The concept of Heaven!
Hello all,
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to bring the exact piece of heaven into your world with your thoughts, words, and actions. Last week we discussed how while we are alive, we can try to bring our own little piece of heaven into our life. So, today can we take it further to see what can be the 'real concept of heaven', the one the sacred books write about so much.
Is the heaven out there somewhere in a place beyond the sky far above in some ethereal land or is it a concept, which we as humans have not really understood. As I am more knowledgeable in Hinduism, I would be discussing it from that perspective. But even Christianity, and other religions many times discuss heaven as a place in the sky far above our Earth, somewhere placed high. But is it a physical place or a purely mental concept? Why don't we analyze to understand more?
Heaven as per Hinduism: In Hinduism, heaven is described as a place where the Devas, the celestial beings reside. It is very rich and overflowing with abundance, whether it is food, drinks, gold, jewelry or other wealth. It seems the celestial beings Devas and their wives are very beautiful to look at, that too extremely beautiful. The king of the Devas is called Indra. He lives in a luxurious palace called Amaravati with his wife Indrani.
Indra's court has lady dancers who are called Apsaras, many of them named Urvashi, Rambha, Menaka, and Thilothama. They are considered utterly beautiful. He uses the help of these ladies to seduce sages like Viswamitra whom he thinks can take away his throne by their yogic powers. He also uses them to entertain guests to his court like kings and emperors. To accompany the ladies in dance there are celestial singers called Gandharvas and Kinnaras. It seems Kinnaras are half human and half bird. (Maybe the same concept of a centaur in Greek mythology. The sign Sagittarius in Western astrology is shown as a centaur).
Then there are other demi-gods or other Devas like Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Kuja (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Vayu (wind god), Agni (fire god), Varuna (water god), Kubera (treasurer of the Devas), Viswakarma (the celestial sculptor), Ashtavasus (Eight keepers of the directions), Aditi ( Mother of the Devas). So, basically, there is a huge pantheon of Devas or demi-gods who are in the protectorship of the three worlds- Swarga (heaven), Bhuloka (Earth) and Patala Loka (nether world).
(Note - Surya ( Sun-chariot), Chandra (Moon-pedestal), Shiva (bull), Varuna (crocodile), Indra (elephant), Kubera (horse), Agni (Ram), Rahu (clouds), Kethu (lion))
Indra also due to his position as king of Devas gets some things as a symbol of his sovereign power. He gets a weapon that can induce electric thunderbolts called Vajrayudha ( literally Vajra-diamond, Ayudha- weapon, the weapon of diamond). He also gets some very powerful arrows and a mace. His ride is a snowy white horse with six heads (I always wonder why so many heads for everyone in Mythology ;-)))) called Uchaisravas and a very white elephant called Airavatha. He also has a wish-fulfilling tree that can give every wish called Kalpaka. (Not, Parijatha as I mentioned before. My dad corrected me. My mistake.)
Above all these paraphernalia he gets to rule the three worlds. have an abundant amount of wealth, gold, jewels and more, a lot of servants, others who take care of the devas and maintain the upkeep of the heaven, and the surrounding kingdom. Now, to keep their mental faculties extremely sharp and focused the Devas have a drink called 'Soma'. They are famous for their desire towards intoxication and the Devas have many times fallen victims to their own shenanigans. So, this is a small snapshot of heaven as per Hinduism.
Is it a physical place? The sacred books like the Puranas describe Swarga as a physical place where all the celestial beings exist and wage wars against Asuras (not so celestial, but nether world beings) to keep the heaven in their custody. Once in a while, the real deal Gods like Vishnu or Shiva pay a visit to Swarga to have some engagements with the demigods.
But what if it is not a physical place which we can get to through our physical body? What if it is very much in our mental realm and the heavens can only be reached through the mind? Then this whole concept of an 'upper sky deck or kingdom' became useless and waste of our imagination, isn't it? Why not explore the concept of heaven more thoroughly?
