Sumeru, the 14 lokas and Mahameru
In the Puranas, and already in the Atharvaveda, there are fourteen worlds, seven higher ones (Vyahrtis) and seven lower ones (Pātālas), viz. bhu, bhuvas, svar, mahas, janas, tapas, and satya above and atala, vitala, sutala, rasaataala, talatala, mahaatala, patala and naraka below. Lets talk about Vyahrtis first.
The 7 Upper lokas
1 Satya-loka: Brahma’s loka. Satya-loka planetary system is not eternal. Abode of Truth or of Brahma, where atman are released from the necessity of rebirth.
2 Tapa-loka: Abode of tapas or of other deities. Ayohnija devadas live here.
3 Jana-loka: Abode of the sons of God Brahma.
4 Mahar-loka: The abode of great sages and enlightened beings like Markendeya and other rishies.
5 Svar-loka: Region between the sun and polar star, the heaven of the god Indra. Indra, devatas, Rishies, Gandharvas and Apsaras live here: a heavenly paradise of pleasure, where all the 330 million Hindu gods (Deva) reside along with the king of gods, Indra.
Sumeru
In the middle we see Mount Sumeru. This great mountain is wider at the top, yet it is also flat. Mount Sumeru stands as the center.
As the Bhagavatam explains:
"There are other mountains beautifully arranged around the foot of Mount Meru like the filaments around the whorl of a lotus flower. Their names are Kuranga, Kurara, Kusumbha, Vaikanka, Trikuta, Shishira, Patanga, Ruchaka, Nishadha, Sinivasa, Kapila, Shankha, Vaidurya, Jarudhi, Hamsa, Rishabha, Naga, Kalanjara and Narada." (5.16.26)
Indra (east)
Varuna (west)
Kuber (north)
Yamaraja (south)
Ishana (northeast)
Agni (southeast)
Alakshmi (southwest)
Vayu (northwest)
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| Vastu Purusha representation in any plot ( Land ) with is identical to that you find at the high flat peak of Sumeru |
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| Sumeru
Vedas have described that Gods reside at north direction and one day for them is equivalent to one year for humans.This was based on idea that north pole has six months of sunlight and six months of darkness, which makes it day and night for one year.
May Indra, whose hands Thunder wield,
Be in the East thy guard and shield;
May Yama's care the South befriend,
And Varun's arm the West defend;
And let Kuvera, the Lord of gold,
The North with firm protection hold!
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6 Bhuvar-loka (aka Pitri Loka): Sun, planets, stars. Space between earth and the sun, inhabited by semi-divine beings. It is a real region, the atmosphere, the life-force.
7 Bhur-loka: Our Earth
The Different DVIPA ( Islands ) that exist in the Earth. To understand this consider earth as a flat...
There were Seven Oceans viz. Ksaroda( Salt water), Ikshuraba ( Sugar cane juice), Sura ( Wine), Ghitoda ( Ghee), Kshiroda ( Milk), Dadhi Mandala ( Curd) and Jalodhi ( Water) and the gaps of Land formed between the Oceans were Seven ‘Dvipas’ (Islands) viz. Jambu Dvipa, Plaksha Dvipa, Salmali Dvipa, Kusa Dvipa, Krouncha Dvipa, Saka Dvipa, and Pushkara Dvipa.
Illavrita-varsha: At the bottom of Mount Meru is Illavrita-varsha, one of the residences of Lord Shiva. The scorching rays of the Sun do not reach here, and thus it remains always very cool and pleasant and surrounded by lush greenery. Naturally, the inhabitants of Illavrita-varsha are always very blissful and content.
Jambu-dvipa: In the illustration above there are another nine tracts of land on the main island of Jambu-dvipa divided by great mountains. These islands surrounding Mount Sumeru are circular in shape.Today's India is located in the exact middle of the Bharata-varsha region of Jambu-dvipa. Note that Jambu-dvipa is surrounded by ocean of salt water. Jambu Dvipa is like a lotus and has a lakh yojanas of area containing nine Varshas in north and south of the Dvipa and has eight lofty mountains being the dividers of the Varshas and the center of the Varshas is called Ilavarta and famous Sumeru mountain is at the center of Ilavarta. This mountain is as high as one lakh yojanas with its top has an area of thirty yojanas, which was stated to be the place for most revered Sages performing meditation.
Plaksha-dvipa: The second island surrounding the ocean of salt is Plaksha-dvipa, which is named for the fig trees growing there. On this island there seven minor islands.They are divided by mountains.The inhabitants of Plaksha-dvipa live one thousand years and they are in no way less than demigods. The climate of this region is quite hot in comparison to the atmosphere on Jambu-dvipa. For this reason the inhabitants worship the Sun god there as their main deity. The Sun is well visible on this island. Plaksha-dvipa is surrounded by an ocean of sugarcane juice that is darker in appearance than the salt water ocean. Sweet taste is produced due to the influence of Jupiter and his orbit is quite visible in this region.
Salmali-dvipa: The next island is Salmali-dvipa, the residence of Garuda. There are seven continents on Salmali-dvipa. Here the inhabitants worship Chandra the demi-god of the Moon as his orbit is prominent over this island. The island is surrounded by an ocean of liquor that is similar in appearance to the salt water ocean, but which has different characteristics or movements.
Kusha-dvipa: The fourth consecutive island has the ocean of liquor on one side and an ocean of liquid ghee on the other. This island is called Kusha-dvipa for the kusha grass that grows there. This island is very hot and from a distance it appears as though the whole island is red and as if the kusha grass is ablaze. The island of Kusha-dvipa is divided by seven continents. The inhabitants there worship Agni the demi-god of fire as they are always engaged in fire yagnas. The ocean of clarified butter is used to expand the offerings to Agni. Ghee remains in its liquid form only at higher temperatures which shows that the atmosphere here is not suitable for the bodies of the human inhabitants of Jambu-dvipa. Only with proper yogic practices can someone approach these planes that are situated nearer to the Sun.
Krauncha-dvipa: The next island, Krauncha-dvipa, is surrounded by an ocean of milk which is very pleasant in appearance. The island is named after the great mountain Krauncha that forms most of the surface of this island. We easily see the mountain in the distance on the illustration that forms a rim all around the other previously mentioned islands. This mountain is full of different gems since great pressure is needed for their creation. The inhabitants of the seven continents of this island worship the demigod of water Varuna deva.
Shaka-dvipa: The sixth consecutive island is called Shaka-dvipa, so-named for the fragrant oak trees that grow in abundance on the island. This island is surrounded by an ocean of churned yogurt which reflects the rays of the Sun. The inhabitants on Shaka-dvipa worship the demigod of air Vayu.
Pushkara-dvipa: The seventh island is called Pushkara-dvipa." Maple tree" grows here.
The 7 Patalas
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Before talking about Patalas lets go into the Hollow earth Theory : -
The Hollow Earth Theory states that the earth is not a solid sphere with a central, hot magma which is yet to cool, but a hollow sphere that has a thick crust of landmass only around the circumference, with openings at the north and south poles. There is an 'inner sun' at the centre of the earth. The ring of land crust is supposed to be between 600 and 800 miles in thickness and the polar openings between 100 and 1400 miles in diameter. This leaves a space of over 7000 miles at the centre, which is hollow.
An incident...
Admiral Richard E. Byrd of the United States Navy flew to the North Pole in 1926 and over the South Pole in 1929. he referred to Antarctica as "The Land of Everlasting Mystery". In reference to the North Pole he wrote: "I'd like to see that land beyond the North Pole, it is the Center of the Great Unknown."
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| Admiral Richard E. Byrd |
In his diary, Byrd allegedly tells of entering the hollow interior of the earth, along with others and traveling 17 miles over mountains, lakes, rivers, green vegetation, and animal life. He tells of seeing tremendous animals resembling the mammoths of antiquity moving through the brush. He eventually found cities and a thriving civilization. The external temperature was 74 degrees F.
His airplane was greeted by flying machines of a type he had never seen before. They escorted him to a safe landing area where he was graciously greeted by emissaries from Agartha. After resting, he and his crew, were taken to meet the king and queen of Agartha. They told him that he had been allowed to enter Agartha because of his high moral and ethical character. They went on to say that they worried about the safety of planet due to he bombs and other testing done above the surface by governments. After the visit Byrd and his crew were guided back to the surface of the planet.
Byrd stated that the North and South Poles are only two of many openings into the center of the Earth. He also wrote about seeing a sun below the Earth.
Another Incident...
