https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_cosmology
Hindu cosmology
In Hindu cosmology the universe is cyclically created and destroyed in the timespan of 8.64
billion years. Deeply rooted in Hindu literature including Vedas and Puranas, it is believed time
is divided into four epochs or Yuga, of which we occupy the final. In roughly 432,000 years the
final Avatar Kalki will end time. Narayana destroys all this existence while creating a new
existence. Time starts over.
Hindu cosmology also describe the aspects of evolution, astronomy, astrology, creation etc.
Contents
[hide]
1 Description
2 Further elaborations from the Vedic texts
o 2.1 Rig Veda
o 2.2 The Puranas
3 Multiverse in Hinduism
4 Reception
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
Description[edit]
The Hindu cosmology and timeline is considered by some the closest to modern scientific
timelines[1] and even more which might indicate that the Big Bang is not the beginning of
everything,[2] but just the start of the present cycle preceded by an infinite number of universes
and to be followed by another infinite number of universes.[3]
The Rig Veda questions the origin of the cosmos in: "Neither being (sat) nor non-being was as
yet. What was concealed? And where? And in whose protection?…Who really knows? Who can
declare it? When was it born, and when came this creation? The devas were born later than this
world's creation, so who knows from where it came into existence? None can know from where
creation has arisen, and whether he has or has not produced it. He who surveys it in the highest
heavens, He alone knows-or perhaps does not know." (Rig Veda 10. 129)[4]
Large scale structure of the Universe according to one Hindu cosmology.
Map 2: Intermediate neighbourhood of the Earth according to one Hindu cosmology.
Map 3: Local neighbourhood of the Earth according to one Hindu cosmology.
The Rig Veda's view of the cosmos also sees one true divine principle self-projecting as the
divine word, Vaak, 'birthing' the cosmos that we know, from the monistic Hiranyagarbha or
Golden Womb. The universe is considered to constantly expand since creation and disappear into
a thin haze after billions of years.[citation needed] An alternate view is that the universe begins to
contract after reaching its maximum expansion limits until it disappears into a fraction of a
millimeter.[citation needed] The creation begins anew after billions of years (Solar years) of non-
existence.
The puranic view asserts that the universe is created, destroyed, and re-created in an eternally
repetitive series of cycles. In Hindu cosmology, a universe endures for about 4,320,000,000
years (one day of Brahma, the creator or one kalpa) and is then destroyed by fire or water
elements. At this point, Brahma rests for one night, just as long as the day. This process, named
pralaya (literally especial dissolution in Sanskrit, commonly translated as Cataclysm), repeats
for 100 Brahma years (311 Trillion, 40 Billion Human Years) that represents Brahma's lifespan.
Brahma is regarded as a manifestation of Brahman as the creator.
In current occurrence of Universe, we are believed to be in the 51st year of the present Brahma
and so about 156 trillion years have elapsed since he was born as Brahma. After Brahma's
"death", it is necessary that another 100 Brahma years (311 Trillion, 40 Billion Years) pass until
a new Brahma is born and the whole creation begins anew. This process is repeated again and
again, forever.
Brahma's day is divided in one thousand cycles (Maha Yuga, or the Great Year). Maha Yuga,
during which life, including the human race appears and then disappears, has 71 divisions, each
made of 14 Manvantara (1000) years. Each Maha Yuga lasts for 4,320,000 years. Manvantara is
Manu's cycle, the one who gives birth and governs the human race. before & after each
manvantara there's a sandhikal as long as krutyuga & in that time there is all water on earth. Each
Maha Yuga consists of a series of four shorter yugas, or ages. The yugas get progressively worse
from a moral point of view as one proceeds from one yuga to another. As a result, each yuga is
of shorter duration than the age that preceded it. The current Kali Yuga (Iron Age) began at
midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar (Year 6898 of
the Holocene Era.) kalpa=ahoratra of brahma. Space and time are considered to be maya
(illusion). What looks like 100 years in the cosmos of Brahma could be thousands of years in
other worlds, millions of years in some other worlds and 311 trillion and 40 billion years for our
solar system and earth. The life span of Lord Brahma, the creator, is 100 'Brahma-Years'. One
day in the life of Brahma is called a Kalpa or 4.32 billion years.[5][6] Every Kalpa creates 14
Manus one after the other, who in turn manifest and regulate this world. Thus, there are fourteen
generations of Manu in each Kalpa. Each Manu's life (Manvantara) consists of 71 Chaturyugas
(quartets of Yugas or eras).[7] Each Chaturyuga is composed of four eras or Yugas: Satya, Treta,
Dwapara and Kali.[7] If we add all manvantaras(4320000x71x14), as long as 4 chaturyuga will be
missing because sandhikaal after and before each manvantara (so 15 sandhikaal).
