Sūtra 3.25

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 3.25:

भुवनज्ञानं सूर्ये संयमात् ॥ ३.२५ ॥

bhuvanajñānaṃ sūrye saṃyamāt || 3.25 ||

bhuvana-jñānam—the knowledge of the regions. sūrye—on the sun. saṃyamāt—by Saṃyama.

25. By Saṃyama on the sun, knowledge of the regions.—131.

The Sankhya-pravachana commentary of Vyasa

[English translation of the 7th century commentary by Vyāsa called the Sāṅkhya-pravacana, Vyāsabhāṣya or Yogabhāṣya]

[Sanskrit text for commentary available]

Their detail:—There are seven regions. Of these beginning from Avīci up to the back of the Meru, is the region called Bhur.

Beginning from the back of the Meru up to the pole-star adorned with planets, asterisms and stars, is the starry region, the Antarīkṣa.

Beyond this is the region Svar, having five planes. The third is Mahendra; the fourth is the Maharloka of the lords of creation; after this is the three-fold Brahma region. These are the Janaloka, the Tapoloka and the Satyaloka.

‘First comes the triple plane
Of Brahmā’s region high;
Creation’s lords have then
Their region; and then,
Cometh Indra’s region—
Know all these as Heaven;
Then come the stars above,
And the last cometh Bhur.’

This verse puts all these together.

Then up to the Avīci, one placed above the other, are the six great hells, the Mahākāla (1), the Ambarīṣa (2), the Raurava (3), the Mahāraurava (4), the Kālasūtra (5), and the Andhatāmisra (6), in which are the excesses of earth, air, fire, ākāśa, and darkness respectively. Here are born beings who are to suffer from the consequences of their stored up Karma.

Then are the seven Pātālas, the nether worlds, Sutala, Vitala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala, Atala and Pātāla.

The eighth is this earth, having seven dvīpas and known as Vasumatī. In the middle thereof is the golden king of mountains, the Sumeru. Its peaks are of silver, coral, crystal, gold and pearl. Here, blue like the leaf of the blue lotus, on account of the sheen of the emerald, is the southern region of the heavens; the eastern is white, the western bright, and the northern yellow.

And on its right side is the Jambu (tree), whence is this called the Jambudvīpa. Its night and day take their round of existence from the motion of the sun.

This has three northern mountain chains having blue and white peaks. Their length is 2,000 yojanas. Surrounded by these mountains are three continents, 9,000 yojanas each. They are Ramaṇaka, Hiraṇmaya, and Uttarakuru.

To the south are the three mountain chains, Niṣāda, Hemakūṭa, and Hemaśṛṅga, 2,000 yojanas in extension each. Among these are continents, Harivarṣa, Kimpuruṣa and Bhārata. The eastern regions of Sumeru are bounded by Bhadrāśa and Malayavat, the western by Ketumāla and Gandhamādana.

In the middle is the continent of Ilāvṛita. All this is one hundred thousand yojanas of Sumeru, each side being half that dimension.

It is to be known that this Jambudvīpa is 100,000 yojanas in dimension. It is surrounded by double its extent of salt ocean.

Each twice as large as the preceding one are the other dvīpas: Śaka, Kuśa, Krauñca, Sālmala [Śālmala?], Gomedha, and Puṣkara. So are the seven oceans. There are beautiful mountains looking like mustard seed. The seven oceans which surround these like bracelets, taste as sugar-cane, wine, clarified butter, curds, gruel and milk (besides the salt one). They reach up to the real horizon. They measure fifty crores of yojanas (500,000,000). All this is well arranged in the sphere of phenomenal world.

Here then in the Pātālas, the oceans and the mountains are the habitations of the elementals. The asuras, gandharvas, the kinnaras, yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, pretas, piśācas, apasmarakas, apsaras, brahmarākṣasas, kusmāṇḍas [kūṣmāṇḍas?], and vināyakas, live there.

