Antarloka: (Sanskrit) "Inner or in-between world." The astral plane. See: loka.

(See also: Antarloka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Antarloka: (Sanskrit) "Inner or in-between world." The astral plane. See: loka.

(See also: Antarloka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Antarloka: "Inner or in-between world."

Known in English as the subtle or astral plane, the intermediate dimension between the physical and causal worlds, where souls in their astral bodies sojourn between incarnations and when they sleep.

(See also: Antarloka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

In Hinduism and Buddhism, a devaloka or deva loka is a plane of existence where gods and devas exist. The deva lokas are usually described as places of eternal light and goodness, similar to the concept of Heaven. Teachers of different Hindu denominations and Buddhist schools may call such homes of the gods by other names, including Svarga, each differing in non-fundamental aspects. To Hindus, Devaloka is a plane of blissful existence that can be reached as soon as one is sufficiently attuned to light and good. However, ...

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three worlds: The three worlds of existence, triloka, are the primary hierarchical divisions of the cosmos.

-       Bhuloka: "Earth world," the physical plane.

-       Antarloka: "Inner or in-between world," the subtle or astral plane.

-       Sivaloka: "World of Siva," and of the Gods and highly evolved souls; the causal plane, also called Karanaloka.

The three-world cosmology is readily found in Hindu scriptures. In the major Upanishads of the Vedas we find numerous citations, with interesting variations. Verse 1.5.17 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states, "Now, there are, verily, three worlds, the world of men (Manushyaloka), the world of the fathers (Pitriloka) and the world of the Gods (Devaloka)..." Later, verse 6.2.15 refers to the two higher worlds as the Devaloka and the Brahmaloka. The Katha Upanishad, verse 2.3.8, omitting the world of men, lists the Pitriloka, the Gandharvaloka (world of genies or elementals) and the Brahmaloka (world of God). Another perspective of three worlds is offered in the Prashna Upanishad 3.8, which lists the world of good (Punyaloka), the world of evil (Papaloka) and the world of men (Manushyaloka).

Scriptures offer several other cosmological perspectives, most importantly seven upper worlds (sapta urdhvaloka) and seven lower worlds (sapta adholoka), which correspond to the 14 chakras and make up the "world-egg of God," the universe, called Brahmanda. The seven upper worlds are Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka. The second, third and fourth comprise the subtle plane. The highest three comprise the causal plane. The seven lower worlds, collectively known as Naraka or Patala, are (from highest to lowest) Put, Avichi, Samhata, Tamisra, Rijisha, Kudmala and Kakola. From the Saiva Agamic perspective of the 36 tattvas, the pure sphere, shuddha maya - the first five tattvas - is subdivided into 33 planes of existence. The "pureimpure" realm, shuddhashuddha maya - the seven tattvas from maya tattva to purusha - contains 27 planes of existence. The ashuddha ("impure") realm - of 24 tattvas - has 56 planes of existence.

See: chakra, loka, Naraka, tattva (also: individual loka entries).

(See also: Three worlds, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

svarga: (Sanskrit) "Abode of light." An intermediate realm of the Antarloka; a term essentially synonymous with Svarloka.

See: loka.

(See also: Svarga, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

triloka: (Sanskrit) "Three worlds." The physical, astral and causal planes (Bhuloka, Antarloka and Sivaloka).

See: world, loka.

(See also: Triloka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

loka: (Sanskrit) "World, habitat, realm, or plane of existence."

From loc, "to shine, be bright, visible." A dimension of manifest existence; cosmic region. Each loka reflects or involves a particular range of consciousness. The three primary lokas are Bhuloka, Antarloka and Sivaloka.

(See also: Loka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

mental body (sheath): The higher-mind layer of the subtle or astral body in which the soul functions in Maharloka of the Antarloka or subtle plane. In Sanskrit, the mental body is vijnanamaya kosha, "sheath of cognition."

See: intellectual mind, kosha, subtle body.

(See also: Mental body, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

astral body: The subtle, nonphysical body (sukshma sharira) in which the soul functions in the astral plane, the inner world also called Antarloka. The astral body includes the pranic sheath (pranamaya kosha), the instinctive-intellectual sheath (manomaya kosha) and the cognitive sheath (vijnanamaya kosha) - with the pranic sheath dropping off at the death of the physical body. See: kosha, soul.

(See also: Astral body, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

mahapralaya: (Sanskrit) "Great dissolution."

Total annihilation of the universe at the end of a mahakalpa. It is the absorption of all existence, including time, space and individual consciousness, all the lokas and their inhabitants into God Siva, as the water of a river returns to its source, the sea. Then Siva alone exists in His three perfections, until He again issues forth creation. During this incredibly vast period there are many partial dissolutions, pralayas, when either the Bhuloka or the Bhuloka and the Antarloka are destroyed.

See: cosmic cycle, pralaya.

(See also: Mahapralaya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

mahapralaya: (Sanskrit) "Great dissolution."