In Dr. Raymond Bernard's book called "The Hollow Earth" he tells of a man who confirmed Admiral Byrd's story. Dr. Nephi Cotton of Los Angeles reported that one of his patients, a man of Nordic descent, told him the following story:
"I lived near the Arctic Circle in Norway. One summer my friend and I made up our minds to take a boat trip together and go as far as we could into the North country. So we put a months worth of food provisions in a small fishing boat and set to sea.
"At the end of one month we had traveled far into the north, beyond the Pole and into a strange new country. We were much astonished at the weather there. Warm, and at times at night it was almost too warm to sleep. Then we saw something so strange that we were both astonished. Ahead of the warm open sea we were on what looked like a great mountain. Into that mountain at a certain point that ocean seemed to be emptying. Mystified, we continued in that direction and found ourselves sailing into a vast canyon leading into the interior of the Earth. We kept sailing and then we saw what surprised us… a Sun shining inside the Earth.
"The ocean that had carried us into the hollow interior of the Earth gradually became a river. This river led, as we came to realize later, all through the inner surface of the world from one end to the other. It can take you, if you follow it long enough, from the North Pole clear through to the South Pole.
"We saw that the inner surface of the Earth was divided, as the other one is, into both land and water. There is plenty of sunshine and both animal and vegetable life abounds there. We sailed further and further into this fantastic country, fantastic because everything was huge in size as compared with things on the outside. Plants are big, trees gigantic and finally we came to giants.
"They were dwelling in homes and towns, just as we do on the Earth surface, and they used a type of electrical conveyance like a mono-rail car, to transport people. It ran along the river's edge from town to town.
"Several of the Inner Earth inhabitants, huge giants, detected our boat on the river, and were quite amazed. They were, however, quite friendly. We were invited to dine with them in their homes, and so my companion and I separated, he going with one giant to that giant's home and I going with another giant to his home.
"My gigantic friend brought me home to his family and I was completely dismayed to see the huge size of all the objects in his home. The dinner table was colossal. A plate was put before me and filled with a portion of food so big it would have fed me abundantly an entire week. The Giant offered me a cluster of grapes and each grape was as big as one of our peaches. I tasted one and found it far sweeter than any I had ever tasted outside. In the interior of the Earth all the fruits and vegetables taste far better and more flavorsome than those we have on the outer surface of the Earth.
"We stayed with the Giants for one year, enjoying their companionship as much as they enjoyed knowing us. We observed many strange and unusual things during our visit with these remarkable people, and were continually amazed at their scientific progress and inventions. All of this time they were never unfriendly to us, and we were allowed to return to our own home in the same manner in which we came… in fact, they courteously offered their protection if we should need it for the return voyage."
please take the above link to know more about Hollow earth...
The Seven Patalas
Atala is ruled by Bala - a son of Maya - who possesses mystical powers. By one yawn, Bala created three types of women - svairiṇīs ("self-willed"), who like to marry men from their own group; kāmiṇīs ("lustful"), who marry men from any group, and the puḿścalīs ("those who wholly give themselves up"), who keep changing their partners. When a man enters Atala, these women enchant him and serve him an intoxicating cannabis drink that induces sexual energy in the man. Then, these women enjoy sexual play with the traveller, who feels to be stronger than ten thousand elephants and forgets impending death.
Vitala is ruled by the god Hara-Bhava - a form of Shiva, who dwells with attendant ganas including ghosts and goblins as the master of gold mines.
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| Mahabali and Vamana |
Sutala is the kingdom of the pious demon king Mahabali. The dwarf Avatar of Vishnu, Vamana tricked Bali - who had conquered the three worlds - by begging for three paces of land and acquired the three worlds in his three paces. Vamana pushed Bali to Sutala, but when Bali surrendered to Vishnu and gave away all his belongings to him, Vishnu in return made Bali, richer than Indra, the god-king of heaven. Bali still prays to Vishnu in this realm.
Talātala is the realm of the demon-architect Maya, who is well-versed in sorcery. Shiva, as Tripurantaka, destroyed the three cities of Maya but was later pleased with Maya and gave him this realm and promised to protect him.
Mahātala is the abode of many-hooded Nagas (serpents) - the sons of Kadru, headed by the Krodhavasha (Irascible) band of Kuhaka, Taksshaka, Kaliya and Sushena. They live here with their families in peace but always fear garuda.
Rasātala is the home of the demons - Danavas and Daityas, who are mighty but cruel. They are the eternal foes of Devas (the gods). They live in holes like serpents.
Patala or Nagaloka, is the lowest realm and the region of the Nagas, ruled by Vasuki. Here live several Nagas with many hoods. Each of their hood is decorated by a jewel, the light of which illuminates this realm.
Below we say a set of hellish planets were Yama, the God of Death judges and punishes the souls who will taking birth there in some material body. Lord Yama judges and sends them to different hells and punishes them.
ANOTHER APPROACH
Sumeru is the name of the galactic center in Buddhist cosmology. So it is in the center of the Milky Way as seen from outside of it, a sight attainable through meditative development.Mt. Sumeru could never refer to a mountain on this planet, which may have its own mini Meru in the invisible lines of magnetic force emanating from the poles of this living Bhumi (Gaia).
The above picture shows the rotation of Sun and our solar system around the central core of Milky way ( SUMERU ).
In this approach, we find Sumeru at the center of the Galaxy and different arms which looks like descriptions of Dvipas ( celestial islands ) separated by Salt water, wine, ghee etc which are described above.
But the contradiction happens when we read Mahabharath,
"As the Pandavas leave, a dog befriends them and they take him along for the journey. The Pandavas first go south, reaching the salt sea. At the coast of the salt sea, deity Agni appears and asks Arjuna to return his bow. Agni says that this bow was given to him by the gods to fight the evil on earth. Now, that purpose has been served and so Arjuna should return the bow back to the gods. Arjuna returns his bow. They turn southwest visiting sites along the way. Thereafter they head west to see Dwaraka. They see it submerged under the sea, as described by Arjuna in Mausala Parva. The sight of a beautiful city submerged and dead, makes them depressed. They turn north, stop at Rishikesh, then cross the Himalayas.
As they cross the Himalayas, Draupadi is the first person to die thenSahadeva dies on the way. The brothers continue on their way to Mount Sumeru. Nakula dies next. Arjuna is the next person to die without completing the journey. Yudhishthira, Bhima and the dog continue forward.
Bhima tires and falls down. Yudhishthira and the dog continue their journey. In Chapter 3 of Mahaprasthanika Parva, as the dog and Yudhishthira continue their walk up Mount Sumeru, Indra appears with his chariot, suggesting he doesn't need to walk all the way, he can jump in and together they can go to heaven. Yudhishthira refuses, says he could not go to heaven with Indra without his brothers and Draupadi. Indra tells Yudhishthira, all of them after their death, entered heaven. Yudhishthira asks if his friend, the dog, can jump into the chariot first. Indra replies dogs cannot enter his chariot, only Yudhishthira can. Yudhishthira refuses to leave the dog. He claims the dog is his friend, and for him to betray his friend during his life's journey would be a great sin. Indra urges him to consider his own happiness, abandon the dog and hop into the chariot. Yudhishthira refuses to go into the chariot, explaining he cannot abandon the dog who is his companion, for his own happiness, while he is alive. The dog, watching Yudhishthira's commitment for his friend, transforms and reappears as deity Dharma. The deity Dharma then praises Yudhishthira for his virtues. Yudhishthira enters heaven on Indra's chariot.
From the above story, what is understood is that the
Pandavas knew that
- It was possible to walk to Sumeru.
- Secondly, they didnt use any kind of space ships.
- They walked to the North, which shows that they knew that Sumeru is at the north Pole.
Another example, Once the Vindhyas became jealous of the Meru Mountain and tried to grow in stature, obstructing the sun, the moon and the planets. Unable to prevent this danger, the gods sought aid from Agastya. The sage went to the Vindhya Mountain and
said:
"Best of mountains, stop you’re growing
till I cross you on my way to the south and
return north again. After my return, you
can grow, as you like. Wait till then."
Vindhya Mountain is an earthly mountain as we all know, so here Vindhya Mountain is compared with Sumeru which is in earth in early dimensions. If Sumeru was at the center of Milky Way Galaxy there is no need of such comparisons.
More research is required in this topic...
The 14 lokas inside YOU
The Surya Mandal or the fire is in the Nabhi or the navel. The Chandra Mandal or the sphere of Amrita is a little below Ajna Chakra.