Now, why do I feel that it may not be a physical space, but more of mental or emotional space? Again I have to bring in Hinduism. Take Hindu mythological stories. In many of them, a person becomes interested in spirituality or go in search of a higher mindset or powers. They start deep, austere penance. Here they are doing the mental exercise to bring their mind under control. Now, the second they start penance, Indra, the king of Devas starts to sit on a throne of fire or thorns. He just cannot sit peacefully. He starts to shift on his chair, scolds the lower celestial beings. consults with his teacher, Brihaspathi and collaborates to find a strategy to obstruct the penance of the person.
Here let me narrate the story of the sage Viswamitra. Viswamitra before becoming the sage was the king of Kanyakubja in ancient India named Kaushika. Once he came across the sage Vasishta. They got into an argument over a cow. Vasishta due to his yogic powers decimated the army of Kaushika and defeated him. Seeing how powerful a person can become using penance and meditation, Kaushika renounced his kingly duties and kingdom and went to do penance in the forest. He started his deep penance (Ugra Thapa).
Now, Indra started sitting on fire. He didn't know what to do. He started consultation and collaborations with his demigods. What strategy can I use so that I can obstruct Kaushika's penance? Otherwise, he can come and destroy me and take over my throne, crown, and kingdom with his yogic powers. Finally, it was decided to send Menaka, a celestial dancer (Apsara) to obstruct the penance. Menaka went and did dance in front of Kaushika, by now Viswamitra and his this round of meditation came to an end. Hahaha!
If a sage can fall for the Maya or a grand illusion created by an Apsara, think about us poor humans. We are nowhere a match to the Maya if we have not made our mind powerfully strong. Here Viswamitra was a sage. Before that, he was a great king. He renounced his kingdom to do penance. So, he would not come behind Indra and ask for his kingdom, because Viswamitra had no use for the throne or the kingdom. Viswamitra later rejected Menaka and their baby daughter Shakunthala, assuming it as his blunder obstructing the spiritual progress. So, isn't Indra worrying unnecessarily about nothing? Indra is fine in his place of residence. This is the case if it is a physical place.
Esoterically speaking..: What if it is not a physical place? Just to make some stories and have fun with mythology, everything is narrated as heaven, demigods, Indra, Apsaras, Uchaisravas, Airavata and more with overflowing abundance and prosperity? Of course, it makes great fantasy and very rich fodder for magnificent imagination. Think about the books, stories, TV serials, movies and many other media used for it. It does make things culturally fantastic. What if we go deeper into this mythological realm with a spyglass and look closer?
Here the minute Viswamitra started penance, Deva king Indra became apprehensive and flustered. When anybody starts meditation what is the first thing, that obstructs, calls foul, says "You cannot do it. It is a waste of time. You are not giving value to your time. Come out of it. Why go after worthless activities and more?" Who is the one that is going to be decimated, transformed or reconstructed?
Who is the one who constantly sits in our within and says, "No, you cannot do meditation?" It is our 'Ego-self'. The tiny ego that sits within us and tries to take us for a ride. This ego-self has no connection to the divine. It remembers the divine only when it wants something. Until then it immerses in Television, sports, politics, shopping, social media, internet, gossip, fights, divisions and more. How do humans usually act?
Sometimes we find ourselves in a fix or a life problem we can't figure out. Then, we rush to the temple or another place of worship. We go, beg, argue, barter, and do deal-making with God. If you do this, I would do this. Have I done it? Of course, in my younger age. Hahaha! "God! (Insert every kind), please get me marks in this exam. I didn't study that well. I promise you, next time I would study so well, you would be proud of me." Hahaha!
What does Indra do? He enjoys the dance of Apsaras, has Soma, chit chat with other Devas, goes for joy rides on Uchaisravas (celestial horse) and Airavata (celestial elephant), fights with other kings, have a humongous amount of arrogance and ego. Any time he is in a fix, he first rush to Brahma, then to Vishnu and finally to Shiva. Brahma always comes first. The Vishnu, Shiva pattern can get exchanged.
