Bhuvanakośa in the Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa

Bhuvanakośa means “the treasury of the worlds”. It is the part of a Purāṇa that describes how the universe is laid out. In the Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa, the Bhuvanakośa explains the seven higher worlds (lokas) above, the seven lower worlds (pātālas) below, and Bhūloka, our earth, in the middle.

This teaching appears in the early chapters of the Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, as part of the wide scope of the Skanda Purāṇa. It adds to the tīrtha-māhātmya (the glory of the holy place) of Guptakshetra by showing exactly where Guptakshetra stands within the whole universe.

The Seven Upper Lokas

Above and including Bhūloka, the Purāṇa describes seven planes of existence, each rising above the last:

  1. Bhūloka: the earth, the realm of humans and other embodied beings
  2. Bhuvarloka: the sky region between the earth and the sun
  3. Svarloka (Svarga): the realm of the devas, where Indra and his court live
  4. Maharloka: the realm of the great ṛshis who survive the partial dissolution of the worlds
  5. Janaloka: the realm of the mind-born sons of Brahmā
  6. Tapoloka: the realm of the greatest tapasvīs (those who practise intense austerity)
  7. Satyaloka (Brahmaloka): the highest realm, the home of Brahmā, and the last station before liberation

The higher lokas become ever more subtle and full of light, and more and more free from the suffering found on Bhūloka. Souls who gather enough puṇya (merit) through right conduct, yajña (fire offering) and bhakti (loving devotion) rise to these planes. Even so, they must in time come back down and be born again. The exceptions are those who reach Satyaloka, or who reach Śivaloka or Vishṇuloka through bhakti.

The Seven Lower Worlds (Pātālas)

Below Bhūloka lie seven worlds, one beneath the other. Asuras, nāgas (divine serpent beings), dānavas and other non-human beings live there:

  1. Atala
  2. Vitala
  3. Sutala
  4. Talātala
  5. Mahātala
  6. Rasātala
  7. Pātāla

Below all the pātālas is Naraka, the realm where the results of pāpa (wrong deeds) are suffered. The Purāṇas do not describe Naraka as a place of endless punishment. It is a passing stage where the soul lives through the karmic results of its wrong deeds before it returns to the cycle of births.

The Holy Geography of the Earth

Within Bhūloka, the Bhuvanakośa of the Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa describes the seven dvīpas (island-continents). Jambūdvīpa, the continent that contains Bhārata (India), lies at the centre. Within Bhārata, the holy land is centred on the Himālaya and the great river systems. Guptakshetra, at the Mahīsāgara Saṅgama (the meeting of the Mahī river with the sea), lies within this sacred geography. It is a place where the holiness of the earth is especially concentrated.

The Two Paths: Arcirmārga and Dhūmamārga

The Bhuvanakośa teaching is closely linked to the teaching of the two paths the soul can take after death:

  • Arcirmārga (the path of flame or light): taken by those who have gained true knowledge, or who have performed yajña without wanting its fruits. This path leads through a series of bright stages to Brahmaloka and, for those who are fully free, to moksha (liberation). It does not lead back to rebirth.
  • Dhūmamārga or Kālamārga (the path of smoke or darkness): taken by those who have done good deeds but wanted their fruits. This path leads to Svarga, where the merit is enjoyed, and then back to Bhūloka through a new birth. It means returning to saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death).

In the story of Kālabhīti, the child in the womb refused to be born for four years. His refusal came from fear of exactly this Kālamārga, the path that passes through Svarga and Naraka but never leads to lasting liberation.

Sources

  • Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, early chapters
  • Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 40