________________
143 सिकताः ३ मनःशिला-प्रसिद्धा ४ शकरा-दपत्कर्करिकाः ५ खरपृथ्वी-शिलापाषाणरूपा ६आसां षण्णामपि क्रमादुत्कृष्टस्थितिरेको द्वादश चतुर्दश षोडशादय द्वाविंशतिः वर्षाः समाः सहस्रास्तावन्मितवर्षसहस्रा इत्यर्थः ॥ ३४ ॥
D. C. Here, the duration of life of one-sensed living beings is given. The coming (ayati) to one state of existence from another state, of the living beings that transmigrate from birth to birth, is called āyuh The period occupied by that life of existence is its āyuh (period of life). The word "thousand' is to be construed with all the words denoting the highest limit of life, of course, excluding the case of the Téjaskāya.
What is meant is this:-The highest limit of the life of the beings embodied in ‘Prithvi' (the earth) is twenty-two thousand (22000 years. Similarly, the highest limit of the life of waterbodied souls is seven thousand (7000) years; while that of the wind-bodied ones is three thousand (3000) years, and that of the vegetables is ten thousand (10000) years. The word 'tree' has the sense of Pratyéka (one-souled) vegetables. Lastly, the the highest limit of the life of Tėjaskāyika (fire-bodied) beings is three days and three nights.
The lowest limit falls within even a Mahîrta (an Instant), while the middle limit falls in between the highest and the lowest boundaries -
To be more clear on the distinction of the six varieties of the earth-bodied beings
Table Kinds of earth
Duration of Life 1 slakṣnă or the deserts
1000 Years 2 Suddhā or the virgin soil
T2000 Years 3 Vālukā or the Sands
14000 Years