Who is Brahma? He is knowledge or intellect. So, if we consider ourselves as Indra, our smaller self, first we try to use our knowledge and intellect to fix the problem ourselves. We try our best. Once we are not able to, we turn to Vishnu or Shiva, the Gods at the temple and go, pray and ask to fix our shenanigans. So, isn't Indra actually our smaller or ego-self having the fun of a lifetime without a botheration. So, if Indra is the king of heaven, what does the kingdom become? Isn't heaven actually our body and Amaravati, the palace of Indra - our mind?
Now, Heaven: Back to the person doing meditation. Through meditation what is he/she going to find? He/She is going to find their own divine nature, that they are a speck of the Universal intelligence, that can be in the form of Vishnu or Shiva. The second they realize it, Indra- ego-Self gets dissolved in the higher Self. Now, the higher Self becomes Indra who solidly sits on his throne humbled by the divine, by coming to help at the exact time they needed help.
Nothing is lost, instead, things are gained. The ego-self disappears. The higher self that becomes conscious of its purpose decides to work with the divine (Shiva and Vishnu) to rule the kingdom of heaven (our body, mind and through it our own life). In other words, 'Co-creation', to bring that heaven in our own life in this present life, using every abundance that body, mind, intuition, and higher self can provide. The true power that is bestowed upon anyone up to the task of conquering their ego-self.
So, in such a case does it make any sense to prepare for a heaven in the afterlife, pray for heaven after this life, or going and killing thousands so that you are promised a heaven after this life? Why not make that heaven, now, in this life itself? Only when we reach that vibration of heaven here, now, we can be in that same vibration once we pass to the other side of the curtain. If we are in the vibrations of hate, rage, anger, enmity, ego, jealousy, greed, envy, and more- we can be very sure that is where we would find ourselves later whether in a body.... or not.
How do I know? My intuition screams to me every time I ask or consults with it. I know it is the truth. Why? Because the day I started listening to my own intuition, my ego-self Indra (my small mind) got defeated by own higher-self Indra. This blog itself is an outward expression of the higher-self Indra who very much works with my intuition (Shiva or Vishnu or the unmanifest Brahman).
So, shouldn't each one of us be very busy working towards bringing in our own Heaven in this lifetime than waiting for another chance, later that may or may not come? Why wait for something which we can do now, today?
But then, it is always one's free will and choice!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Heaven continues!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and perspectives shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2017- Eternity
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to bring the exact piece of heaven into your world with your thoughts, words, and actions. Last week we discussed how while we are alive, we can try to bring our own little piece of heaven into our life. So, today can we take it further to see what can be the 'real concept of heaven', the one the sacred books write about so much.
Is the heaven out there somewhere in a place beyond the sky far above in some ethereal land or is it a concept, which we as humans have not really understood. As I am more knowledgeable in Hinduism, I would be discussing it from that perspective. But even Christianity, and other religions many times discuss heaven as a place in the sky far above our Earth, somewhere placed high. But is it a physical place or a purely mental concept? Why don't we analyze to understand more?
 |
| Heaven - A kingdom up in the sky! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Heaven as per Hinduism: In Hinduism, heaven is described as a place where the Devas, the celestial beings reside. It is very rich and overflowing with abundance, whether it is food, drinks, gold, jewelry or other wealth. It seems the celestial beings Devas and their wives are very beautiful to look at, that too extremely beautiful. The king of the Devas is called Indra. He lives in a luxurious palace called Amaravati with his wife Indrani.
Indra's court has lady dancers who are called Apsaras, many of them named Urvashi, Rambha, Menaka, and Thilothama. They are considered utterly beautiful. He uses the help of these ladies to seduce sages like Viswamitra whom he thinks can take away his throne by their yogic powers. He also uses them to entertain guests to his court like kings and emperors. To accompany the ladies in dance there are celestial singers called Gandharvas and Kinnaras. It seems Kinnaras are half human and half bird. (Maybe the same concept of a centaur in Greek mythology. The sign Sagittarius in Western astrology is shown as a centaur).
