Lokas, the Planets of Advanced Aliens All Creations of God stretch Infinitely, All Times, Past, Present and Future, Worlds imagined and unimagined.. Everything that Can be, Everything that Cannot be, All exist somewhere.. Beyond this world are myriad worlds, And beyond all worlds, Is the One that is Eternal.. The Hindu New Year has just started and Chaitra Navratri gets over today. Calculations tell us that we are in the 5114th Year of the Era of Kaliyuga, a thought that was enough to get me started on an exploration of the scriptures once again. Hindu scriptures have always used mind-boggling numbers for the Age of the Universe and the Gods inhabiting it. For example, Brahma, the Creator-God, has an impressive life span that runs into trillions of Solar Years! The 'Chemical locha' in my brain makes me look for a scienctific sub-text in every religious text that I read. How can it be, that the demi-gods and their Superior gods have such long time-spans that make them seem almost IMMORTAL to us?? For some time now, I have been nursing this notion- COULD the multi-limbed gods and goddesses with super-human abilities, space-crafts and atomic-weaponry, be actually super-advanced ALIENS with a keen interest in our world?? Gods as Alien Benefactors of Human-kind I don't intend this statement to be blasphemous, as I myself am as much a Man of FAITH as of SCIENCE and completely believe in the Divinity of Supreme Lord and the Holy Trinity. What I propose here is a new understanding of the DEMI-GODS as denizens of the same Universe living on different planets called LOKAS. They have access to highly advanced Science (that we percieve as supernatural abilities) and a much better grasp of the Supreme Lord's Cosmic Plan! Of course, they are Spiritually more advanced too and perform their individual roles in running the Universe impeccably viz. Indra-the Lord of Rain, Varun-the Lord of Oceans and Yamaraj-the Lord of Death. Could the Scientific advancement of these beings have resulted in their extended life-spans as well?? To us, the World seems to be ending, but our Brahma has JUST hit Middle-age, and is currently near the Noon of the 1st Day of the 51st year of his life! By my calculation, Lord Brahma's current age of 50 Deva Years (~155 Trillion Human Years) + Half a Day (~1.85 Billion Years) amounts to the massive figure of 155.521852 Trillion Solar Years which would also be the Age of OUR Universe approximately!! Brahma, the 150 Trillion Year old God! It is noteworthy that unlike any other belief system in the World, Hindu Cosmology talks about Time frames that are even FURTHER in the mists of time than the approximations arrived at by current Science (Age of Universe - 14 Billion years). Whether we consider them advanced aliens or demi-gods, these beings would be FAR FAR Superior to us in Scientific as well as Spiritual pursuits and we should keep that in our mind while reading about their super-human feats in the ancient chronicles. Respecting the authority of these same sources, in this post, let us embark on a journey of Scriptural Space-Exploration. Do Aliens Exist? Our planet is the only KNOWN planet which has given birth to Life; however, it does not follow that it is the ONLY one capable of supporting Life! There are Billions and Billions of Stars in each Galaxy; Billions of Galaxies in each Universe, and as we learnt in the 2nd post (Black Holes and Bhagavatam), Billions of Universes in the Material Creation!! It is more likely than not, that Life in its myriad forms exists in not just one but many other planets as yet undiscovered by the human race. Billions of stars in our Galaxy Milky Way Trillions of Galaxies in the Universe Zillions of Universes emerging from Shri Maha-Vishnu Scientifically, it is still undetermined whether the universe exists by itself or is just one of the countless trillions within a larger Multiverse, itself contained within the Omniverse that is the Material World. Even if we forget the Multi-verse and Parallel Universes we encountered in a previous post, there are still enough planets within our OWN Universe, which could be inhabited by alien species. Here, I would quote my favorite author, Arthur C. Clarke to put a very valid point across- Almost certainly there is enough land in the sky to give every member of the human species, his own private world! But how many of those potentially habitable worlds are ALREADY inhabited, we have no way of knowing! Yet, as he quite eloquently states, the barriers of distance are crumbling; one day SOON we may meet our Equals, or our Masters, among the stars. Advanced Aliens from a Hollywood flick Sadly, Human race today, is like the proverbial Frog-in-the-well. We have been cocooned by our Atmosphere and sheltered from the harsh realities of Universe for so long, that we just can't remember how things are outside of it. But there are entire Solar Systems, Galaxies and even Universes that are inaccessible to us right now and it would be good to remember the plausability of Life existing somewhere out there. Different Worlds in Our Universe Let us begin our journey with a brief insight into our current place in the Universe by means of this animation: Zoom out from Earth to the Universe It would be immediately clear from this video that we are an extremely tiny and insignificant part of this gigantic Universe and there are billions and zillions of worlds out there about which we have absolutely no clue even today. Fortunately for us, the Ancients were NOT as short-sighted or limited by Scientific Theories as we are today, and have described planets, galaxies and even multiple Universes in this Material Realm which would act like what Science calls an Omniverse. The Puraans give THREE different divisions of our Universe and label them as the: Urdhva-loka (Highest abodes), Madhya or Bhu-loka (Middle ones), and Adho-loka (the Lower realms). Various scriptures talk about these different realms within Material Creation. In the Great War of Mahabharat, when Arjuna faltered in his duty, Lord Krishna gave him the Divine discourse of Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta, and let him have a glimpse of His Supreme Virat-Roop. In this Universal Form of the Lord, Arjun could see the entire cosmos. Eternity manifests itself in endless ways on endless planes of existence and from head to toe, Arjuna saw the body of Lord Krishna encompassing 14 different planetary dimensions!! Virat Roop of Lord Vishnu Let us try to understand what the fourteen planetary systems or Lokas refer to