Lokas Or Planes: Kubera Loka

By Sri Swami Sivananda

The greatly effulgent assembly-hall of Vaisravana (Kubera) is one hundred Yojanas in length and seventy Yojanas in breadth. It was built by Kubera himself by his ascetic powers. It is like the peak of Kailasa (mountain) and it outshines the brilliancy of the moon herself. Being supported by the Guhyakas, it looks as if it is attached to the firmament. Being adorned with celestial-made large palaces of gold, it displays great beauty.

It is extremely delightful and rendered fragrant with celestial perfumes. It is ornamented with many great jewels. Resembling the peaks of a mass of white clouds it seems to float in the sky. It is painted with colours of celestial gold, and therefore it appears as if it is adorned with streaks of lightning. Here sits on an excellent seat, which is as bright as the sun and which is covered with celestial carpets and furnished with beautiful footstools, the handsome king Vaisravana attired in excellent robes and adorned with costly ornaments and brilliant earrings, and surrounded by his one thousand wives.

Salubrious and cool breeze blowing through the generous forests of Mandaras and carrying the fragrance of the field of jasmine and also of the lotuses on the breast of the Alaka (the celestial river) and of the gardens of Nandana (the celestial wood) wait upon Kubera.

There sing the celestials with the Gandharvas surrounded by various tribes of Apsaras in notes of celestial sweetness. Misrakesi, Rambha, Urvasi, Lata, and a thousand other Apsaras and Gandharvas, all great experts in music and dance wait upon the lord of wealth. That assembly-hall filled with the notes of instrumental and vocal music and with the sounds of various Gandharvas and Apsaras is extremely charming and magnificent.

The Gandharvas named Kinnaras and others, Hamsachura, Vrikshavaspa and many other Yakshas by hundreds and thousands always wait upon Kubera. The illustrious Lakshmi and also Nala Kubera always remain there (in that Sabha). Many others often go there. Many Brahmana Rishis and celestial Rishis always go there; many Rakshasas and Gandharvas wait there. There wait upon his friend, the lord of wealth, being ever cheerful and knowing no fatigue, the illustrious (deity), the husband of Uma, the Lord of all creatures, the three-eyed God, accompanied by His wife and surrounded by innumerable spirits, some of dwarfish stature, some of fearful face, some with blood-red eyes—some feeding upon fat and flesh, and all armed with various weapons and possessed of the speed of wind.

With cheerful heart hundreds of Gandharva chiefs attired in their respective robes worship Kubera. The chief of the Vidyadharas, Chakradhamana with his followers wait upon Kubera. Many Kinnaras, innumerable kings with Bhagadatta at their head, and the chief of Kimpurushas, Druma, the chief of the Rakshasas, Mahendra, all wait upon Kubera.

The virtuous Vivishana waits upon his elder brother Kubera. The mountains (Himalayas), Paripatra, Vindhya, Kailasa, Sunava, and many others in their personified forms with Meru at their head wait upon Kubera.

The illustrious Nandisvara Mahakala, many spirits with arrowy ears and sharp pointed mouths and the deep-roaring white bull of Siva, many other Rakshasas and Pisachas wait upon Kubera. The son of Kubera surrounded by his attendants, always with his permission, formerly used to worship by bowing his head to Siva, the Creator of the three worlds. One day the high-souled Bhava (Siva) made friendship with Kubera, and from that day He is always present in the assembly-hall of Kubera. Those princes of all wealth, Sankha and Padma (in their personified forms) accompanied by gems, wait upon the lord of wealth.

The assembly-hall of Kubera is capable of moving in the firmament.

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This was an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. We want to now the truth behind near death experiences and become certain that there really is a life after death.

Many books have been written on the subject of death, but most of the works deal mainly with the astral or other spirit world. It has mostly been the study of the conditions in the Pretaloka which is merely one among the numerous supramundane planes or lokas beyond the grave. Spiritualism, seance and the testimony of recognised mediums have for most part featured prominently in all such works.

What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj is a departure from the usual line in that it is based, to a great extent, upon authoritative scriptural texts and upon knowledge derived through reasoning, deep reflection and personal meditation. It throws a flood of light upon all aspects of life after death not adequately dealt with in other works. The book also gives valuable information about the different beliefs on this subject, of the various races and religions.

The book is dealing with rebirth, the soul, reincarnation, moksha, heaven and hell, karma and different lokas. It even includes death poems and death poetry, giving a complete picture and a new face of death. For more material see this link: What Becomes Of The Soul After Death.

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