Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Some thoughts on loka-s

  1. #1
    Join Date
    September 2006
    Age
    71
    Posts
    7,705
    Rep Power
    223

    Some thoughts on loka-s

    hari o
    ~~~~~~

    namasté

    Loka's are considered a region, space, or any division of it. This word also means that which can be seen, as in cákṣur-loka. We will see it also written lokān meaning to live, breathe move (an) within the loka ( region or space).

    Three lokas and/or 7 loka-s are usually called out; there will be those reading this that say there are 14 loka-s and I am fine with this number.
    Within kaśmir śaivism we are told there are 118 bhuvanādhva ( path of all the worlds). This is bhuvanādhva is a component of a 3 part division. I am comfortable with the 2nd and 3rd divisions called tattvādhva and kalādhva , yet I do not comprehend the 118 levels of bhuvanādhva, nor even know their names. To this, I continue my search to understand this 118 level bhuvanādhva .

    That said, I thought to offer some notions on the 3 loka-s, considered earth, heaven and the space in between. What is interesting ( to me) is some of the names these areas are known by.
    • Earth is bhū-loka and also known as mara.
    • The space between heaven and earth ( some say between earth and the sun) is known as bhuvar-loka yet is also called antarikṣa.
    • svar-loka , heaven, above the sun or between it and the polar star is generally called dyau ( or dyu ).
    Earth
    The earth is also called pṛthivī defined as wide world 'the broad and extended One'. In this use it is capturing all of creation, as creation is of the tattva of matter. It is called the daughter of pṛthu defined as broad , wide , expansive , extensive. It is associated with pṛtha a measure of length, as within the material levels things can be measured out.

    If we look at this word pṛthivī and consider the pṛ andcomponent of the word it is very foretelling.
    • pṛ is to excel, to surpass
    • is defined as the act of going , motion ; to go apart or in different directions , diverge , be diffused or scattered or distributed or divided or extended.
    Within pṛthivī it is suggested it is ever in motion, excelling, in different directions. We know this from physics, it tells us this whole creation is ever in motion, expanding; that at the sub-atomic levels every thing is a vibration, in motion.

    Hence with pṛthivī we find the following wisdom¹ to be applicable:
    na hi kaṣcit svasmin ātmani muhūrtam avatiṣṭhate , or there is nothing that exists in its own form even for a moment (muhūrta or a moment , instant).

    But what of this middle term pṛ+thi
    +vī ? It is my conjecture that 'thi' and 'tha' are related. This 'tha' means preservation, also 'eating' . It is from pṛthivī that one finds preservation via eating, as all of creation offers the human anna or food. Yet one could stretch this idea a bit more and suggest 'thi' - > 'tha' - > 'ṭa'. This 'ṭa' fits nicely in the theme and is defined ( feminine gender) as earth.

    Yet this is also revealing in another way. The 3rd derivation of is 'perish , disappear' Which brings us to another name for earth. Earth is also known as mara. It is called out as such in the aitareya upaniṣad. Mara is rooted (√) in mṛ dying , death ; mara is considered the world of death. It aligns with our perception that all here come and go, death is a integral part of this earth.

    Even if one is a perfect vegetarian it is from the death of plants that one sustains his/her life. We die every moment - we are being ~ used up~ though our metabolism. If this frame is not refreshed with food , we wither away and the frame goes back to its elements.

    We will take a look at the mid-region antarikṣa in the next post.

    praṇām

    1. We find this wisdom in the tattva kaumudī by vāchaspati miśra-ji in his work addressing the sāṁkhya kārikā-s.

    Last edited by yajvan; 12 October 2011 at 07:51 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  2. #2
    Join Date
    September 2006
    Age
    71
    Posts
    7,705
    Rep Power
    223

    Re: Some thoughts on loka-s

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    namasté

    We will take a look at the mid-region antarikṣa
    This mid-region word is called antarikṣa. The word can be viewed as anta + rikṣa -or- as antar + ikṣa

    anta + rikṣa
    rikṣa is the seven stars , the Pleiades , the seven ṛṣi-s
    anta - is the end , limit , boundary
    With anta + rikṣa we are saying it is the boundry of space, where the stars and ṛṣi-s reside.

    antar + ikṣa
    antar - within , between , amongst , in the middle.
    īkṣa - is seeing, looking, also visiting
    In this applicaiton , it is what is seen in the middle; We see the stars.

    Hence antarikṣa is this mid-region where we see the stars, the seven ṛṣi-s, the Pleiades cluster in the sky. It is their home, their abode.

    praṇām
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    London
    Posts
    102
    Rep Power
    0

    Post Re: Some thoughts on loka-s

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    namast


    This mid-region word is called antarikṣa. The word can be viewed as anta + rikṣa -or- as antar + ikṣa

    anta + rikṣa
    rikṣa is the seven stars , the Pleiades , the seven ṛṣi-s
    anta - is the end , limit , boundary
    With anta + rikṣa we are saying it is the boundry of space, where the stars and ṛṣi-s reside.

    antar + ikṣa
    antar - within , between , amongst , in the middle.
    īkṣa - is seeing, looking, also visiting
    In this applicaiton , it is what is seen in the middle; We see the stars.

    Hence antarikṣa is this mid-region where we see the stars, the seven ṛṣi-s, the Pleiades cluster in the sky. It is their home, their abode.

    praṇām
    There are many planets beyond our comprehension- only Sri Hari and Mahavishnu know them as they are bigger than the uncountable number of planets that they eminate.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Aham Brahmasmi - 4 - The Way to the Absolute
    By devotee in forum Advaita
    Replies: 61
    Last Post: 02 March 2012, 11:35 PM
  2. Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01 November 2011, 07:07 AM
  3. Dealing with Negative Thoughts
    By Kismet in forum Abrahamic Religions (Closed For Posting)
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 25 August 2011, 09:18 PM
  4. Thought on thoughts
    By goodlife in forum On Dharma
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 09 October 2009, 10:01 AM
  5. Loka's and coming back to Bhu
    By yajvan in forum Philosophy
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 06 July 2007, 11:49 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •