Tag Archives: loka

Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part 23

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Part 22

Chapter 6 JnAna and Moksha

6-5 Katha Upanishad

6-5-29 Katha 2.2.12 to 2.2.15 Self is non-dual. A wise man knows that Self in his body is same as in other bodies. He is therefore free from duality which is the cause of suffering. A Self-realized person is established in bliss unlike an ignorant person. The Self which is of the nature of consciousness lends sentiency to sense organs and sentient sense organs lends sentiency to other parts of the body. Sentiency enables them to fulfil varied desires. An intelligent person is however not interested in ephemeral material desires. He is seeker of Self-knowledge which ensures permanent happiness and peace. By Self-knowledge, he claims that his true nature is Self, the consciousness. Consciousness is self-luminous. Nothing can illumine it. It is the light of lights. In its presence, sun, moon, stars, lightening and fire shines. It is all-pervasive and beyond the realm of worldly objects, whether sun, moon, etc.

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Q. 422 loka-s – ‘planes’ of existence

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Q: I’ve just started reading about advaita and Hinduism and wondered about the concept of loka-s. Are these physical or mental places or do they not really exist at all? What do Advaitins believe now, after 2000+ years of advancement of scientific knowledge?

A (Dennis): Advaita is a ‘gauged’ teaching – the teacher aims to address the present level of understanding of the student. This is why the seeker should always try to find a traditional teacher and should not merely attend random satsangs given by non-traditional teachers travelling around the world and probably staying in one location for no more than a week or two. A ‘course’ of traditional teaching may take a lifetime and would certainly be expected to continue for a number of years.

The way that it works is that the teacher provides an explanation that is suitable for the seeker at that time, and advances the latter’s understanding. Later, that explanation will be taken back and a more sophisticated one provided in its place. The methodology is called adhyAropa-apavAda. The teaching of loka-s etc is an ‘early’ one, and was aimed at Hindus who were used to worshipping gods, believing firmly in reincarnation and so on. Continue reading →

Q. 350 – Heaven and Hell

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Q: In Advaita, it is said that the heaven and the hell are mithya. They are just ideas for bhakti-natured people. But Advaita says this world is mithya too. So even though heaven and the hell are mithya, we are still gonna go there just as this world is mithya but it is still real enough for us? I mean the idea of heaven and hell is mithya but it is still as real as this world. So they indeed exist just as this world. Is that the correct interpretation?

A (Ramesam): Firstly the simple and straightforward answer: Yes, you are right, heaven and hell are mithya and are ideas for bhakti-natured people, in the sense that they are experienced by the people who believe in them but these loka-s (worlds) lack a substantive reality by themselves. However, we have to note that they are the second degree imaginations – imaginations of the already imaginary worldly people! By this logic, perhaps they will be strictly comparable to dreams in their order of reality. (The word mithya includes both the empirical (vyavaharika) reality and the dream world (prAtibhAsika) reality). Continue reading →