In the dvīpas live good men and gods. Sumera is the garden of the gods. The gardens are Miśravana Nandana, Caitrāratha, and Sumānasa. Sudharmā is the council of the gods, Sudarśana is their city; Vaijayanta their palace.

Above the Sumeru is the astral region, in which the planets, asterisms and stars move round, the pole-star, carried on in their courses by certain motive forces (Vayus).

In the Mahendraloka live six classes of devas, the Tridaśas, Agniṣvāttās, Yāmyas, Tuṣitas, Aparanirmitavaśavartins, and Parinirmitavaśavartins. All of them have the power of fulfilment of desires by mere thoughts, and are possessed of the attainments known Aṇimā, &c. Their life-times are measured by a Kalpa. They are very beautiful. They enjoy their desires. Their bodies come into existence without parents, by the mere force of their good actions. They have good and obedient nymphs in their families.

In the great Prājāpatya regions there are five descriptions of gods; Kumudas, Ribhus [Ṛbhus?], Pratardanas, Añjanābhas, and Pracitābhas. They have the Mabābhūtas in their power. Contemplation is their food. They live on for a thousand Kalpas.

In the the first sphere of Brahmā, the Janaloka, there are four classes of gods, the Brahmapurohitas, the Brahmakāyikas, the Brahmamahākāyikas, and the Amaras. They have power over the elements and the powers of sensation and action. Each lives twice as long as the preceding one.

In the second, the Tapoloka, there are three classes of gods, the Abhāsvaras, the Mahābhāsvaras, and the Satyamahāsvaras. They have power over the source of elements and powers, the tanmātras. Each lives twice as long as the preceding one.

All of them are nourished by contemplation. Their knowledge is not checked in the region above them. There is nothing which is hidden from them on the lower planes.

In the third sphere of Brahmā, the Satyaloka, live four classes of gods, the Acyutas, the Suddhanivāsa, the Satyābhās and the Saṃjñāsaṃjñins. They do not build habitations. They live in themselves, one above the other. They have their power over the Mūlaprakṛti. They live on till the end of creations. Of these, the Acyutas enjoy the bliss of the Indistinctive trance (savitarka samādhi); the Suddhanivāsas enjoy the bliss of the Meditative trance. The Satyābhās revel in pure bliss, (ānanda). The Saṃjñāsaṃjñins are happy in the Egoistic trance. They live within the three regions (trilokī).

These are the seven regions including the Brahmalokas. The Videhas and the Pakṛtilayas have reached the state of quasi-freedom, they have therefore not been placed in the phenomenal world.

All this, the yet unseen, the Yogī must see by performing Saṃyama over the solar entrance and thence over the connected objects. Let him practise until all becomes clear.—131.

The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra

[English translation of the 9th century Tattvavaiśāradī by Vācaspatimiśra]

‘Knowledge of the regions by Saṃyama over the sun.’

First, the Commentator describes the seven regions briefly up to the end of the verse which puts them together. Then he takes up in detailed description:—‘Then up from Avīci, etc.’ The word ‘ghana’ is used for Pṛthivī (earth). These great regions are to bo understood as having many sub-divisions. He gives their other names:—‘The Mahākāla, &c.’ ‘Its night and day take their round of existence from the motion of the sun.’ Whichever portion the sun leaves, there is night. Whichever the sun adorns there is day.

He gives the dimensions of the whole of the Jambudvīpa. This is a hundred thousand yojanas. How is this hundred thousand arranged? Half of it, that is fifty thousand, is placed on either side of the Meṛu. It is for this reason that the Meru is the middle thereof. The oceans are twice each. They are like heaps of mustard seed. As the heap of mustard seed is neither above the ground like a heap of barley, nor yet level with the surface of the earth, so are the oceans also. They are adorned by mountains as with ornaments. Such are the dvīpas. All this sphere of the earth is very well arranged in the body of Brahmā’s Egg together with the seven dvīpas and all its forests and mountains, cities, oceans, which surround it like a necklace.

