Saturday, April 16, 2005
14 Lokas and the 3 worlds
An interesting question was asked by a devotee on the group:
"Jai Srimannarayana, Swamiji, please accept my humble obeisances. Actually I read in digest 1101 that there are 14 lokas (athala, vithala, suthala, talAtala, rasAtala, mahAtala, pAthAla, bhooloka, bhuvarlOka, suvarlOka, tapOlOka, mahAlOka, janarlOka, and sathya lOka), and the lord is worshipped in all the 3 worlds. But in the digest it is mentioned there are all-together 14 lokas. And the 3 worlds are referred to what? Please clarify this for me. Thanks, Vijay Reddy"
Swamiji clarified this bhakta's question:
"WHY ARE YOU GETTING CONFUSED? BHU:LO:KA, IN WHICH WE LIVE IS 1 LOKA. ALL THE BOTTOM LO:KAS, i.e., PA:THA:LA LO:KAS ARE CONSIDERED AS ONE MORE LO:KA. AND THEN ALL THE ABOVE LO:KAS ARE ALSO CONSIDERED AS THIRD LO:KA. THAT IS HOW THEY BECOME THREE LO;KAS.
THERE IS ANOTHER INTERPRETATION ALSO: THE WORD LO:KA MEANS LIVING CREATURES IN THESE LO:KAS. THEY ARE ALSO IN THREE FORMS IN THIS WORLD. HUMANS (VERTICALLY MOVING CREATURES), DEVAS AND THIRYAKS (HORIZANTALLY MOVING CREATURES). GOD WILL BE WORSHIPPED BY ALL THREE TYPES OF LIVES.
ANOTHER WAY OF EXPLAINING IS: ALL THE SOULS IN BONDAGE OF KARMA CALLED BADDHAS, SOULS THAT WERE RELEASED FROM THE BONDAGE WHO ARE CALLED MUKTHAS AND NITYAS - NEVER ATTACHED TO THE KARMAS. THESE ARE 3 LO:KAS. GOD IS WORSHIPPED BY ALL THESE THREE LO:KAS." ¶ 9:22 PM
"Jai Srimannarayana, Swamiji, please accept my humble obeisances. Actually I read in digest 1101 that there are 14 lokas (athala, vithala, suthala, talAtala, rasAtala, mahAtala, pAthAla, bhooloka, bhuvarlOka, suvarlOka, tapOlOka, mahAlOka, janarlOka, and sathya lOka), and the lord is worshipped in all the 3 worlds. But in the digest it is mentioned there are all-together 14 lokas. And the 3 worlds are referred to what? Please clarify this for me. Thanks, Vijay Reddy"
Swamiji clarified this bhakta's question:
"WHY ARE YOU GETTING CONFUSED? BHU:LO:KA, IN WHICH WE LIVE IS 1 LOKA. ALL THE BOTTOM LO:KAS, i.e., PA:THA:LA LO:KAS ARE CONSIDERED AS ONE MORE LO:KA. AND THEN ALL THE ABOVE LO:KAS ARE ALSO CONSIDERED AS THIRD LO:KA. THAT IS HOW THEY BECOME THREE LO;KAS.
THERE IS ANOTHER INTERPRETATION ALSO: THE WORD LO:KA MEANS LIVING CREATURES IN THESE LO:KAS. THEY ARE ALSO IN THREE FORMS IN THIS WORLD. HUMANS (VERTICALLY MOVING CREATURES), DEVAS AND THIRYAKS (HORIZANTALLY MOVING CREATURES). GOD WILL BE WORSHIPPED BY ALL THREE TYPES OF LIVES.
ANOTHER WAY OF EXPLAINING IS: ALL THE SOULS IN BONDAGE OF KARMA CALLED BADDHAS, SOULS THAT WERE RELEASED FROM THE BONDAGE WHO ARE CALLED MUKTHAS AND NITYAS - NEVER ATTACHED TO THE KARMAS. THESE ARE 3 LO:KAS. GOD IS WORSHIPPED BY ALL THESE THREE LO:KAS." ¶ 9:22 PM
