Vyoma Māhātmya

Vyoma Māhātmya · vyoma māhātmya, “the glory of the Vyoma”

The Vyoma Māhātmya is the section of the Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, in the Saptamī Kalpa, that tells the greatness of the Vyoma, the weapon of Bhagavān Sūrya. King Śatānīka asks Sumantu Muni what the Vyoma seen in front of Sūryadeva is. Sumantu Muni answers with the description of the Bhuvana Kośa: the thirty-three devas and the other deva groups, the Manus and Indras, the Saptarshis, Maruts and Agnis, time, the Pitṛs, the grahas and their measures, and the lokas with their dwellers. All of these rest in the Vyoma, and one who worships the Vyoma worships all the devatās.

The Vyoma: the weapon of Bhagavān Sūrya

The Vyoma-sthāna, made of all the devas, with four śṛṅgas (horns, spread on four sides), is in the front part of Sūryadeva’s presence. As the pāśa is to Varuṇa, the huṃkāra to Brahmā, the cakra to Bhagavān Vishṇu, the triśūla to Bhagavān Śiva and the vajra to Indra, so is the Vyoma to Bhagavān Sūrya. In that Vyoma the thirty-three yājñika devas play.

The thirty-three devas

The other deva groups

The ten Viśvedevas who exist now are Kratu, Daksha, Vasu, Satya, Kāla, Kāma, Dhṛti, Kuru, Śaṅkumātra and Vāmana.

Those to come are Yama, the Tushitas, the Vastus, the Vaśavartis, the Satyas, the Bhūtarajas, and after them the Sādhyas. Thus in six manvantaras there are twelve devas each.

The twelve devas called Sādhyas are Manu, Anumanta, Prāṇa, Nara, Nārāyaṇa, Vṛttilamba, Manu, Sama, Dharma, Vīryavān, Vitteśa and Prabhu. They are yajñabhuks (those who partake of yajña), devas worshipped in all lokas, the offspring born of Aditi to Kaśyapa. The Viśvedevas, the Vasus and the Sādhyas are the sons of Dharma. So Soma, the son of Dharma, is the third Vasu, and Dharma is the son of Brahmā.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 125

The Manus

The first Manu is Svāyambhuva. After him come Svārocisha, Uttama, Tāmasa, Raivata and Cākshusha. These six have passed. The seventh, Vaivasvata, is the present one. Seven more will come: Arkasāvarṇi, Bahusāvarṇi, Bhavasāvarṇi, Dharusāvarṇi and Dakasāvarṇi, the five Sāvarṇis, and after them Raucya and Bhautya. So there are fourteen Manus in all.

The Indras

The fourteen Indras are Vishṇubhuk, Vidyuti, Vibhu, Prabhu, Śikhi, Manojava, Ojasvī, the Indra of the present time, Bali, Bhāvya, Adbhuta, Susāttvika, Kīrti, Śatadhāma and Divaspati.

The Saptarshis, the Maruts and the Agnis

The Saptarshis are Kaśyapa, Atri, Vasishṭha, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni.

The seven Maruts move in the antariksha on separate paths: Pravaha, Āvaha, Udvaha, Saṃvaha, Vivaha, Nīvaha and Parīvaha. At seven in each gaṇa, there are forty-nine.

Śuci, Vaidyuta and Pāvaka are the Sūryāgnis. The fire produced by the churning of the araṇi is named Pavana. Among the Agnis, counting sons and grandsons, there are forty in all.

Time and the Pitṛs

From Vyoma were born Kāla, Saṃvatsara, Agni and the Ṛtus. The five sons of Ṛtu are Saṃvatsara, Parivatsara, Idvatsara, Anuvatsara and Vatsara. Saṃvatsara is Agni, Parivatsara is Sūrya, Idvatsara is Soma, Anuvatsara is Vāyu and Vatsara is Rudra. These five are the Yuga-devatās. The five Vatsaras are the sons of Brahmā.

