The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

espective kamma: J i.240 (vim!na -- petiyo satt!ha' sukha' anubhavanti, satt!ha' dukkha'); J v.2
(vem!nika -- peta -- bhavena -- kammassa sarikkhako vip!ko ahosi; i. e. by night pleasures; by day
tortures); cp. Pv ii. 12 (see Stede, Gespenstergeschichten des Peta Vatthu p. 106), iii. 78; PvA 204, 210, &
Divy p. 9. Expressions for these "mixed" devat!s who are partly blessed, partly cursed are e. g.: vim!napeta
PvA 145, 148, 271, 275; f. vim!na -- pet" PvA 152, 160, 186, 190; vim!na devat! PvA 190; vem!nika --
peta J v.2; PvA 244; DhA iii.192 (as powerful, by the side of n!gas & supa**as). -- In their appearance
they are like beautiful human beings, dressed in yellowish (p"ta, expld as "golden" robes (cp. the angels in
the oldest Christian apocalyptic literature: on their relation to Hellenic ideas see e. g. A. Dieterich, Nekyia,
Leipzig 1903, pp. 10 -- 18, 29: red & white the colours of the land of the blessed), with gold and silver as
complementary outfit in person and surroundings. Thus throughout the Vim!na Vatthu, esp. Nos, 36 & 47
(p"ta -- vim!na). Their splendour is often likened to that of the moon or of the morning star. -- 4. Origin of
Vim!nas. A vim!na arises in the "other world" (paraloka) at the instant of somebody doing good (even
during the lifetime of the doer) and waits for the entry of the owner: DhA iii.291 sq. In the description of
the vim!na of the n!ga -- king (J vi.315=Vv 8422) it is said on this subject: a vim!na is obtained neither
without a cause (adhicca), nor has it arisen in the change of the seasons, nor is it self -- made (sayankata),
nor given by the gods, but "sakehi kammehi ap!pakehi puññehi laddha" (i. e. won by one's own sinless &
meritorious deeds). -- Entering the Vim!na -- paradise is, analogous to all semi -- lethal passing over into
enchanted conditions in fairy tales, compared with the awakening from sleep (as in a state of trance): sutta -
- ppabuddha DhA iii.7. Of the Vim!na itself it is said that it appears (p!tur ahosi), e. g. VvA 188; DhA
i.131; or arises (uggañchi) DhA iii.291; VvA 221. -- 5. Location of the Vim!nas. The "vim!na" is an
individual paradisiacal state Therefore vim!nas are not definitely located "Elysian Fields." They are
anywhere (in this world as well as in the Beyond), but certain places are more favourable for their
establishment than others. Thus we may state that kat) e) coxh/n they are found in the neighbourhood of
water. Thus either in the Ocean (majjhe s!garasmi' Th 1, 1190; samudda -- majjhe PvA 47), where access
is possible only through adventures after shipwreck or similar causes (J. iv.1 sq.; Pv iv.11); or at one or the
other of the great lakes of the Himavant (Pv ii.12). They are in out -- of -- the -- way places ("end of the
world"); they are also found in the wilderness: Vv 84; Pv iv.32. As tree -- vim!nas with rukkha -- devat! as
inhabitants they occur e. g. at J iii.310; v.502; Pv i.9; ii.9; PvA 244. Very often they are phantasmagorical
castles in the air. By special power of their inhabitants they may be transported to any place at will. This
faculty of transference is combined with the ability of extremely swift motion (compared to the speed of
thought: manojava). Thus a golden palanquin is suspended in mid -- air above a palace at VvA 6 (!k!sa --
c!rin, s"gha -- java). They are said to be !k!sa&&h!n!ni J vi.117; SnA 222, 370 (but the palace of the Yakkha
4)avaka is bhumma -- &&ha, i. e. stands on the ground, and is described as fortified: SnA 222). The place of
a (flying) vim!na may be taken by various conveyances: a chair, an elephant, ship, bed, litter etc. Or the
location of it in the other world is in the Cittalat!vana (Vv 37), or the P!ricchattaka tree (Vv 38), or in the
C!tummah!r!jika -- bhavana (VvA 331). -- Later on, when the theory of meritorious deities (or departed
souls raised to special rank) as vem!nik! dev! was established, their abode was with their vim!nas settled
among the T!vati'sa (e. g. VvA 188, 217, 221, 244, 289; DhA iii.291), or in the Tusita heaven. Thus Tusita
-- pura interchanges with Tusita -- vim!na at DhA ii. 208. The latter occurs e. g. at DhA iii.173, 219. 6.
The dimensions of the Vim!nas are of course enormous, but harmonious (being "divine"), i. e. either of
equal extent in all directions, or specially proportioned with significant numbers. Of these the foll. may be
mentioned. The typical numbers of greatest frequency are 12, 16, 30, 700, in connection with yojana. The
dimensions, with ref. to which 12 & 16 are used, are length, width, height, & girth, whereas 700 applies
usually to the height (DhA iii 291 e. g., where it is said to be "over 700"), and the number of turrets (see
above 2). At VvA 267 (satta -- yojana -- pam!*o ratho) No. 7 is used for 700; No. 30 (extent) is found e. g.
at DhA iii.7; ThA 55; No. 12 e. g. at J vi.116; DhA iii.291; VvA 6, 217, 221, 244, 246, 291 sq.; No. 16 at
VvA 188, 289. -- 7. Vim!nas of sun and moon. A peculiar (late?) idea is that sun and moon have their
vim!nas (cp. Vedic ratha=sun). There are only very few passages in the post -- canonical books mentioning
these. The idea that the celestial bodies are vim!nas ("immense chariots in the shape of open hemispheres"
Kirfel, Kosmographie der Inder p. 282) is essentially Jainistic. See on Jain Vim!nas in general Kirfel, l. c.
pp. 7 -- 9, 292 -- 300. -- In the P!li Com. we find SnA 187, 188 (canda -- vim!na' bhinditv!=breaking up
the moon's palace, i. e. the moon itself); and DhA iii.99 (candimasuriy! vim!n!ni gahetv! a&&ha'su). -- 8.
Other terms for vim!na, and specifications. Var. other expressions are used more frequently for vim!na in
general. Among these are ratha (see above 1 a); nagara (Pv ii.125); pura (see above 5, as tusita˚); p!s!da;
either as dibba˚ (DhA iii.291), or vara˚ (VvA 130), or vim!na˚ (Vv 3110). -- The vim!nas are specified as
deva -- vim!na "heavenly palace," e. g. J i.59; Vism 342; VvA 173; or (in a still more superlative