The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c8.229.3

c8.229.3

The beings take in such matter as is found within the range going to be occupied by their bodies, at least this may be supposed to be the meaning of atta-māyāe and āya-sarīra-khetta (Viy. 286a). Any more closely or more distantly neighbouring ranges are out of the question, and thus for special magic cases it is always being expressly stressed that it concerns bāhirayā poggala, so Viy. 189a, 190a, 282b. The actual process of reincarnation, however, appears to be described, in the beginning of Pannav. 34 (534a—Samav. 145b), as follows: “(beings of hell and five-sensed beings) start on their way by taking in matter immediately after having reached the place (*aṇantar’āhāra*). Then they are busy with developing the body (*tao nivvattaṇā*), then they let the stages of development follow one another (? *tao pariyāiṇayā*), then they produce the details (*tao pariṇamayā*), then they allow their faculties to act (*tao pariyāraṇayā*),¹ then, finally, they convert what has been acquired into individual materiality (? *tao pacchā viuvvaṇayā*)². As to gods the two last stages have changed places. The place where this process happens is, of course, the resp. place of origin (§ 63). From here the soul once again starts on its course. As (Viy. 927a) the monkey (*pavaga*) swings from one place to the next, so the soul wanders from one existence to another, and like the monkey it does so on its own determination (*ajjavasāṇa-joga-nivvattieṇaṃ karaṇūvaēṇaṃ*).