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 Sastras
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, Thapo-loka in the brow centre and
Sathya-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, Rasaathalam 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 Saptha 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 their
names?
A. There are ten types; all in the gross body itself:
Laladighosha, Bherinaada, Chancenaada, 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 of the janma. Brahma-anda means the collection of
Mahabhuthas or the Inner Forces of the Five Elements: Atma related
to the Akasa, Jivatma connected with Vayu, Prathyagathma arising
out of Agni, Chaithanya-Brahma associated with the Jala element
and Paramathma, 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 Avyaktha-Brahma,
the Uncognisable 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 splendour of that Light is Brahma.