thus: 'The outer oceans stand full to their full measure, overflowing and surging, like completely filled jars; uniform in shape, manifold in extent, double and double in measure, up to: in this transverse world, innumerable islands and oceans ending with Svayambhūramaṇa have been declared, long-lived Śramaṇa.'"
"Venerable Sir! By how many names have the islands and oceans been declared?"
"Gautama! As many auspicious names, auspicious colors, auspicious scents, auspicious flavors, [and] auspicious touches as there are in the world, by so many names have the islands and oceans been declared. Thus are to be understood the auspicious names, the extraction, the transformation, [and] the origination of all jīvas."
"That is so, Venerable Sir! That is so, Venerable Sir!"