Total annihilation of the universe at the end of a mahakalpa. It is the absorption of all existence, including time, space and individual consciousness, all the lokas and their inhabitants into God Siva, as the water of a river returns to its source, the sea. Then Siva alone exists in His three perfections, until He again issues forth creation. During this incredibly vast period there are many partial dissolutions, pralayas, when either the Bhuloka or the Bhuloka and the Antarloka are destroyed.

See: cosmic cycle, pralaya.

(See also: Mahapralaya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

astral body: The subtle, nonphysical body (sukshma sharira) in which the soul functions in the astral plane, the inner world also called Antarloka. The astral body includes the pranic sheath (pranamaya kosha), the instinctive-intellectual sheath (manomaya kosha) and the cognitive sheath (vijnanamaya kosha) - with the pranic sheath dropping off at the death of the physical body. See: kosha, soul.

(See also: Astral body, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sivaloka: "World of Siva," and of the Gods and highly evolved souls.

The causal plane, also called Karanaloka, existing deep within the Antarloka at a higher level of vibration, it is a world of superconsciousness and extremely refined energy. It is the plane of creativity and intuition, the quantum level of the universe, where souls exists in self-effulgent bodies made of actinic particles of light. It is here that God and Gods move and lovingly guide the evolution of all the worlds and shed their ever-flowing grace. Its vibratory rate is that of the vishuddha, ajna and sahasrara chakras and those above.

(See also: Sivaloka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

astral plane: The subtle world, or Antarloka, spanning the spectrum of consciousness from the vishuddha chakra in the throat to the patala chakra in the soles of the feet. The astral plane includes:

1)    the higher astral plane, Maharloka, "plane of balance;"

2)    mid-astral plane, Svarloka, "celestial plane;"

3)    lower astral plane, Bhuvarloka, "plane of atmosphere," a counterpart or subtle duplicate of the physical plane (consisting of the Pitriloka and Pretaloka); and

4)    the sub-astral plane, Naraka, consisting of seven hellish realms corresponding to the seven chakras below the base of the spine.

In the astral plane, the soul is enshrouded in the astral body, called sukshma sharira. See also: astral body, loka, Naraka, three worlds.)

death: Death is a rich concept for which there are many words in Sanskrit, such as: mahaprasthana, "great departure;" samadhimarana, dying consciously while in the state of meditation; mahasamadhi, "great merger, or absorption," naming the departure of an enlightened soul.

Hindus know death to be the soul's detaching itself from the physical body and continuing on in the subtle body (sukshma sharira) with the same desires, aspirations and occupations as when it lived in a physical body. Now the person exists in the in-between world, the subtle plane, or Antarloka, with loved ones who have previously died, and is visited by earthly associates during their sleep.

Hindus do not fear death, for they know it to be one of the most glorious and exalted experiences, rich in spiritual potential. Other terms for death include panchatvam (death as dissolution of the five elements), mrityu (natural death), prayopavesha (self-willed death by fasting), marana (unnatural death, e.g., by murder).

See: reincarnation, suicide, videhamukti.

(See also: Death, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

astral plane: The subtle world, or Antarloka, spanning the spectrum of consciousness from the vishuddha chakra in the throat to the patala chakra in the soles of the feet. The astral plane includes:

1)    the higher astral plane, Maharloka, "plane of balance;"

2)    mid-astral plane, Svarloka, "celestial plane;"

3)    lower astral plane, Bhuvarloka, "plane of atmosphere," a counterpart or subtle duplicate of the physical plane (consisting of the Pitriloka and Pretaloka); and

4)    the sub-astral plane, Naraka, consisting of seven hellish realms corresponding to the seven chakras below the base of the spine.

In the astral plane, the soul is enshrouded in the astral body, called sukshma sharira. See also: astral body, loka, Naraka, three worlds.)

subtle body: Sukshma sharira, the nonphysical, astral body or vehicle in which the soul encases itself to function in the Antarloka, or subtle world.

The subtle body includes the pranamaya, manomaya and vijnanamaya koshas if the soul is physically embodied. It consists of only manomaya and vijnanamaya after death, when pranamaya kosha disintegrates. And it consists of only vijnanamaya kosha when manomaya kosha is dropped off just before rebirth or when higher evolutionary planes are entered.

Also part of the subtle body are the antahkarana (mental faculty: intellect, instinct and ego - buddhi, manas and ahamkara), the five jnanendriyas (agents of perception: hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell); and the five karmendriyas (agents of action: speech, grasping, movement, excretion and generation).

See: indriya, jiva, kosha.

(See also: Subtle body, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

microcosm-macrocosm: "Little world" or "miniature universe" as compared with "great world." Microcosm refers to the internal source of something larger or more external (macrocosm).

In Hindu cosmology, the outer world is a macrocosm of the inner world, which is its microcosm and is mystically larger and more complex than the physical universe and functions at a higher rate of vibration and even a different rate of time.

The microcosm precedes the macrocosm. Thus, the guiding principle of the Bhuloka comes from the Antarloka and Sivaloka. Consciousness precedes physical form. In the tantric tradition, the body of man is viewed as a microcosm of the entire divine creation. "Microcosm-macrocosm" is embodied in the terms pinda and anda.

See: apex of creation, pinda, quantum, tattva, tantra.

(See also: Microcosm-macrocosm, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)