Then there are other demi-gods or other Devas like Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Kuja (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Vayu (wind god), Agni (fire god), Varuna (water god), Kubera (treasurer of the Devas), Viswakarma (the celestial sculptor), Ashtavasus (Eight keepers of the directions), Aditi ( Mother of the Devas). So, basically, there is a huge pantheon of Devas or demi-gods who are in the protectorship of the three worlds- Swarga (heaven), Bhuloka (Earth) and Patala Loka (nether world).
 |
| The Devas of heaven. Here Shiva, Rahu and Kethu are also included! Image credits - Ddalbiez [CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons] |
Indra also due to his position as king of Devas gets some things as a symbol of his sovereign power. He gets a weapon that can induce electric thunderbolts called Vajrayudha ( literally Vajra-diamond, Ayudha- weapon, the weapon of diamond). He also gets some very powerful arrows and a mace. His ride is a snowy white horse with six heads (I always wonder why so many heads for everyone in Mythology ;-)))) called Uchaisravas and a very white elephant called Airavatha. He also has a wish-fulfilling tree that can give every wish called Kalpaka. (Not, Parijatha as I mentioned before. My dad corrected me. My mistake.)
Above all these paraphernalia he gets to rule the three worlds. have an abundant amount of wealth, gold, jewels and more, a lot of servants, others who take care of the devas and maintain the upkeep of the heaven, and the surrounding kingdom. Now, to keep their mental faculties extremely sharp and focused the Devas have a drink called 'Soma'. They are famous for their desire towards intoxication and the Devas have many times fallen victims to their own shenanigans. So, this is a small snapshot of heaven as per Hinduism.
Is it a physical place? The sacred books like the Puranas describe Swarga as a physical place where all the celestial beings exist and wage wars against Asuras (not so celestial, but nether world beings) to keep the heaven in their custody. Once in a while, the real deal Gods like Vishnu or Shiva pay a visit to Swarga to have some engagements with the demigods.
But what if it is not a physical place which we can get to through our physical body? What if it is very much in our mental realm and the heavens can only be reached through the mind? Then this whole concept of an 'upper sky deck or kingdom' became useless and waste of our imagination, isn't it? Why not explore the concept of heaven more thoroughly?
Now, why do I feel that it may not be a physical space, but more of mental or emotional space? Again I have to bring in Hinduism. Take Hindu mythological stories. In many of them, a person becomes interested in spirituality or go in search of a higher mindset or powers. They start deep, austere penance. Here they are doing the mental exercise to bring their mind under control. Now, the second they start penance, Indra, the king of Devas starts to sit on a throne of fire or thorns. He just cannot sit peacefully. He starts to shift on his chair, scolds the lower celestial beings. consults with his teacher, Brihaspathi and collaborates to find a strategy to obstruct the penance of the person.
Here let me narrate the story of the sage Viswamitra. Viswamitra before becoming the sage was the king of Kanyakubja in ancient India named Kaushika. Once he came across the sage Vasishta. They got into an argument over a cow. Vasishta due to his yogic powers decimated the army of Kaushika and defeated him. Seeing how powerful a person can become using penance and meditation, Kaushika renounced his kingly duties and kingdom and went to do penance in the forest. He started his deep penance (Ugra Thapa).
 |
| Viswamitra as Kaushika, arguing with sage Vasishta! Image credits - Ramnadayandatta Shastri Pandey [Public domain] |
If a sage can fall for the Maya or a grand illusion created by an Apsara, think about us poor humans. We are nowhere a match to the Maya if we have not made our mind powerfully strong. Here Viswamitra was a sage. Before that, he was a great king. He renounced his kingdom to do penance. So, he would not come behind Indra and ask for his kingdom, because Viswamitra had no use for the throne or the kingdom. Viswamitra later rejected Menaka and their baby daughter Shakunthala, assuming it as his blunder obstructing the spiritual progress. So, isn't Indra worrying unnecessarily about nothing? Indra is fine in his place of residence. This is the case if it is a physical place.