and what is their geographical and spatial arrangement. Lokas in Our Universe Each Universe is shaped like an egg (Brahmand) and within it exist the three levels of Lokas. There are 14 planetary systems comprising the three Lokas and below them exist the 28 different Hells. Brahmand and its Lokas The Hari-vamsha says that Higher planetary systems are the realms of Devas, Angels, Spirits and Manes; Middle Planets (Bhu-Loka) the abode of mortal beings like Humans and animals; and the Lower planets are populated by the Demons and Nagas. Since the names in the Image above may not be very clear, I am jotting down the 14 systems here: Higher Lokas - Lower Lokas Satyaloka 1 Atal Tapoloka 2 Vital Janloka 3 Sutal Maharloka 4 Rasatal Swargaloka 5 Talatal Bhuvarloka 6 Mahatal Bhuloka 7 Patal All these planets are within the material world and under the control of Devi Durga, therefore the Material Creation is also known as Devi-dham. Development of higher consciousness, starts with human beings, and further increases among the denizens of higher planetary systems. Our Earth is situated close to the middle of these planetary systems and represents the Mortal Realms known as the Bhu Mandala. Jain Scriptures also describe a similar form known as the Lok-purush or the Cosmic Man. The torso and head of the Cosmic Man contain a series of heavenly realms where the inhabitants experience lives of pleasure. The legs represent a series of seven hells, which offer an endless variety of torments. Lokas in Jain cosmology For us, the most important part of the universe, is the disk at the Loka-purush's waist, representing the MIDDLE-WORLD, where humans live and great teachers can be born. In this post, I shall take you through the 14 planetary systems starting with the Top planets first and gradually progressing to the Lower ones. URDHVA-LOKA or The Higher Planets The Higher Planets are abodes of super-intelligent, super-human, semi-divine and spiritually advanced beings. Loosely they may be understood as the Heavenly planets compared to the Middle Realm of Earth-like planets and the lower Hellish realms. Comparative arrangement of Lokas This group contains SIX planetary systems shown in the image above as the top six Lokas. The lowest of these, the Bhuvar-Loka, lies immediately above the Earthly Realm or Bhu-Loka. SATYA-LOKA The HIGHEST planet in the Material Realm is the abode of Lord Brahma, the progenitor of this universe. Along with him are present, his consort Saraswati and other spiritual entities who, after eons of spiritual penance have been able to transcend the bonds of Material world and reach this plane by traversing through the Milky Way. Satya-Loka or Brahma-Loka At the time of final dissolution of the material planets the residents here transform their subtle bodies into spiritual bodies and enter the eternal Vaikuntha planets which begin 26,200,000 yojanas ABOVE the Satyaloka. TAPO-LOKA This is the abode of the four Kumars named Sanat, Sanak, Sanandan, and Sanatan and is located 120,000,000 yojanas below the Satya-Loka. They are the first incarnations of Lord Vishnu and represent the Gyan-shakti (power of knowledge) of the Lord. They are collectively referred to as the Kumars because they are immortal and live for the entire duration of universal time, yet retain their appearance of 5 year old kids! The 4 Kumars preaching Supreme Knowledge Because of their pure nature, they have easy access to the Brahma-Loka as well as the Spiritual Realm and regularly visit Lord Vishnu in the Vaikuntha. JANA-LOKA & MAHAR-LOKA The next Loka lies 80,000,000 yojanas below the Tapaloka and is the abode of great rishis. 20,000,000 yojanas below Janaloka is the Maharloka which is another abode of great saints and sages. These Lokas are populated by mystics who can move between any planets within the material universe at speeds unthinkable to modern Science and the greatest of sages, such as Bhrigu Muni, live in this place. The inhabitants have a life span of one whole day of Brahma (4.32 Billion years)! Sages of Jana-Loka and Mahar-loka worshipping the Lord When the fire of devastation reaches this planet the residents transport themselves to Satyaloka where they live further before the highest of planets is also destroyed. They then transform their subtle bodies to spiritual and enter the spiritual realms. Here, by means of his Karma, a soul can either go higher, up to Satyaloka and become Brahma's associate, or down, to the level of the Devas or demigods.
SWARGA-LOKA The abode of the 33 Vedic gods also known as the Trayastriṃśa in Buddhist cosmology is located on the peak of Mount Meru, the central mountain of the world, at a height of 80,000 yojans. This Loka corresponds to the concept of Heaven as described in the Western sense of the term. Here the King of the Gods, Indra rules with his brothers and companions. His entourage comprises of Angels, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Maruts, Vasus and other divine beings. The Heavenly Realm This is one of the most opulent planetary system with unimaginable riches, wish-fulfilling trees, supersonic space-crafts, ability to travel in different dimensions, long life-spans, and freedom from disease and disability. The duty of these Demi-gods is to manage the affairs of the universe, protecting its inhabitants against the demons. The capital city of this world is Amravati - Abode of the Immortals. Indra and his fellow-residents obtain all the pleasures of life because of the wish-fulfilling cow Kamdhenu. This divine cow, the three-headed White Elephant Airavat as well as the Flying Horse Uchhaihshrava (~Greek Pegasus) were the riches Indra obtained after the Churning of the Cosmic Ocean. Indra riding the winged-horse Ucchaihshrava However, the 33 gods do not have a completely worry-free life here. In particular, they find themselves frequently challenged by the Asuras who dwell at the foot of Sumeru, plotting for ways to overthrow the Devas and take over their kingdom. Devas getting ready for a battle with Asuras Image courtesy Grant Morrison's 18 Days {Art by Mukesh Singh} Scriptural references make it equivalent to the Biblical Heaven or Islamic Jannat where the good souls go after death to reap the benefits of their good Karma. If they become advanced in devotional service, they can advance to one of the higher Munilokas but if they become attached to material enjoyment, they will degrade into a lower position of a semi-divine being of even a Human again.
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