The rishis called our universe Brahmanda and had explained its structure both in its astronomical and spiritual aspects, long before modern science. Brahmanda is a vast egg-shaped space with multi-dimensional biospheres with distances of trillions of light-years. The sun and its planets including our earth rotate in this space.
Brahmanda has a north pole (Dhruva Nakshatra) as well as a south pole that determines the time and space of Brahmanda in a vast emptiness. Dhruva Nakshatra might have a much deeper mystical meaning related to the creation of Brahmanda. We will not go into that now. Apart from the Dhruva Nakshatra, there is also the Saptarshi mandala(the great bear) consisting of seven celestial orbs on the outer periphery of Brahmanda. A line visualized as the path connecting the north and south pole through the center is considered the axis of Brahmanda.
There are 27 nakshatras or the Milkyway galactical constellations arranged like a girdle at the outermost ring of the Brahmanda. These nakshatras are grouped into 12 Rashi mandalas or constellations. All these nakshatras or Rashi mandalas emit unique radiances. They exert their corresponding influences upon the souls in the Brahmanda defining their structure, qualities, and character.
Like the earth spins around the sun, the sun has a similar movement around a Rashi mandala. The movement of the earth around the sun produces micro-time such as day and night, seasons and years, and along with it, the evolution of life too. The movement of the sun around a Rashi mandala produces macro time such as Yuga, Chaturyuga, and Manvantara that measures the process of creation and dissolution internal to the Brahmanda.
There are fourteen biospheres or lokas for the souls to reside, seven up and seven down in the space between the north pole and south pole of the Brahmanda. The seven worlds below are called Patala Loka, the nether worlds.
Our Loka is Bhuloka that forms part of the solar system. It is situated at the center of the axis of Brahmanda. Above the Bhuloka is Bhuvarloka (antariksha). Above this space is Swarga Loka. Above Swarga Loka are still more finer lokas called Maharloka, Janaloka, tapoloka and then Satyaloka, (the seat of Brahman or God). These lokas are also referred as Trimurti mandalam, Rishi mandalam, Iswara mandalam, Brahma mandalam or Parabrahma mandalam by other sages.
Brahmanda is the dwelling place of trillions of souls of different nature. Each loka is inhabited by various types of souls with different frequencies of consciousness and happiness or bliss. For example, in the Gandharva loka ( a sub-world in the Bhuvarloka), happiness (ananda) is hundred times than the manushyananda. Similarly, in the Pitruloka, Devaloka, or Swargaloka, the ananda is many hundred times more than that of manushyananda. The ananda in lokas above Swarga such as Maharloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka are in many many thousandfolds. The souls aspire to evolve through these lokas and to merge with Satya loka, the penultimate resting place of all souls. The souls go up and down in these lokas, taking several bodies according to their karma.
Brahmanda is a finite world, meaning it has a beginning and an end. The age of a Brahmanda is measured in terms of Manvantaras. 71 chaturyugas constitute a Manvantara. A Chaturyuga means a cluster of four yugas, namely Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali (43,20,000 years). A Manvantara is equal to 71x43,20,000 years = 30,67,20,000 years. At the end of 14 such manvantaras (or a Kalpa) the Brahmanda gets dissolved, only to be reproduced in the next Kalpa. The present Brahmanda is seven Manvantaras old, i.e. approximately 15 billion years. There are seven more Manvantaras to go before its dissolution. Modern science says our galaxy has come into existence about 14 billion years ago. This comes very near to the 15 billion years of the manvantara time scale.
A soul can access the higher lokas only through a mahatma who has got evolved to that loka through long Tapasya. Various soul groups like Pitrus, Yakshas, Kinnaras, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Devas, etc. occupy the space between Bhuvar Loka and Swargaloka in the Brahmanda. The Loka above Swarga is. Mahar Loka, which is the seventh in the hierarchy of Lokas. Only one out of billions of souls may reach Mahar Loka and the Lokas above it because of the resistance from Yogabhrashtas.
Who are the Yogabhrashtas? Yogabhrashtas are those jealous and fallen souls who have got slipped in the path of spirituality. Even some angelic beings also are included in this. Satan, Jinn, etc. are the other names for Yogabhrashtas. They block the path of other aspirants who want to ascend to higher Lokas. Even great Mahatmas that we know of remain in between the border of six and seven, i.e between the Swarga and Mahar Loka.
Sri Krishna was the only soul in the distant past who could reach up to Tapo Loka or the abode of Ishwara, transcending the seventh and eighth heaven or gyana Bhumika. In recent history, Prophet Muhammad was shown the Mahar loka (the seventh heaven) by an angel. But he could not actualize it further. A group of ferocious spirits (Jinns) corrupted his ideology in the subsequent time. The reason why Sri Krishna does not advise the worship of devas is to be found here. He stopped the worship of Indra. He humbled the pride of Brahma. He chided the Vaidikas whose main aspiration was to achieve the pleasures of Swarga.
In the present age, Sri Karunakara Guru is known to have transcended the eighth and ninth gyana bhumikas through the help of Sri Krishna. On the day of Guru's spiritual ascendence, a revelation came from the Light: "What I wished for ages has been fulfilled now". Sri Krishna, appearing in vision, advised the followers to pray to Guru only from now on. A new Guru Mantra or Akhanta Nama was also revealed from the Light. The devotees can ascend to Parabrahma Mandala, the highest Loka, through the chanting of Guru Mantra.
Mukundan P.R.