Esoterically speaking..: What if it is not a physical place? Just to make some stories and have fun with mythology, everything is narrated as heaven, demigods, Indra, Apsaras, Uchaisravas, Airavata and more with overflowing abundance and prosperity? Of course, it makes great fantasy and very rich fodder for magnificent imagination. Think about the books, stories, TV serials, movies and many other media used for it. It does make things culturally fantastic. What if we go deeper into this mythological realm with a spyglass and look closer?
Here the minute Viswamitra started penance, Deva king Indra became apprehensive and flustered. When anybody starts meditation what is the first thing, that obstructs, calls foul, says "You cannot do it. It is a waste of time. You are not giving value to your time. Come out of it. Why go after worthless activities and more?" Who is the one that is going to be decimated, transformed or reconstructed?
Who is the one who constantly sits in our within and says, "No, you cannot do meditation?" It is our 'Ego-self'. The tiny ego that sits within us and tries to take us for a ride. This ego-self has no connection to the divine. It remembers the divine only when it wants something. Until then it immerses in Television, sports, politics, shopping, social media, internet, gossip, fights, divisions and more. How do humans usually act?
Sometimes we find ourselves in a fix or a life problem we can't figure out. Then, we rush to the temple or another place of worship. We go, beg, argue, barter, and do deal-making with God. If you do this, I would do this. Have I done it? Of course, in my younger age. Hahaha! "God! (Insert every kind), please get me marks in this exam. I didn't study that well. I promise you, next time I would study so well, you would be proud of me." Hahaha!
What does Indra do? He enjoys the dance of Apsaras, has Soma, chit chat with other Devas, goes for joy rides on Uchaisravas (celestial horse) and Airavata (celestial elephant), fights with other kings, have a humongous amount of arrogance and ego. Any time he is in a fix, he first rush to Brahma, then to Vishnu and finally to Shiva. Brahma always comes first. The Vishnu, Shiva pattern can get exchanged.
Who is Brahma? He is knowledge or intellect. So, if we consider ourselves as Indra, our smaller self, first we try to use our knowledge and intellect to fix the problem ourselves. We try our best. Once we are not able to, we turn to Vishnu or Shiva, the Gods at the temple and go, pray and ask to fix our shenanigans. So, isn't Indra actually our smaller or ego-self having the fun of a lifetime without a botheration. So, if Indra is the king of heaven, what does the kingdom become? Isn't heaven actually our body and Amaravati, the palace of Indra - our mind?
Now, Heaven: Back to the person doing meditation. Through meditation what is he/she going to find? He/She is going to find their own divine nature, that they are a speck of the Universal intelligence, that can be in the form of Vishnu or Shiva. The second they realize it, Indra- ego-Self gets dissolved in the higher Self. Now, the higher Self becomes Indra who solidly sits on his throne humbled by the divine, by coming to help at the exact time they needed help.
Nothing is lost, instead, things are gained. The ego-self disappears. The higher self that becomes conscious of its purpose decides to work with the divine (Shiva and Vishnu) to rule the kingdom of heaven (our body, mind and through it our own life). In other words, 'Co-creation', to bring that heaven in our own life in this present life, using every abundance that body, mind, intuition, and higher self can provide. The true power that is bestowed upon anyone up to the task of conquering their ego-self.
 |
| The heaven is now, in this very life! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
How do I know? My intuition screams to me every time I ask or consults with it. I know it is the truth. Why? Because the day I started listening to my own intuition, my ego-self Indra (my small mind) got defeated by own higher-self Indra. This blog itself is an outward expression of the higher-self Indra who very much works with my intuition (Shiva or Vishnu or the unmanifest Brahman).
So, shouldn't each one of us be very busy working towards bringing in our own Heaven in this lifetime than waiting for another chance, later that may or may not come? Why wait for something which we can do now, today?
But then, it is always one's free will and choice!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Heaven continues!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2017- Eternity
![Ddalbiez [CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Les_9_devas.jpg){kind=link}
![Ramnadayandatta Shastri Pandey [Public domain]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viswamitra_taking_with_Vasista.jpg){kind=link}
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