The span of the Satya Yuga is 1,728,000 human years, Treta Yuga is 1,296,000 human years
long, the Dwapara Yuga 864,000 human years and the Kali Yuga 432,000 human years.[8]
When Manu perishes at the end of his life, Brahma creates the next Manu and the cycle
continues until all fourteen Manus and the Universe perish by the end of Bramha's day. When
'night' falls, Brahma goes to sleep for a period of 4.32 billion years, which is a period of time
equal one day (of Brahma) and the lives of fourteen Manus. The next 'morning', Brahma creates
fourteen additional Manus in sequence just as he has done on the previous 'day'. The cycle goes
on for 100 'divine years' at the end of which Brahma perishes and is regenerated. Bramha's entire
life equals 311 trillion, 40 billion years. Thus a second of Brahmā is 98,630 years. Once Brahma
dies there is an equal period of unmanifestation for 311 trillion, 40 billion years, until the next
Bramha is created. During one life of Brahma there are 504 000 Manus (Vedic "Adams") are
changing, there are 5040 Manus are changing during one year of Brahma, and 420 Manus
manifest during one month of Brahmā. (See: List of numbers in Hindu scriptures for more such
numeric details).
The present period is the Kali Yuga or last era in one of the 71 Chaturyugis (set of four
Yugas/eras) in the life one of the fourteen Manus. The current Manu is said to be the seventh
Manu and his name is Vaivasvata.[9]
According to Aryabhata, the Kali Yuga began in 3102 BC, at the end of the Dvapara Yuga that
was marked by the disappearance of Krishna Aryabhata's date is widely repeated in modern
Hinduism.
The beginning of the new Yuga (era) is known as "Yugadi/Ugadi", and is celebrated every year
on the first day (Paadyami) of the first month (Chaitramu) of the 12-month annual cycle. But this
is a disambiguation for beginning of new year in lunisolar calendar followed by most Hindus.
The Ugadi of 1999 begins the year 1921 of the Shalivahana era (5101 Kali Yuga, 1999 AD). The
end of the Kali Yuga is 426,899 years from 1921.[10]
Overview of Yugas:
1. Satya Yuga (Krita Yuga):- 1,728,000 Human years
2. Treta Yuga:- 1,296,000 Human years
3. Dwapara Yuga:- 864,000 Human years
4. Kali Yuga:- 432,000 Human years (as of 2009, 5,111 years have passed; 426,889 years
remain). Kaliyuga started in 3102 B.C.
Further elaborations from the Vedic texts[edit]
Rig Veda[edit]
The Nasadiya Sukta of the Rig Veda describes the origin of the universe. The Rig Veda's view of
the cosmos also sees one true divine principle self-projecting as the divine word, Vaak, 'birthing'
the cosmos that we know, from the monistic Hiranyagarbha or Golden Egg.[11] The Universe is
preserved by Vishnu (The God of Preservation) and destroyed by Shiva (The God of
Destruction). These three constitute the holy trinity (Trimurti) of the Hindu religion. Once the
Universe has been destroyed by Shiva, Brahma starts the creation once again. This creation-
destruction cycle repeats itself almost endlessly as described in the section above on Brahma,
Manu and the Yugas.
