The Fourteen Lokas
Q: I have heard it said that the lokas are all in the body of man! Some experienced persons and some men learned in the Shastras (scriptures) have said so; is that true? What are those lokas? Where are they situated?
A: Yes. They are: bhu-loka in the feet, bhuvar–loka in the genitals, suvar-loka in the navel; mahar-loka in the heart, jana-loka in the throat, tapo-loka in the brow centre and satya-loka on the crest of the head. These are called the upper lokas, they are all situated in the body of man. There are lower lokas, too.
Q: What are the lower lokas? Where do they exist?
A: Athalam in the soles of the feet, vithalam on the nails, suthalam in the heels, thalaathalam in the hip, rasaathaalm in the knees, mahaathalam in the thighs, and paathalam in the anus.
Q: If all lokas are in the body—the five elements, being the components—what has happened to the sapta samudras, the seven legendary seas? Are they, too, in the body or in the mind?
A: When the body is the residence for all the lokas, how can the seven seas alone have a separate existence? They, too, are ‘in’ the body. Lavana or salt sea (urine), cane juice sea (perspiration), sura or sea of wine (senses), sarpi or sea of ghee (semen), dadhi or butter-milk sea (mucus), the sea of milk (saliva), and the sea of pure water (tears).
Q: You spoke of several types of agni or fire, what are they? How are they named?
A: They are called panchagni, because they are five in all: Kaala-agni, the fire of time; kshudha-agni, the fire of hunger; seetha-agni, the cold fire; kopa-agni, the fire of anger, and jnana-agni, the fire of knowledge.
Q: Where do these reside?
A: In the feet, the navel, the stomach, the eye, and the heart.
Q: Besides these, there seem to be varieties of naada or sound, too. I have heard some talk of them.
A: Yes, there are.
Q: Are they, too, in the body? How many types are they? And what are their names?
A: There are ten types, all in the gross body itself: Lalaghosha, Bherinaada. Chaneenaada, Mrudanganaada, Ghantanaada, Kalanaada, Kinkininaada, Venunaada, Bhramaranaada, and finally, Pranavanaada. These are the varieties of sound.
Q: If all creation is subsumed in this composite of the five elements, the body, what are anda-anda, pinda–anda, and brahma-anda?
A: Anda-anda means all this creation, liable to evolution and involution; the movable and immovable nature, as it is often called. Pinda-anda is the name for the inner principle of all this duality, the seer and the seen, the doer and the deed, etc. It is the duality that produces birth after birth, according to the karma [action] of the janma [birth]. Brahma-anda means the collection of mahabhuthas or the inner forces of the five elements: atma [soul] related to the akasa [space], jivatma connected with vayu [air], prathyagatma arising out of agni [fire], chaithanya-brahma associated with the jala [water] element and Paramatma, attached to the dharani (earth) element are all covered by that conception of Brahma-anda. It is this force that makes the elements operate; beyond them is the avyakta–Brahma, the uncognizable Absolute.
Q: Swami! I do not clearly understand this rather complex subject. Please explain it to me by means of some simple illustration.
A: Well, anda-anda is the black retina of the eye; pinda-anda is the inner circle within it; Brahma-anda is the light that shines therein. The splendor of that light is Brahma.
Source: Prasnottara Vahini
