Urdhva Lokas
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The Urdhvalokas () or upper spheres of the world, are composed of seven lokas or worlds, according to
Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...
. The detailed explanation of them is found in the ''
Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...
''. The three highest ''
loka Loka () is a concept in Hinduism and other Indian religions, that may be translated as a planet, the universe, a plane, or a realm of existence. In some philosophies, it may also be interpreted as a mental state that one can experience. A prima ...
''s (realms), Jana, Tapa, and Satya are styled as durable, while Maharloka, has a mixed character; for although it is deserted at the end of the ''
kalpa Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu, Olvi Areena. Team history Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club r ...
'' (aeon), it was not destroyed yet.


List of lokas


Bhuloka

The sphere of the Earth or Bhuloka (‘Bhu’ means ‘Earth’ and ‘loka’ means the surface of the Earth), comprehending its oceans, mountains, and rivers, extends as far as it is illuminated by the rays of the Sun and Moon; and to the same extent, both in diameter and circumference, the sphere of the sky (Bhuvaloka) spreads above it (as far upwards as to the planetary sphere, or Svargaloka).


Bhuvarloka

The region, where the
siddhas ''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of perfection of the intellect as we ...
and other celestial beings move, is the Earth's atmospheric sphere which also contains space which has its neighbouring planets in the Solar System along with stars and comets. It is also where arhats, siddhas, bodhisattvas, buddhas reside.


Svargaloka

The interval between the Sun and
Dhruva Dhruva (Sanskrit: ध्रुव, , Literal translation, lit. "''unshakeable, immovable, fixed or eternal"'') was an Asceticism, ascetic devotee of Vishnu mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. The Sanskrit term ''dhruva na ...
, extending fourteen hundred thousand leagues, is inhabited by the
deva Deva may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deva, List of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition monsters, an ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monster * Deva, in the 2023 Indian film ''Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefir ...
s, including
devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...
s with their king
Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes Indra is the m ...
and its references make it equivalent to the
Svarga Svarga (, ), also known as Swarga, Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas ( esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is reg ...
(heaven), while some Puranic references equate Svargaloka to the Solar System.


Maharloka

Above Dhruva, at the distance of ten million leagues, lies the sphere of saints, or Maharloka, the inhabitants of which dwell in it throughout a ''kalpa'', or day of Brahma.


Janaloka

At twice that distance is situated Janaloka, where the Sanandana (Four Kumaras) and other pure-minded children of
Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
reside.


Tapaloka

At four times the distance, between the two last, lies the Tapaloka (the sphere of penance), inhabited by the immortal beings and deities called Vaibhrájas, who are highly knowledgeable, pure, and enlightened, whereby they can easily travel to the uppermost realm, Satyaloka, are unconsumable by fire of destruction during the dissolution of the universe.


Satyaloka

It is highest plane of consciousness or the highest of the heavenly realms. It is also called
Brahmaloka Brahmaloka (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मालोक, IAST: Brahmāloka) or Satyaloka (Sanskrit: सत्यलोक) sometimes refers to the realm of Brahma, the creator god, a member of the Trimurti along with Vishnu and Shiva, along with his ...
where
Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
and his consort,
Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...
, reside. It is six times the distance (or twelve crores, a hundred and twenty millions of leagues) and is referred to as the sphere of truth, where all the knowledge is available and the inhabitants never die, become old, become ill, have pain and anxiety.


See also

* Patala Loka *
Jainism and non-creationism According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents—soul, matter, space, time, and principles of motion—have always existed. Jainism does not support belief in a creator deity. All the constituents and actions are governed by un ...
*
Loka Loka () is a concept in Hinduism and other Indian religions, that may be translated as a planet, the universe, a plane, or a realm of existence. In some philosophies, it may also be interpreted as a mental state that one can experience. A prima ...


References

{{PD-old-text, title
The Vishnu Purana, translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, 1840
at sacred-texts.com, year = 1840 Places in Hindu mythology