What is beyond Lokāloka?
If we follow the plane of Bhū-mandala, we reach Aloka-varṣa after crossing the Lokāloka mountains, followed by the universal coverings. In the vertical dimension, however, the sequence is different.
« Making Sense of the Vedic Universe, a Higher-Dimensional Reality
What is beyond Lokāloka?
If we follow the plane of Bhū-mandala, we reach Aloka-varṣa after crossing the Lokāloka mountains, followed by the universal coverings. In the vertical dimension, however, the sequence is different.
Lokāloka is described in the text as loka-traya-ante: situated at the end of Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka and Svargaloka. That’s the physical realm that includes the lower, intermediate, and celestial planetary systems, extending up to Dhruvaloka, the polestar. From this description, Svargaloka may be tentatively correlated with what, in modern cosmology, appears as our local stellar neighborhood, the stars visible to the naked eye.
Beyond that, higher in the subtle vertical dimension, are the very subtle planetary systems of Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka that are the abode of great sages. These abodes extend much beyond Dhruvaloka and are exponentially larger than Svargaloka and the rest. It appears that they form the rest of the observable universe, encompassing the rest of our galaxy and beyond.
We can see that in the horizontal plane of Bhū-mandala, we reach the coverings of the universe after Aloka-varṣa, while in the subtle vertical dimension, the coverings are reached after Satyaloka. These three higher planetary systems of Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka are similar to Aloka-varṣa in a sense: they are not physical abodes like in Svargaloka and below. Although still part of the material universe, these are astral abodes, where the inhabitants dedicate themselves to advanced spiritual cultivation. After living there for trillions of years, they are normally promoted to the spiritual world.
Beyond the coverings and the Causal Ocean, in which millions of material universes float, there is the unlimited impersonal Brahmajyoti, and beyond that, the spiritual planets. The whole creation is thus many orders of magnitude larger than believed in modern cosmology, spreading much beyond the barriers of space and time.
The next point is that texts 5.20.39-42 describe that Lokāloka is supported on four sides by four great elephants. However, just as Lokāloka is not an ordinary mountain, these are not ordinary elephants, nor do they serve merely as ordinary weights on the sides of the structure.
Just as Brahmā creates the demigods as predominating deities of the different forces that govern the cosmos, he also creates these four elephant-deities to embody the forces that maintain the whole universal structure. The names of these divine elephants give us some clues about these potencies. Ṛṣabha means “the foremost” or chief, giving the idea of strength and power. Puṣkaracūḍa means “lotus-crested” which indicates purity. Vāmana means “small” or “short”, giving the idea of fine control, or restraint, while Aparājita means “unconquered” or “invincible” indicating control that can’t be challenged or overthrown.
We can see that after describing these four gaja-patis, the text describes the Supreme Lord, indicating that He is the real maintainer and overseer. He manifests in His spiritual form above the whole structure of the universe, surrounded by His personal expansions, assistants, opulences, mystic potencies, etc. This again indicates that He is the power behind all material creation, and that everything works under His control. These four gaja-patis are thus just manifestations of His power, just like the demigods and other powerful beings who maintain the universe.
“The sun is situated [vertically] in the middle of the universe, in the area between Bhūrloka and Bhuvarloka, which is called antarikṣa, outer space. The distance between the sun and the circumference of the universe is twenty-five koṭi yojanas [two billion miles].
The sun-god is also known as Vairāja, the total material body for all living entities. Because he entered this dull egg of the universe at the time of creation, he is also called Mārtaṇḍa. He is also known as Hiraṇyagarbha because he received his material body from Hiraṇyagarbha [Lord Brahmā].
O King, the sun-god and the sun planet divide all the directions of the universe. It is only because of the presence of the sun that we can understand what the sky, the higher planets, this world and the lower planets are. It is also only because of the sun that we can understand which places are for material enjoyment, which are for liberation, which are hellish and subterranean.
All living entities, including demigods, human beings, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, creepers and trees, depend upon the heat and light given by the sun-god from the sun planet. Furthermore, it is because of the sun’s presence that all living entities can see, and therefore he is called dṛg-īśvara, the Personality of Godhead presiding over sight.” (SB 5.20.43-46)
The next two chapters will describe in more detail the orbit of the sun. The sun is situated slightly over Bhū-mandala, close to the vertical middle of the universe.
According to the description, the sun travels in the middle of the space between Mount Sumeru and Mānasottara Mountain, over the ocean of yogurt. However, because the breadth of the islands increases exponentially, this is actually very close to the horizontal center of the universe.
The universe is called a “dull egg” because it is composed of material elements that are originally inert. It starts working only when the Supreme Lord enters into it through His potencies, accompanied by all the souls who desire to participate in the material creation.
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« Making Sense of the Vedic Universe, a Higher-Dimensional Reality
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