The Puranas[edit]
The later Puranic view asserts that the Universe is created, destroyed, and re-created in an
eternally repetitive series of cycles. In Hindu cosmology, a universe endures for about
4,320,000,000 years—one day/Kalpa of Brahma, the creator, and is then destroyed by fire or
water elements. At this point, Brahma rests for one night, just as long as the day. This process,
named Pralaya (Cataclysm), repeats for 100 Brahma years (311 trillion, 40 billion human years)
that represents Brahma's lifespan. Brahma is the creator but not necessarily regarded as God in
Hinduism because there are said to be many creations. Instead, he is regarded as a creation of the
Supreme God or Para Brahman.
We are currently believed[12] to be in the 51st year of the present Brahma's life and so about 158.7
trillion years have elapsed since the birth of Brahma. After Brahma's "death", it is necessary that
another 100 Brahma years pass until he is reborn and the whole creation begins anew. This
process is repeated again and again, forever.
Brahma's day is divided in one thousand cycles (Maha Yuga, or the Great Year). Maha Yuga,
during which life, including the human race appears and then disappears, made of 14
Manvantarahas each has 71 divisions. Each Maha Yuga lasts for 4,320,000 years. Manvantara is
Manu's cycle, the one who gives birth and governs the human race.
Each Maha Yuga consists of a series of four shorter yugas, or ages as described earlier. The
degree of happiness, prosperity and righteousness progressively decays as one proceeds from one
yuga to another. Each yuga is of shorter duration than the age that preceded it. The current Kali
Yuga (Iron Age) began at midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BC in the proleptic Julian
calendar. (Year 6898 of the Holocene Era.)
Only some Puranas describe a universe that is cyclical or oscillating and infinite in time. The
universe is described as a cosmic egg that cycles between expansion and total collapse. It
expanded from a concentrated form — a point called a Bindu. The universe, as a living entity, is
bound to the perpetual cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
The Padma Purana discusses the number of different types of life-forms in the universe.
According to the Padma Purana, there are 8,400,000 life-form species, 900,000 of which are
aquatic ones; 2,000,000 are trees and plants; 1,100,000 are small living species, insects and
reptiles; 1,000,000 are birds; 3,000,000 are beasts and 400,000 are human species. [13]
Multiverse in Hinduism[edit]
The concept of multiverses is mentioned many times in Hindu Puranic literature, such as in the
Bhagavata Purana (400–1000 CE):
Every universe is covered by seven layers — earth, water, fire, air, sky, the total energy and false
ego — each ten times greater than the previous one. There are innumerable universes besides
this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore
You are called unlimited (Bhagavata Purana 6.16.37)
After separating the different universes, the gigantic universal form of the Lord, which came out
of the causal ocean, the place of appearance for the first puruṣa-avatāra, entered into each of
the separate universes, desiring to lie on the created transcendental water (Bhagavata Purana
2.10.10)
The number of universes seems to be uncountable, immeasurable, or incalculable according to
the Puranic literature:
Even though over a period of time I might count all the atoms of the universe, I could not count
all of My opulences which I manifest within innumerable universes (Bhagavata Purana
11.16.39)
Analogies to describe multiple universes also exist in the Puranic literature:
What am I, a small creature measuring seven spans of my own hand? I am enclosed in a potlike
universe composed of material nature, the total material energy, false ego, ether, air, water and
earth. And what is Your glory? Unlimited universes pass through the pores of Your body just as
particles of dust pass through the openings of a screened window (Bhagavata Purana 10.14.11)
Because You are unlimited, neither the lords of heaven nor even You Yourself can ever reach the
end of Your glories. The countless universes, each enveloped in its shell, are compelled by the
wheel of time to wander within You, like particles of dust blowing about in the sky. The śrutis,
following their method of eliminating everything separate from the Supreme, become successful
by revealing You as their final conclusion (Bhagavata Purana 10.87.41)
The layers or elements covering the universes are each ten times thicker than the one before,
and all the universes clustered together appear like atoms in a huge combination (Bhagavata
Purana 3.11.41)
Yoga Vashishtha, the text which states conversations between Vashistha, a rig vedic teacher, and
various Gods and Kakbhusundi, a creature which stands outside of normal time and sees all. It
recounts the cyclical nature of time, where Kakabhushundi has seen Ramayan 11 times with
different outcomes and seen Mahabharat 16 times with different results, but, after seeing Daksha
Yagya twice, he did not either care to see it again or saw no point to seeing any more, as it ended
the same way each time. Further conversations talk about the atoms or anu at quantum level and
inside each quantum level are different universes. A sorrowful queen is shown that her husband
is still alive in one of the quantum or atomic universes and ruling wisely and is given the option
to join him there. The idea of Heisenberg's Principle is enunciated when a rishi visits and
illustrates a decision tree by showing how several parallel universes, with all possible results of a
decision, could occur and uses that illustration to explain why he took the decision he did in this
universe.
