Multiverse According to Hindu View

The universe is a vast and complex place that, in many ways, we still don’t understand. We exist on this relatively tiny rock called Earth, floating around a relatively average star, the sun, and with the help of modern technology we’ve only just begun to explore even a tiny  part of the space that surrounds us. 

Given our modest cosmic standing, then,  it’s incredible to think that even if we were to somehow explore the entirety of the universe, there might still be more out there. Today we’re  setting sail to travel the multiverse, and this time through the lens of Hindu cosmology.

If you’re a fan of science, science fiction, superhero movies, pretty much anything nowadays,   then you’re probably familiar with the multiverse, the theory that we’re all living in only one  of possibly infinite parallel universes. And,  while there’s no confirmed scientific consensus as to whether or not the multiverse  (in any of its many guises) is true, it is a concept that has crossovers into Faith, as well. 

So, for today’s video, we’re assessing the multiverse as conceived in Hindu cosmology. To understand this multiverse, it’s helpful to first consider other aspects of Hindu mythology.For example, there’s an important distinction made here between matter and spirit. In Hinduism,  the universe is composed of both of these things, with the main difference being that matter  is physical and can therefore be destroyed, whereas spirit is non-physical and so can never  be destroyed. 

For Hindus, the physical, material  part of existence is, then, an illusion. And so, it follows that the ultimate goal of Hinduism is to reach enlightenment, a level of existence at which one can see through the illusion and realise that all material things are temporary and that the spirit is always more important.

  

The cyclical nature of existence is another major and well-known theme in Hinduism. And, ultimately, it’s another key aspect to the Hindu multiverse. The idea is that all material things go through three main phases of creation, preservation, and destruction. Therefore, again, the physical part of the universe - all the things that we can see, feel, hear, and so on - must eventually be destroyed. 

These three phases are often represented by three of the most prominent Hindu gods: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. And it’s believed that the interactions between these three are what fundamentally result in a many-layered reality of multiple universes a multiverse.

 

In Hindu tradition, the lifespan of the universe corresponds to the lifespan of Brahma, at the end of which Brahma dies and the universe is destroyed with him. Fortunately, though, even after the death of the universe,  all is not lost and a new universe is born out of the ashes of the old. In this way, it’s sometimes argued that Hindu cosmology has some similarities with modern scientific theories regarding the universe. 

Hinduism essentially holds that everything is born from a single point, much  like it is in the Big Bang theory. It then posits that everything eventually collapses into that same point, which comes close to another floated scientific prediction for our universe’s fate, known as the Big Crunch. What’s most important, though, is that because a new creation always follows from destruction in Hinduism, destruction isn’t considered a bad thing. 

After all, the god  Shiva (the Destroyer) has a divine duty to end the universe in order to pave the way for a new one, and he’s worshiped for doing so. Which brings us back to that distinction between matter and spirit. Matter, remember, can be destroyed, but that’s fine because the spirit continues.

  

The Hindu multiverse then in one sense refers to the fact that the universe is not a single space   but rather infinite spaces occurring one after another. But, perhaps even more significantly, across various Hindu texts there’s mention not just of one universe that goes through this cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, but rather of many. In some cases, it’s suggested  that there’s an endless number of universes that all coexist at the same time. 

It’s variously said that these universes float around just like atoms do from our perspective, and that each one contains its own Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Its own story of birth, preservation, and destruction. It’s said that each universe consists of many unique layers, too - including earth, water, fire, air, and sky - to add more detail. But despite these structural similarities, each universe has the potential to be unique. By hosting different creatures, for example, different environments, cultures, and perhaps different rules of nature. 

And some universes even come with other universes contained inside them. The possibilities  are essentially endless then. As such, there are many myths and legends in the ancient texts that refer back to the multiverse, making  use of the many, many variations that it offers. So, now we have the idea that each individual universe is moving through a repeating cycle from birth to rebirth and the idea that this is happening across countless, multi-layered, multiple universes, that exist on a higher level.  

You’d perhaps think that the structure of reality must end there, but there’s one final concept to  incorporate. In the ancient texts, the Puranas, the mythology goes into detail about fourteen  further worlds, or Lokas, that also contribute to the multiverse total. There is some debate as to whether Lokas are intended to be taken literally as physical realms  or if they’re meant as symbolic representations of different levels of consciousness but, in either case, they play a major role.

 

The Lokas are located on different planes of  existence, with seven forming the heavens (or the upperworlds) and seven forming hell (or the underworlds). Those belonging to the upperworlds  are known as the Vyahrtis, and the highest of all of them is the Satya-Loka - which is held to be  the home of truth and is also where Brahma is said to live. The upper Lokas then descend through various levels, all containing various supreme and good deities, until we get back to Earth, which  is the first (and lowest) of the upperworlds.  

From here, though, we can descend further into the lower seven Lokas, which are called the Patalas. At all the lower stages we encounter various demons and malevolent forces, until we finally arrive at the lowest and worst level, the Naga-Loka. To move from top to bottom of the Lokas, then, is a journey from wisdom and enlightenment to immorality and sin.  

And, with Earth situated close to the centre, it’s easy to see that the lesson contained  here is that we, mere human beings, can wind up rising or falling, depending  on the actions we take during our lives. So now, we have a full and rich picture of the Hindu reality. Let’s recap. First, there’s the idea that the universe moves through a cycle of  births and rebirths, producing new universes every time. 

This cycle is guided by the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and carries on indefinitely. Second, we have the idea that this cycle is happening across endless universes (not just this one) that exist on a higher plane of reality. These multiple universes are many-layered and are self-contained. Third, and finally, inside each of these many, cyclical universes, there’s a fundamental structure of Lokas, split across fourteen levels in total. Earth itself is in the middle, but there are many other realms above and below Earth, too the highest of which promises peace, the lowest of which promises torment.

  

For the most part, the myths and legends suggest that travelling across the multiverse is difficult, if not impossible. And many of those who do achieve it only do so with the help of at  least one divine being. But, to finish, we’ll again highlight the distinction made at the top  of this video, between physical matter and the non-physical spirit. When considered against the  backdrop of the multiverse, we encounter the possibility that the spirit can go to places that are otherwise impossible for our physical bodies to reach. 

We’re imbued with consciousness, imagination, and emotions like love, fear, and hope. And it’s these that colour (or cloud) our experience of life. And it’s perhaps through these that we can gain a greater understanding. The multiverse in Hindu cosmology is perhaps, then, as much a spiritual concept as it is a  physical one. There are elements of it that share similarities with emerging theories in physical  science, yes but to truly explore this particular version of the multiverse you must prepare  for a journey deep into your soul. 

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