➥ sattāvāsa nava: 'abodes of beings'. In the Sutta-texts (e.g. DN 33; AN 9.24) 9 such abodes are mentioned:

“There are, o monks, 9 abodes of beings, namely:

(1) “There are beings who are different in body and different in perception, such as the human beings, some heavenly beings, and some beings living in the world of suffering (see vinipātika).

(2) “There are beings who are different in body but equal in perception, such as the first-born gods of the Brahma-world (i.e. at the beginning of each new world-formation; see deva II).

(3) “Where are beings who are equal in body but different in perception, such as the Radiant Gods (ābhassara, see deva II).

(4) “There are beings who are equal in body and equal in perception, such as the All-Illuminating Gods (subha-kiṇha; see deva II).

(5) “There are beings without perception and feeling, such as the unconscious beings (see asañña-satta).

(6) “There are beings who, through the complete overcoming of perceptions of matter (rūpa-sañña), the disappearance of perceptions of sense-reaction (paṭigha-sañña), and the non-attention to perceptions of variety thinking: 'Boundless is space', are reborn in the sphere of boundless space (see deva, III; jhāna, 5).

(7) “There are beings who, through the complete overcoming of the sphere of boundless space, thinking: 'Boundless is consciousness', are reborn in the sphere of boundless consciousness (see jhāna 6).

(8) “There are beings who, through the complete overcoming of the sphere of boundless consciousness, thinking: 'Nothing is there, are reborn in the sphere of nothingness (see jhāna, 7).

(9) “There are beings who, through the complete overcoming of the sphere of nothingness, are reborn in the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception (see jhāna, 8)” AN 9.24

According to the Commentary to AN, the beings of the Pure Abodes (see Suddhāvāsa ) are not mentioned here, for the reason that they exist only in those world-periods in which Buddhas appear. Cf. viññāṇa-ṭṭhiti.