Reception[edit]
Science writers Carl Sagan and Fritjof Capra have pointed out similarities between the latest
scientific understanding of the age of the universe, and the Hindu concept of a "day and night of
Brahma", which is much closer to the current known age of the universe than other creation
views. The days and nights of Brahma posit a view of the universe that is divinely created, and is
not strictly evolutionary, but an ongoing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of the universe.
According to Sagan:
The Hindu dharma is the only one of the world's great faiths dedicated to the idea that the
Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the
only dharma in which time scales correspond to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles
run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long, longer
than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang.[14]
Hindu units of time
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vedic and Puranic texts describe units of Kala measurements, from Paramaṇu (about 17
microseconds) to Maha-Manvantara (311.04 trillion years). According to these texts, the creation
and destruction of the universe is a cyclic process, which repeats itself forever. Each cycle starts
with the birth and expansion (lifetime) of the universe equaling 311.04 trillion years, followed by
its complete annihilation (which also prevails for the same duration). The current Universe was
created in Padma kalpa, the last day Kalpa of 50th year of Brahma. This is 10.51 billion years
ago. This figure is close to the modern estimated age of the universe in ≈ 13.79 billion years.
Contents
[hide]
Hindu measurements in logarithmic scale (approx.).
Various units of time are used across the Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharata, Suryasidhanta etc.[citation
needed] Especially, Nimesha's multiple, it varies to 3, 10, 15, 18, 20, 27, 30, 45, 48, 60. At the lower
end, these are pretty consistent. The Complete Hindu metrics of time (Kāla Vyavahāra) can be
summarised as below.
Sidereal metrics[edit]
Unit Definition Equivalence (Approx.)
Truti
0.031 µs
Renu 60 Truti 1.86 µs
Lava लव 60 Renu 0.11 ms
Līkṣaka ल 60 Lava 6.696 ms
Lipta ल 60 Leekshaka 0.401 s
Vipala व ल
Pala ल
60 Lipta 24.1056 s Vighaṭi व
Vinādī व
Ghaṭi
60 Vighaṭi 24 min Nādī
Danda
Muhūrta 2 Ghaṭi 48 min
Nakṣatra Ahorātram (Sidereal Day) 60 Ghaṭī 24 h
30 Muhūrta 24 h
Alternate system
Unit Definition Equivalence (Approx.)
Truti
35.5 µs
Tatpara 100 Truti 3.55 ms
Nimesha 30 Tatpara 106.7 ms
Kāṣṭhā 30 Nimesha 3.2 s
Kalā 30 Kāṣṭhā 1.6 min
Muhūrta 30 Kalā 48 min
Nakṣatra Ahorātram (Sidereal Day) 30 Muhūrta 24 h
Small units of time used in the Vedas[edit]
Unit Definition Equivalence (Approx.)