Supporting the trunk and throughout the whole body there is the spinal cord. This is the axis of the body, just as Mount Meru is the axis of the earth. Hence, man’s spine is called Merudanda, the Meru or axis-staff. The legs and feet are gross which show less signs of consciousness than the trunk with its spinal white and grey matter; which trunk itself is greatly subordinate in this respect to the head containing the organ of mind, or physical brain, with its white and grey matter. The positions of the white and grey matter in the head and spinal column respectively are reversed.
The body and legs below the centre are the seven lower or nether worlds upheld by the sustaining Sakti or Powers of the universe. From the centre upwards, consciousness more freely manifests through the spinal and cerebral centres. Here there are the seven upper regions or Lokas, a term which means “What are seen” (Lokyante), that is, experienced, and are hence the fruits of Karma in the form of particular rebirth.
These regions, namely, Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah, Tapa, Jana, Maha and Satya Lokas correspond with the six centres; five in the trunk, the sixth in the lower cerebral centre; and the seventh in the upper brain or Satyaloka, the abode of the Supreme Siva-Sakti.
Here we have seen the 14 lokas in a section of universe including earth and a microscopic form of the same in our body. From which we understand that this concept is seen in all that is under creation. While talking about the bigger universe...
Mahameru
Under this article , we see that the same concept applied in a bigger universe.
The Maha Meru is the spine of the universe. It is the three-dimensional form of the Sri Chakra, the cosmic symbol of the Divine Feminine Archetype. This figure represents all of the secrets and mysteries of the universe. The conical shape of this Maha Meru resembles a pyramid with 9 subdivisions or phases called “Nava Avarnam”. The top most point is called “Bindu” where Goddess Shakti abides along with her consort Lord Shiva. The ever expanding Bindu is Purusha( Shiva) and the its Devi Prakriti (Aadi Shakthi) who gives form to the formless Purusha. In early Vedas, Purusa (cosmic man) whose was sacrificed to himself by the gods who then created all life.This aspect talks all the non physical, multidimensional spiritual beings seen as primordial celestial deities.
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| a model of Mahameru |
The abode of Tripurasundari devi ,also called Sri Nagara(city) had 25 streets circling it, made of iron, steel, copper, and lead. An alloy made of five metals, silver, gold, the white Pushpa raga stone, the red Padmaraga stone, onyx, diamond, Vaidoorya, Indra neela ([Blue Sapphire]), pearl, Marakatha, coral, nine gems and a mixture of gems and precious stones. In the eighth street was a forest of Kadambas. This is presided by Syamala. In the fifteenth street lived the Ashta Dik palakas. In the sixteenth lived Varahi alias Dandini who was her commander in chief. Here Syamala also have a house. In the seventeenth street lives the different Yoginis. In the eighteenth street lives Maha Vishnu. In the nineteenth street lived Esana, in the twentieth Thara Devi, twenty first Varuni, the twenty second Kurukulla who presides over the fort of pride, twenty third Marthanda Bhairawa, twenty fourth the moon and twenty fifth Manmatha presiding over the forest of love.
Center of city
In the center of Nagara is the Maha Padma Vana (the great lotus forest) and within it the Chintamani Griha (The house of holy thought), in the north east is the Chid agni kunda and on both sides of its eastern gate are the houses of Manthrini and Dhandini. On its four gates stand the Chaduramnaya gods for watch and ward. Within it is the chakra. In the center of the Chakra on the throne of Pancha brahmas on the Bindu Peeta (dot plank) called sarvanandamaya (universal happiness) sits Maha Tripura Sundari. In the chakra are the following decorations viz., the square called Trilokya mohanam (most beautiful in the three worlds), The sixteen petaled lotus called Sarvasa paripoorakam (fulfiller of all desires), the eight petaled lotus called Sarvasamksopanam (the all cleanser), the sixteen cornered figure called Sarva sowbagyam (all luck), the external ten cornered figure called Sarvartha sadhakam (giver of all assets), the internal ten cornered figure called Sarva raksha karam (All protector), the eight cornered figure called Sarva roga haram (cure of all diseases), the triangle called Sarva siddhi pradam (giver of all powers) and the dot called Sarvananda mayam (all pleasures).
Mahameru is the word, we came across quite often in scriptures. It is stated that Mahameru is a central axis passing from south pole to north pole of the universe. The puranas states that the top of the Mahameru is the abode of Parameshwara Shiva and Parameshwari. This Mahameru is described as the central axis of the universe. Mahameru may be a point of extreme pocket of energy holding the universe together.
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