Cosmology

Hindu culture has no single cosmology
but rather several different systems,
each of which is well established in its
own right. The oldest model appears in
the Rg Veda (10.90), the oldest Hindu
religious text, and is known as the
Purusha Sukta (“Hymn to the Primeval
Man”). This hymn describes the creation of the world and all living beings
as the result of the sacrifice of the
primeval man (purusha). Different parts
of his body become different parts of the
physical universe and the traditional
social groups. Another Vedic metaphor
is that of the Golden Embryo, which is
the only existing thing until it develops
into Prajapati, the creator of the universe. A third version, that of the Cosmic
Egg, is found in the later religious texts
known as the puranas, which are compilations of mythology and lore.
According to this image, the entire universe is originally contained in the
Cosmic Egg. Once it is broken, the egg’s
constituent parts (shell, white, yolk, and
membranes) become all of the things of
the earth. The final cosmological image
from the puranas, and perhaps the most
common, begins with the god Vishnu
floating in the sea of cosmic dissolution
(pralaya), lying on the back of his serpent
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Cosmology
couch, Shesha. When the time for creation comes, a lotus sprouts from
Vishnu’s navel and opens to reveal the
god Brahma, who begins the process of
creation. This process reverses at the
onset of the cosmic dissolution, with
Brahma being reabsorbed into Vishnu’s
body. Despite their differing symbols, all
of these models share the conviction
that the universe has come from a single
source and thus that the entire cosmos
is an organic whole.
Although there are many models for
the origin of the cosmos, there is wider
agreement about its geography. The universe is generally considered to have
three tiers, and each of these tiers can
have multiple levels. The visible world is
considered the middle tier, sandwiched
between the heavens of the upper world
(often numbered as seven) and the
realms of the underworld. Some of the
latter are hells, whereas some of these
lower worlds are simply considered to
be alternate realms of existence. The visible world is often described as a series
of concentric landmasses (dvipas) separated from each other by seven oceans
(the saptasindhu), each composed of a
different substance. The innermost of
these landmasses is Jambudvipa, whose
center is the mythical Mount Meru,
often identified with Mount Kailas in
the Himalayas. In traditional cosmology
Mount Meru stands at the center of the
universe and is compared to the central
calyx of a lotus. Mount Meru is surrounded by mountain ranges, with a different region in each of the cardinal
directions. The region south of Mount
Meru is the land known as Bharata, the
traditional name for the Indian subcontinent. Bharata is said to be superior to
the other three regions of Jambudvipa
because only in Bharata are religious rituals correctly performed. In its mythic
geography, therefore, India is considered the center of the universe and the
best possible place to live to pursue religious life. For further information see
Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van
Buitenen, Classical Hindu Mythology,
\1978. See also cosmic time.