Paramāṇu
26.3 µs
Aṇu 2 Paramāṇu 57.7 µs
Trasareṇu 3 Aṇu 158 µs
Truṭi 3 Trasareṇu 474 µs
Vedha 100 Truṭi 47.4 ms
Lava 3 Vedha 0.14 s
Nimeṣa 3 Lava 0.43 s
Kṣaṇa 3 Nimesha 1.28 s
Kāṣṭhā 5 Kṣaṇa 6.4 s
Laghu 15 Kāṣṭhā 1.6 min
Danda 15 Laghu 24 min
Muhūrta 2 Danda 48 min
Ahorātram (Day) 30 Muhūrta 24 h
Masa (Month) 30 Ahorātram 30 days
Ritu (Season) 2 Masa 2 months
Ayana 3 Rutu 6 months
Samvatsara (Year) 2 Ayana 360 days
Ahorātram of Deva
Lunar metrics[edit]
A Tithi or lunar day is defined as the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the moon and the Sun to increase by 12°.[1] Tithis begin at varying times of day and vary in duration from approximately 19 to approximately 26 hours.[citation needed]
A Paksa (also Pakṣa) or lunar fortnight consists of 15 tithis. A Māsa or lunar month (approximately 29.5 days) is divided into 2 Pakṣas: the one between new
moon and full moon (waxing) is called gaura (bright) or Śukla Pakṣa; the one between full moon and new moon (waning) Kṛṣṇa (dark) paksha
A Ṛtu (or season) is 2 Māsa[2] An Ayana is 3 Ṛtus A year is two Ayanas [1][3]
Tropical metrics[edit]
A Yāma = 1/4 of a day (light) or night [ = 7½ Ghatis ( ) = 3¾ Muhurtas = 3 Horas ( ) ] Four Yāmas make half of the day (either day or night) Eight Yāmas make an Ahorātra (day + night) An Ahorātra is a tropical day (Note: A day is considered to begin and end at sunrise, not
midnight.)
Name Definition Equivalence
Yama ¼ th of a day (light) or night 3 hours
Sāvana Ahorātram व 8 Yamas 1 Solar day
Reckoning of time among other entities[edit]
Among the Pitṛs (forefather)[edit]
1 human fortnight (15 days) = 1 day (light) or night of the Pitṛs. 1 human month (30 days) = 1 day (light) and night of the Pitṛs. 30 days of the Pitṛs = 1 month of the Pitṛs = (30 × 30 = 900 human days). 12 months of the Pitṛs = 1 year of the Pitṛs = (12 months of Pitṛs × 900 human days = 10800
human days). The lifespan of the Pitṛs is 100 years of the Pitṛs (= 36,000 Pitṛ days = 1,080,000 human days =
3000 human years)[citation needed]
1 day of the Devas = 1 human year 1 month of the Devas = 30 days of the Devas 1 year of the Devas (1 divine year) = 12 months of the Devas
Among the Devas[edit]
The life span of any Hindu deva spans nearly (or more than) 4.5 million years. Statistically, we
can also look it as:
12000 Deva Years = Life Span of Devas = 1 Mahā-Yuga.
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa Time measurement section of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa Book I Chapter III explains
the above as follows:
2 Ayanas (6-month periods, see above) = 1 human year or 1 day of the devas 4,000 + 400 + 400 = 4,800 divine years (= 1,728,000 human years) = 1 Satya Yuga 3,000 + 300 + 300 = 3,600 divine years (= 1,296,000 human years) = 1 Tretā Yuga 2,000 + 200 + 200 = 2,400 divine years (= 864,000 human years) = 1 Dvāpara Yuga 1,000 + 100 + 100 = 1,200 divine years (= 432,000 human years) = 1 Kali Yuga 12,000 divine year = 4 Yugas (= 4,320,000 human years) = 1 Mahā-Yuga (also is equaled to 12000
Daiva (divine) Yuga) [2*12,000 = 24,000 divine year = 12000 revolutions of sun around its dual]
For Brahma[edit]
1000 Mahā-Yugas = 1 Kalpa = 1 day (day only) of Brahma
(2 Kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion human years)
30 days of Brahma = 1 month of Brahma (259.2 billion human years) 12 months of Brahma = 1 year of Brahma (3.1104 trillion human years) 50 years of Brahma = 1 Parārdha 2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma = 1 Para = 1 Mahā-Kalpa (the lifespan of Brahma)(311.04
trillion human years)
One day of Brahma is divided into 10,000 parts called charaṇas. The charaṇas are divided as
follows:
The Four Yugas
4 charaṇas (1,728,000 solar years) Satya Yuga
3 charaṇas (1,296,000 solar years) Treta Yuga
2 charaṇas (864,000 solar years) Dvapara Yuga
1 charaṇas (432,000 solar years) Kali Yuga
Source: [2]
The cycle repeats itself, so altogether there are 1,000 cycles of Mahā-Yuga in one day of
Brahma.
