Does the concept of heaven and hell exist in Jainism? Where does a liberated soul go?
All religions have the concept of heaven and hell. Jainism is no exception. Let us first present the Jain scriptural view. There are four states of existence (GATIs) of worldly beings: human (MANUSHYAGATI), subhuman including animals, insects and plants (TIRYANCHAGATI), hellish (NARAKAGATI) and celestial (DEVAGATI). The material universe (LOKAAKAASH) is divided into three regions: upper (URDHVALOK), middle (MADHYALOK) and lower (ADHOLOK). Human beings and animals live in the middle region, the celestial beings live in upper region for most part, and the hellish beings live in the lower region. On top of the upper region is SIDDHASHILA where the liberated souls abide. The Jain concept of universe is at variance with the modern astronomical concepts, based on our knowledge of laws of nature, which have withstood rigorous experimentation. The modern astronomical concept of universe is also supported by the space flights. When the first man landed on the moon, Siddhantacharya Pandit Phool