The sons of Ṛtu are the Pitṛs, and the sons of Kratu the Pitāmahas. The Saumyas, Barhishads and Agnishvāttas are the Pitṛs of living men.

The grahas

The grahas are Sūrya, Candra, Aṅgāraka, Budha, Bṛhaspati, Śukra, Śanaiścara, Rāhu and Ketu. They show the rise and fall of the three lokas. Sūrya and Candra are the maṇḍala grahas, Rāhu is the chāyā graha, and the rest are the tārā grahas. The master of the nakshatras is Candra, and the master of the grahas is Sūrya. Sūrya is Agni and Candra is water. Among the grahas Sūrya is Brahmā, Candra is Vishṇu, and the remaining tārā grahas are Rudra.

Sūrya is the son of Kaśyapa, Candra the son of Dharma, Guru and Śukra the sons of Prajāpati, Budha the son of Soma, Śani the son of Sūrya, Rāhu the son of Siṃhikā, and Ketu the son of Brahmā.

Sūrya moves on the lowest level of all the grahas. Then, going upward, come Candra’s nakshatra-maṇḍala, Kuja and Budha, Śukra, the tārāgraha-maṇḍala, Bṛhaspati, Śani and Rāhu. Svarga is attached to Dhruva. Resting on Āditya, Rāhu stands and moves always.

The measures are these:

  • Śukra has an extent of nine thousand yojanas.
  • Śanaiścara has twice the extent of Sūrya.
  • The nakshatra-maṇḍala has three times the extent of Candra.
  • Bṛhaspati has one pāda (quarter) less than the nakshatra-maṇḍala.
  • Śukra and Aṅgāraka have one pāda less than Bṛhaspati.
  • Budha has one quarter less than the maṇḍala of Śukra and Aṅgāraka.
  • All the stars in the sky are of the same extent as Budha, and no star among them is smaller than half a yojana.
  • Rāhu is of the measure of Sūrya, and sometimes of the measure of Candra.
  • Ketu alone is never of one measure. His movement too is without rule, for he is restless, and he takes on many forms.

The lokas and their dwellers

The earth is Bhūrloka, the antariksha is Bhuvarloka and svarga is Svarloka. The upper lokas stand each above the other. Agni is ever the king of Bhūloka and is called Bhūpati. Vāyu is Nabhaspati. Sūrya is Divaspati.

  • Bhūloka: the gandharvas, apsarās, guhyakas, siddhas and rākshasas.
  • Bhuvarloka: the Marudgaṇa, the Rudragaṇa and the Aśvins.
  • Svarloka: the Ādityas, Vasus and devagaṇas.
  • Maharloka: the Kalpavāsis, with the Prajāpatis.
  • Janoloka: the ṛshis named Jana.
  • Tapoloka: Ṛtu, Sanatkumāra and the others who belong to Brahmā.
  • Satyaloka: also called Brahmaloka, the place of those who have no return. Those who know Purāṇa and Itihāsa play there, and those who listen to the Purāṇas dwell there too.

Dhruva stands a hundred crore yojanas above the earth. From there up to twenty lakh yojanas is named the region of the three lokas.

The Vyoma as the seat of all

Eight jātis are devayonis: devas, dānavas, gandharvas, yakshas, rākshasas, pannagas, bhūtagaṇas and vidyādharas. The seven lokas are established in the Vyoma. In this very Vyoma dwell the Maruts, the Pitṛs, the Agnis, the grahas and these eight jātis, some with form and some without. All rests in it. All devatās and all grahas are in it.

The phalaśruti

Therefore one who worships the Vyoma worships all the devatās. One who desires what is auspicious must worship the Vyoma with every effort. One who, full of bhakti and śraddhā, worships the Vyoma goes to Sūryaloka. “O king, there is no doubt of this.”

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 125

Sources

  • Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 125