One cycle of the above four Yugas is one Mahā-Yuga (4.32 million solar years) as is confirmed by the Gītā Śloka 8.17 (statement) "sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad
brahmaṇo viduḥ rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ te 'ho-rātra-vido janāḥ", meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 Mahā-Yuga. Thus a day of Brahma, Kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years. Two Kalpas constitute a day and night (Adhi Sandhi) of Brahma.
A Manvantara consists of 71 Mahā-Yuga (306,720,000 solar years). Each Manvantara is ruled by a Manu.
After each Manvantara follows one Saṃdhi Kāla of the same duration as a Kṛta Yuga (1,728,000 = 4 Charaṇas). (It is said that during a Saṃdhi Kāla, the entire earth is submerged in water.)
A Kalpa consists of a period of 4.32 Billion solar years followed by 14 Manvataras and Saṃdhi Kalas.
A day of Brahma equals
(14 times 71 Mahā-Yuga) + (15 × 4 Charaṇas)
= 994 Mahā-Yuga + (15 * 4800)
= 994 Mahā-Yuga + (72,000 years)[deva years] / 6 = 12,000[deva years] viz. one maha yuga.
= 994 Mahā-Yuga + 6 Mahā-Yuga
= 1,000 Mahā-Yuga
The Surya Siddhanta definition of timescales[edit]
The Surya Siddhanta [Chapter 14 Mānādhyāyah ( )], documents a comprehensive
model of nine divisions of time called māna ( ) which span from very small time units (Prāņa
[ ] - 4 seconds) to very large time scales (Para [प ] - 311.04 Trillion solar years).[citation needed]
The current date[edit]
Currently, 50 years of Brahma have elapsed. The last Kalpa at the end of 50th year is called
Padma Kalpa. The current universe was created in the beginning of Padma Kalpa, ie 10.51
billion years ago. This is the first 'day' of the 51st year.[4] This Brahma's day, Kalpa, is named as
ShvetaVaraha Kalpa. Within this Day, six Manvantaras have already elapsed[5] and this is the
seventh Manvantara, named as – Vaivasvatha Manvantara (or Sraddhadeva Manvantara). Within
the Vaivasvatha Manvantara, 27 Mahayugas[5] (4 Yugas together is a Mahayuga), and the Krita,[6]
Treta and Dwapara Yugas of the 28th Mahayuga have elapsed. This Kaliyuga is in the 28th
Mahayuga. This Kaliyuga began in the year 3102 BCE in the proleptic Julian Calendar.[7] Since
50 years of Brahma have already elapsed, this is the second Parardha, also called as Dvithiya
Parardha.
The time elapsed since the current Brahma has taken over the task of creation can be calculated
as
432000 × 10 × 1000 × 2 = 8.64 billion years (2 Kalpa (day and night) ) [citation needed] 8.64 × 109 × 30 × 12 = 3.1104 Trillion Years (1 year of Brahma)
3.1104 × 1012 × 50 = 155.52 Trillion Years (50 years of Brahma)
(6 × 71 × 4320000 ) + 7 × 1.728 × 10^6 = 1852416000 years elapsed in first six Manvataras, and
Sandhi Kalas in the current Kalpa
27 × 4320000 = 116640000 years elapsed in first 27 Mahayugas of the current Manvantara
1.728 × 10^6 + 1.296 × 10^6 + 864000 = 3888000 years elapsed in current Mahayuga
3102 + 2015 = 5117 years elapsed in current Kaliyuga.
