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In the RV, there are seven distinct principles which are referred
to by various epithets such as sapta vāņi, seven voices,
sapta nadyaĥ, seven rivers, seven rişhis etc. They are
the different levels of consciousness. It is worth emphasising
that RV has more than forty distinct words occurring in several
hundred verses dealing with consciousness. The different grades of
consciousness in the ascending order are: matter, life-energy,
mind, light and the highest triple of existence-knowledge and
bliss. At the level of matter, the “density'' of consciousness is
least whereas it is highest at the highest triple level. There is
a world associated with each principle of consciousness displaying
its manifestation. These are: The earth, bhu,
bhūmi or pŗthvi, the world governed by material
principle, the heaven dyau, the realm of the Divine Mind
dealing with all aspects of the mental world. The two together,
heaven and earth, are called as rodasi. Between these two
worlds is the antariksha or rajas which is the world
of all the life-energy, which is the basis of all the plants,
animals and the vital aspect of mankind, the realm of emotions,
feelings, passions, hopes, fears and love. These three worlds
constitute the lower three. The fourth world beyond these three is
called svar, the world of Light, the native home of all the
devās. It is also referred to as the uru loka or
u loka. Beyond this realm is the supreme triple worlds
tridhātu in RV, sat-chit-ānanda or existence,
consciousness and bliss in Upanishads. Thus the cosmology consists
of five worlds or seven worlds depending on whether we treat the
supreme triplet as one or three. The RV has so many different
concepts connected with the seven (or five) such as seven
rişhis, seven potent words, seven rivers or waters etc. It is
a mistake to regard these seven rivers as referring exclusively to
the seven physical rivers in the north-western Indian sub
continent. There are also subdivisions of these worlds such as the three
earths and three heavens etc.
Clearly there is a hierarchy of the worlds in terms of
consciousness. The consciousness is at its height in the triple
world tridhātu and least in the world of matter. In the
highest triplet the Supreme Being, the ONE is in the state of
oneness and there is no manifestation. The one becomes the many in
the fourth world svar, the beings in this world being the
devās. But each deva is conscious of the unity with
the ONE. There is no conflict. The multiplicity is intimately tied
to the One. In the three lower worlds there is only partial
remembrance of their origin from the ONE. It is worth stating that
the heaven dyau is not merely a world one goes to after
one's death. |
