Answer

In Jain Dharma, “God” as a creator of the universe is not accepted, but Dev Gati does exist.

Dev Gati means the heavenly state of existence, where a soul is born as a deva due to punya karma.

So, Jainism does not say “there are no devas.” It says:

• There is no one creator God who made and controls the universe.
• But there are heavenly beings called devas.
• Dev Gati is one of the four gatis of worldly existence.

Explanation

According to Jain Dharma, every soul takes birth in one of four gatis according to its karma:

• Manushya Gati — human life
• Tiryanch Gati — animal, bird, plant, etc.
• Narak Gati — hellish existence
• Dev Gati — heavenly existence

A soul born in Dev Gati experiences great pleasures, long life, beauty, power, and heavenly comforts. But devas are still worldly beings. They are not liberated souls.

They still have:

• karma,
• attachment,
• desires,
• birth and death.

Because of this, Dev Gati is still part of samsar, the cycle of birth and death.

Spiritual Understanding

In Jain Dharma, the highest ideal is not becoming a deva. The highest goal is becoming a Siddha — a liberated soul free from all karma.

A deva may have heavenly happiness, but that happiness is temporary. When the lifespan of Dev Gati ends, the soul must take another birth according to its remaining karma.

That is why Jain Dharma teaches that even Dev Gati is not moksha.

Takeaway

Jainism does not believe in a creator God, but it does believe in devas and Dev Gati.

Devas are heavenly beings, not creators or supreme rulers. Dev Gati is a pleasant but temporary birth within samsar, while moksha is the true final goal.