Now he shows who live there in different places:—‘Here then in the Pātālas, &c.’

He mentions the arrangement of the Sumeru:—‘Sumeru is the garden of the gods.’

Having described the Bhurloka with its various details, he now describes the Antarīkṣaloka as well with details:—‘Above the Sumeru is the astral region, &c.’

‘Operation of motive forces,’ means the working of the forces.

He describes the heaven world:—‘In the Mahendra loka, &c.’

‘Classes of gods’ means species of gods. He describes the highest of powers of all the six:—‘All of them have the power of fulfilment, &c.’ Desirable objects come to them by the mere force of wishing for them. They are very beautiful, adorable. ‘They enjoy their desires This means that they are fond of the sex-passion.

He describes the Maharloka:—⁴ In the great, &c.’ ‘They have the Mahābhūtas in their power.’ Whatever they like, the Mahābhūtas supply them with. The Mahābhūtas take this and that form in obedience to and in accordance with their wishes.

‘Contemplation is their food’:—They are satisfied by mere contemplation and grow thereby.

He describes the Janaloka:—‘In the first of the Brahmalokas, &c.’ ‘They have power over the elements and the powers of sensation, &c.’ The elements are the Pṛthvī, &c. The powers are the senses of hearing, &c. Howsoever they desire to employ these, they do so employ them.

Following the order of the above description he now takes up the second region of Brahmā:—‘In the second, &c., they have power over the source, &c.’ The source is the five tanmātras. They have power over them. The Āgamis say that by their wish the tanmātras take the form of any body they desire.

‘Each lives twice as much as the preceding one’:—The Mahābhāsvaras have twice the limit of the age of the Abhāsvaras; the Satyamahāsvaras have double their age. This is the meaning.

‘Their knowledge is not checked in the region above them ‘Above’ means in the Satyaloka. From the Avīci up to the Tapaloka whatever is there of the subtle and remote, they know.

He describes the third region of Brahmā, the Satyaloka:—‘In the third sphere of Brahmā, &c.’ ‘They do not build habitations, houses.’ Because they have no place where to support themselves, they live in themselves independent of any support in space.

They have power over the Mūlaprakṛti. The three qualities, the Sattva, the Rajas and the Tamas, function in accordance with their wishes. They live up to the end of creation. And so it is heard:—Having reached the performance of a function similar to that of Brahmā, their spirits are prepared for that, and they accordingly reach the highest state.

Having described the generic function of the gods, he now takes their names and describes the specific functions of each ‘Of these the Acyutas, &c? The gods named Acyutas derive their happiness by the contemplation of gross objects. They are satisfied thereby. The gods known as Suddhanivāsins find happiness in the contemplation of subtle objects; they are pleased thereby. The gods named Satyābhās derive happiness from the contemplation of the objects of the senses. The Saṃjñāsaṃjñins derive their happiness from the contemplation of egoism alone, and are pleased thereby. All these take up the Cognitive trance.

Why are the performers of the ultra-cognitive trance, the Videhas and the Prakṛtilayas, not placed within the lokas? Those whose Will-to-be is active and shows objects to the Puruṣa, carry on the evolution of the universe and are, therefore, within the world. Not so the Videhas and the Prakṛtilayas, even though their minds have still their duty to fulfil. All this up to the Satyaloka and down to the Avīci, the Yogi should know in the solar entrance, i.e., the tube called Suṣumnā.

Even by this much all is not known. For this reason he says:—‘And thence on other objects besides the Suṣumnā, wherever the teacher of Yoga points out, until all this world becomes visible.’

The essence of the Will-to-know is by its very nature possessed of the power of illuminating the universe. Being however covered by darkness it illuminates only those regions from which the cover is removed by Rajas. When the solar entrance is uncovered, the regions are illuminated. This rule does not apply elsewhere. The Saṃyama performed elsewhere has only the power of unveiling as much of the Buddhic essence, as the Saṃyama is performed with reference to. Thus all is plain.—25.