The higher worlds⁴⁰

Cambridge, I bow to your aspiration-height. I bow to your knowledge-light. I bow to your divine pride. True, you are in England, you are of England, but you are also of the world at large. The entire world claims you as its very own.

There are seven higher worlds and seven lower worlds. The higher worlds are: Bhur, Bhuvar, Swar, Jana, Mahar, Tapas and Satya. One of the Upanishads names seven higher regions. These are: Agniloka, Vayuloka, Varunaloka, Adityaloka, Indraloka, Prajapatiloka and Brahmaloka. Certain spiritual figures are of the opinion that the first-mentioned group of the worlds corresponds to the second. Others, equally qualified, dispute this. Strangely enough, all without exception agree that the world Satya and Brahmaloka are one and the same.

We can enter into these worlds on the strength of our aspiration and receptivity. When we have aspiration and receptivity, these worlds can never remain a far cry.

Aspiration. What do we mean by this term? The inner cry, the mounting flame within us. Aspiration is reality’s constant necessity.

Receptivity. How can we have receptivity? We can have receptivity if we grow into purity and sincerity. When sincerity and purity loom large and important in our earthly existence, then we can easily have receptivity.

A sincere seeker needs aspiration and receptivity. Without aspiration, he is rootless. Without receptivity, he is fruitless.

The higher worlds. Each individual seeker has the divine right to enter into the higher worlds. His aspiration can easily guide him and lead him to God’s Throne. To enter into the high, higher, highest worlds, what we need is the inner cry. We cry for name and fame. But if we inwardly cried for abundant peace, light and bliss here on earth, then our entire being could be flooded with peace, light and bliss.

These higher worlds are within us and not without. When we concentrate, when we meditate, when we contemplate, we enter into these higher worlds. When we concentrate dynamically, we near the door of these higher worlds. When we meditate soulfully, we enter into the room divine. When we contemplate unreservedly, and unconditionally, we reach God’s Throne.

Since we aspire to enter into the higher worlds, we pray to the Cosmic Gods. We feel that the Cosmic Gods will come to our aid and they will help us enter into the higher worlds.

Here, at this point, I would like to invoke the soul of Marcus Aurelius: “Either the gods have the power to assist us, or they have not. If they have not, what does praying to them signify? If they have, why do you not pray that they would remove your desires rather than satisfy them, set you above fear rather than keep away the thing you are afraid of?”

Now, if we want to enter the higher worlds in order to fulfil our desires, then we can never enter higher worlds. We can enter the higher worlds only when it is the Will of our Inner Pilot, the Lord Supreme. When we go deep within, when we meditate for a couple of hours, if our meditation is most soulful and, at the same time, unconditional, then we will envision the higher worlds. No sincere seeker of the highest Truth, the Ultimate Truth, will be denied the higher worlds.

Porphyry throws additional light on the matter, “We must ask of God only such gifts as are worthy of God, that is to say, such things as we cannot obtain from any except God.”

In order to enter into the higher worlds what we need is sincerity; what we need is purity; what we need is peace; what we need is delight.

Sincerity: Inner beauty’s other name is sincerity.
Purity: The name of God’s first child is purity.
Peace: Peace is unity’s sovereignty and multiplicity’s divinity.
Delight: Delight is the name of God’s permanent Home.

There are two things we observe in our day-to-day life: the human and the divine. In everything we do, say or grow into, we see either the divine or the human.

The human world and the divine world. A clever man is he who knows how to deal with the outer world. He does not want to be deceived by the world, by mankind, but unconsciously or consciously he deceives the world, the world of ignorance. A wise man is he who knows all about the inner world, the higher worlds within. He does not deceive anybody. He wants to conquer the outer world, the world of ignorance. But his is not the conquest of Caesar, “I came, I saw, I conquered” — Veni, vidi, vici. Far from it. When a wise man wants to conquer ignorance, he does so only because his inner being compels him to transform the face of the world. He does not take pride in conquering the world. No. Feeling the breath of ignorance, he feels it is his bounden duty to transform ignorance into knowledge, darkness into light, death into Immortality.

There are two ways to enter into the higher worlds. One is the way of knowledge, the other is the way of devotion.

Knowledge: I am the knowledge, I am the known, I am the knower.
Devotion: I am devotion, I am dedication and I am salvation.

Knowledge enlarges itself, expands itself into Infinity. Devotion identifies itself with the absolute Truth. On the strength of its identification, devotion grows into Infinity.

A sincere seeker of the Ultimate Truth can follow either the path of knowledge or the path of devotion. But at the end of the journey’s close, the seeker who follows the path of knowledge and the seeker who follows the path of devotion will meet and shake hands, because they have reached the selfsame Goal.

We live either in the world of human thought or in the world of Divine Will. Human thought slows down and dies out, but the Divine Will constantly grows and swiftly flows.

Similarly, human power is born of futility. Divine power is born of reality.

Finally, we observe our love: human love and Divine Love. Human love is an express train — destination: frustration. Divine Love is a local train — destination: illumination. Human physical love is slow poison. Divine Love is the running stream and the unceasing source of nectar. Human love can be transcended. Divine Love can be manifested. Human love is fruitless expectation. Divine Love is fulfilled perfection.

Unconditional love is what God is.
Unreserved devotion is what man needs.
Mutual surrender is what God and man offer one another.

When the power of love replaces the love of power, man will have a new name: God.

The Golden Hour, God’s Hour, is dawning fast. Let us offer our heart’s aspiration to the lofty realisation of the seers of the hoary past,

Anandadd hy eva khalv imani bhutani jayante
Anandena jatani jivanti
Anandam prayantyabhisam visanti

From Delight we came into existence.
In Delight we grow.
At the end of our journey’s close, into Delight we shall retire.