So the total time elapsed since current Brahma is
155520000000000 + 1852416000 + 116640000 + 3888000 + 5115 = 155,521,972,949,117 years
< as of 2015 AD >
The current Kali Yuga began at midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BCE in the
proleptic Julian calendar.[8] As per the information above about Yuga periods, only 5,117 years
are passed out of 432,000 years of current Kali Yuga, and hence another 426,883 years are left to
complete this 28th Kali Yuga of Vaivaswatha Manvantara.
Loka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vishvarupa of Vishnu as the Cosmic Man with the three realms: heaven - Satya to Bhuvar loka
(head to belly), earth - Bhu loka (groin), underworld - Atala to Patala loka (legs).
Loka is a Sanskrit word for "world". In Hindu mythology it takes a specific meaning related to
cosmology.
Contents
[hide]
1 Jainism
2 Hindu tradition
3 Buddhism
4 Theosophy
5 Abrahamic religions
6 See also
7 References
Jainism[edit]
Main article: Jain Cosmology
Universe structure as told by Kevalins
In Jain texts, universe is referred to as Loka. Jain Cosmology postulates an eternal and ever-
existing loka which works on universal natural laws, there being no creator & destroyer deity.[1]
According to the Jain cosmology, the universe is divided into 3 parts:
# Three Lokas of Jain Cosmology
01 Urdhva Loka - the realms of the gods or heavens
02 Madhya Loka – the realms of the humans, animals and plants
03 Adho Loka – the realms of the hellish beings or the infernal regions
[2]
Hindu tradition[edit]
Main articles: Urthva lokas and Patala
Large scale structure of the Brahmanda (material sphere-like Universe) according to Hindu
cosmology. Universe contains 7 upper and 7 lower planetary systems. Some scholars are sure
that Seven Heavens and Seven Earthes of Torah/Bible/Quran refer to these same 14 planetary
systems.
Map 2: Intermediate neighbourhood of the Earth according to one Hindu cosmology.
Map 3: Local neighbourhood of the Earth according to one Hindu cosmology.
In the Puranas, and already in the Atharvaveda, there are fourteen worlds, seven higher ones
(vyahrtis) and seven lower ones (patalas), viz. bhu, bhuvas, svar, mahas, janas, tapas, and satya
above and atala, vitala, sutala, rasaataala, talatala, mahaatala, patala and naraka below.
The scholar Deborah Soifer describes the development of the concept of lokas as follows:
The concept of a loka or lokas develops in the Vedic literature. Influenced by the special
connotations that a word for space might have for a nomadic people, loka in the Veda did not
simply mean place or world, but had a positive valuation: it was a place or position of religious
or psychological interest with a special value of function of its own.
Hence, inherent in the 'loka' concept in the earliest literature was a double aspect; that is,
coexistent with spatiality was a religious or soteriological meaning, which could exist
independent of a spatial notion, an 'immaterial' significance.
The most common cosmological conception of lokas in the Veda was that of the trailokya or
triple world: three worlds consisting of earth, atmosphere or sky, and heaven, making up the
universe."[3]
# Planetary system name
01 Satya-loka
02 Tapa-loka
03 Jana-loka
04 Mahar-loka
05 Svar-loka
06 Bhuvar-loka
07 Bhu-loka
08 Atala-loka
09 Vitala-loka
10 Sutala-loka
11 Talatala-loka
12 Mahatala-loka
13 Rasatala-loka
14 Patala-loka
Buddhism[edit]
Main article: Six Lokas
Six Lokas refers to a Bönpo and Nyingmapa spiritual practice or discipline that works with
chakras and the six dimensions or classes of beings in the Bhavachakra. And in Buddhist
Cosmology Kama-Loka, Rupa-Loka, Arupa-Loka has interpreted.[4]
Theosophy[edit]
The concept of Lokas was adopted by Theosophy, and can be found in the writings of Blavatsky
and G. de Purucker. There is also reference to kamaloka (world of desires) as a sort of astral
plane or temporary after-life state, according to the teachings of Blavatsky, Leadbeater, and
Steiner.
Abrahamic religions[edit]
The Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) refer to "seven heavens" and "seven
earths", a concept that may be akin to the 14 planetary systems (lokas) of the Vedas.