UPSC Prelims 2026 Q5: Four Gatis in Jainism — Explained
Among the four main forms of existence of life recognized in Jainism, which one of the following is not included?
- Deva (gods)
- Yaksha (demi-gods)
- Manushya (humans)
- Tiryancha (animals and plants)
Answer: (b) Yaksha (demi-gods)
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Deva gati, the state of heavenly beings, is one of the four gatis in Jainism, so it is included in the list. Jain texts divide devas into four classes: Bhavanavasi, Vyantara, Jyotishka and Vaimanika. A soul is reborn as a deva because of good karma, but the stay ends when that karma runs out. Devas are still in samsara and cannot reach moksha directly from heaven.
- b: correct — Yaksha is not one of the four gatis, so it is the form that is not included. Jain cosmology puts yakshas inside the deva gati, as one group of the Vyantara class of devas. Yakshas and yakshis also appear in Jainism as attendant deities of the Tirthankaras, such as Dharanendra and Padmavati with Parshvanatha. They are a kind of deva, not a separate form of existence.
- c: incorrect — Manushya gati, birth as a human, is one of the four gatis, so it is included. Jain thought gives it special value. Only from a human birth can a soul take up full renunciation and reach liberation (moksha).
- d: incorrect — Tiryancha (tiryanch) gati is one of the four gatis, so it is included. It covers animals, birds, insects and plants, and also one-sensed beings that live in earth, water, fire and air. Britannica describes the four arms of the Jain swastika as the four places of rebirth: the animal or plant world, hell, earth (humans) and the spirit world (gods).
How to eliminate
Basic knowledge settles most of this question. Any list of rebirths in Indian religions includes gods, humans and animals, so Deva, Manushya and Tiryancha are almost certainly included. That leaves Yaksha. Two more clues point to it. First, the question says 'four main forms', and the fourth form that is missing from the options is the hell beings (Naraki). Second, yakshas are known from folk cults and sculpture (the Didarganj Yakshi, the Bharhut railings) as spirits and guardian deities, not as a basic state of existence. Fact to remember: the four gatis are Deva, Manushya, Tiryancha and Naraki, and moksha is the escape from all four.
Know more
Gati: the four states of samsara in Jainism
In Jainism every soul (jiva) is eternal. It is bound by karma, the fine matter that sticks to it. That karma decides which gati (state of existence) the soul is reborn into. There are four:
| Gati | Beings | Where in the Jain universe (loka) |
|---|---|---|
| Deva | Heavenly beings: Bhavanavasi, Vyantara (includes yakshas, rakshasas, kinnaras, gandharvas), Jyotishka, Vaimanika | Upper world, and parts of the lower and middle worlds |
| Manushya | Humans | Middle world (madhya loka) |
| Tiryancha | Animals, birds, insects, plants, and one-sensed earth, water, fire and air bodies | Mainly the middle world |
| Naraki | Hell beings | Lower world (adho loka), seven tiers of hell |
Key points
- The four arms of the Jain swastika stand for these four gatis. The three dots above it stand for the Three Jewels (ratnatraya): right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. The crescent and dot at the top stand for the abode of liberated souls (siddhashila).
- Moksha is sometimes called the fifth gati (panchami gati). It is the escape from all four, not a fifth form of rebirth.
- Only a human can reach liberation. Devas enjoy their rewards but must be reborn as humans before they can be freed.
- Jains also sort jivas by the number of senses, from one-sensed (plants, earth bodies) to five-sensed (humans, devas, hell beings, higher animals). This sorting is the basis of the strict Jain practice of ahimsa toward even the smallest beings.
- Yakshas and yakshis were folk nature spirits whom Jainism and Buddhism took in. In Jainism each Tirthankara has a guardian pair (shasana devatas), for example Gomukha and Chakreshvari with Rishabhanatha.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Yaksha and yakshi: Option (b) depends on whether yakshas form a separate form of existence or belong to an existing category in Jain cosmology.
- Uttaradhyayana Sutta: This canonical Jain text describes rebirth among heavenly, human, animal-plant and hellish beings, the framework used to test all four options.
- Didarganj Yakshi: This famous Mauryan-era sculpture shows yakshis as popular folk deities, which can tempt you to treat yakshas as a separate life-form.