Dr. N.L. Kachhara
Following Mandik, Mauryaputra went to Mahavira. Mahavira addressed him, "Mauryaputra! You have a doubt about the existence of the Gods (Devas). You think that those who live in hell are tied up with chains and are not free: their sufferings are extreme, and so they are not in a position to present them before us. The Gods (in heaven) are free and have unparalleled powers, but they are also not seen here. So you doubt their existence.
“Your doubts can be cleared," said Mahavira. He said, "You at least see the Sun, Moon and the other celestial Gods like the stars, etc. directly. Besides this, you also find instances of happiness and suffering in this world that are inflicted by the Gods. So you must accept the existence of the Gods.”
Mauryaputra: "The Sun and Moon are lonely lands; nobody lives there. So how do you say that the sight of the Sun and Moon proves the existence of Gods?"
Mahavira: "The Sun and Moon being living places (alaya), somebody must live there; otherwise they would not be living places. You may doubt whether they are living places in the first place. This must be ascertained first. It is just possible that they are not living places but are made of jewels." Mahavira continued, "They are abodes (vimana) of Gods just like the vimana of Vidhyadhara, made of jewels and moving in the sky. The vimanas of the Sun and Moon are not magical productions. Magical products are temporary, but the Sun and Moon are permanent.
“When you accept the existence of hell as the destination for souls committing intense demerit, you should also accept the existence of heaven as a destination for souls committing intense merit. Your question is, If Gods exist and travel everywhere by their own will, why they are not seen in this world? The reason is that they generally continue to enjoy the divine resources of heaven and do not visit this world, which is foul smelling for them. But they do so occasionally. They visit this world at the time of the birth, initiation, dawn of omniscience and emancipation of Tirthankara. They also come to this land on account of friendship and enmity."
On the alleviation of his doubts, Mauryaputra and his 350 disciples accepted the Order of Mahavira.
