Guruji Sanjay Rath: The number 7 is very important. It is the number of Ketu. We have nine Grahas and one Lagna, which is the 10th. The decimal system is very ancient in India, and it was spread later into the rest of the world. Lagna is zero. Sūrya is 1. Candra is 2. Guru is 3. Rāhu is 4. Budha is 5. Śukra is 6. Ketu is 7. Śani is 8. Maṅgala is 9. Number 7 is the number of mokṣa. 7 is the number of creation, which is linked to the 7 horses of Sūrya’s chariot. 7 is the number related to our coming into this world. 7 is the number of going away from this world. There are Sapta Lokas, sapta means seven. Mukti is accomplished once you cross these Sapta Lokas. There are 7 Lokas above and 7 Lokas below. Beyond this universe is the home of Bhagavān; some people call it Vaikuṇṭha, some call it Kailāśa, some call it Gopura. People call that by various kinds of names. That is the home of Bhagavān after crossing the 7 Lokas. Below us are Sapta Talas. After falling below Sapta Talas, there are 14 Narakas. Today we will talk about Sapta Lokas. These are very important for Jyotiṣa. The Jīvātma and Jaḍātma are on Pṛthvī Loka, the entire earth. Above earth is the solar system. This solar system is called Bhuvar Loka. The Sun, Moon and the planets are in Bhuvar Loka. Once you cross the solar system, you will find galaxies and stars; that is Svarga Loka. In our viewpoint, which is a geocentric viewpoint, we can see and know the form called Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ. That’s why we do Oṃ Bhūr Bhuvaḥ Svaḥ. This gives all the knowledge that resides in these three Lokas. That’s why we add this before Gāyatrī and other mantras, to have all this knowledge. These three are the physical planes, and they have a body. Above these physical Lokas, there are four non-physical Lokas. You can’t see them in the sky. Mahar Loka is above Svarga Loka. Janar Loka is beyond and above Mahar Loka. Tapaḥ Loka is above Jana Loka. Satya Loka is above Tapaḥ Loka. It means there are 7 paths to reach Bhagavān. There are so many religions in the world, but if a religion doesn’t have the truth, it will be finished one day. This is Satya. This is the same for all religions. But below Satya Loka is Tapaḥ Loka.
Tapaḥ means penance. The penance of a Hindu is different from that of a Muslim or a Christian. But still there will be a lot of similarity. But as you keep coming downward from Satya Loka to the earth, all religions start having drastic differences in theory. So, Satya Loka is highest. Vasudeva was the father of Kṛṣṇa because of Satya. Why did Kṛṣṇa not choose you or me or anyone else to become his father? Will Kalki Avatāra become your son? That chance can come in your life only if you are equivalent to Vasudeva. Vasudeva is the one who is always truthful from body, from mind, and from speech. Vasudeva was absolutely truthful. Viṣṇu can take incarnation as your son only and only if you are 100% truthful; absolutely perfect Satya should be present in you. In the Bhagavad Gītā, you will find only one mantra: Oṃ Tat Sat. That’s why the Gītā is considered to be the highest. Bṛhaspati became the Lord of Satya Loka. So, seven planets show the path of seven Lokas. Tell me, which is the fastest Graha, that traverses at the highest speed among all the planets? Candra is fastest. Then comes Budha in second place. Then comes Śukra in third place. Then comes Sūrya in fourth place. Then Maṅgala in 5th place. Then Guru in 6th and Śani in 7th place. Candra > Budha > Śukra > Sūrya > Maṅgala > Guru > Śani. So, if you write these Grahas rank-wise from top to bottom, and start with Bṛhaspati at the top, i.e., Satya Loka, Śani rules Tapaḥ Loka, the 6th Loka. Candra rules Jana Loka, the 5th Loka. Budha rules Mahar Loka, the 4th Loka. Śukra rules Svarga Loka, the 3rd Loka. Sūrya rules Bhuvar Loka, the 2nd Loka. Maṅgala rules Bhū Loka.
Use the word instead of Earth, because that is the word which can grant mukti from this Loka. The only king in Bhū Loka is Maṅgala. And Maṅgala rules by strength and weapon. How does Maṅgala gain strength? He rules by controlling more and more land. This is the basic rule of this Loka. The word Mahārāja means great. In history, the word great has been used with personages like Aśoka the Great and Alexander the Great; both killed innumerable numbers of people. Aśoka burnt the whole of Kaliṅga, so he is called great. That’s why this word is a misnomer; it is a joke. What have they done except killing people? That’s how they expanded their empire. Akbar the Great. You see the joke that I am trying to say? Is Buddha not great? Is Śaṅkarācārya not great? Is Christ not great? People and the English language have made a joke of our spirituality. So, what is the measure of greatness? Maṅgala is the measure of greatness. Maṅgala is the king of this world. This Bhū Loka is called Mṛtyu Loka, because Mṛtyu is the son of Maṅgala Mahārāja. Whoever is born on earth will die one day. Maṅgala will give this gift of death to everyone. No one can save you from death. This is Mṛtyu Loka.
What is the next Loka? Next is Bhuvar Loka. We also call it the solar system. Grahas are in this Loka. The most powerful among them is Sūrya and he is the king of this Loka. The sequence of Grahas that we used to find the Lord of a Loka is important and will be used in finding the Lord of Horā.
Next Loka is Svarga Loka, and Indra is the king of this Loka. The most powerful Graha in this realm is Śukra. Bhoga and vilāsa keep going on in this Loka. Menakā, Rambhā and all other Apsarās are there to entertain Indra and other Devas of his court. When their karmas get finished, they will fall back to Pṛthvī Loka. The Graha that is dominant in a Loka gives its guṇa and qualities in that Loka. In Bhuvar Loka, Sūrya’s light is everywhere. But in Svarga Loka, Śukra’s guṇa is everywhere and is the most dominant. This Loka has Nakṣatra Maṇḍala. With the Nakṣatras we get to know the luxuries a person will enjoy in this life. The word Indra is derived from indriya, which means senses. However, senses are of various types. Indra tests your senses; if you have weak senses, you will fall to lower realms.
Next Loka is Mahar Loka. Mahān people have the souls which had been at a stage in their life where many people derived their livelihood through them. This is the identification of Mahān people. They give jobs to thousands. For example, Dhirūbhāi Ambānī. This is the Loka of Budha. The test in this Loka is whether it is you who are using wealth, or whether it is wealth that is consuming you. Have you risen above it? Who is the king of this Loka? Karma Yogī is Mahān.
Next Loka is Janar Loka. It has the souls which have done very good deeds for the world, for the betterment of common people, like Mother Teresa and Florence Nightingale. They are better than Mahān personages because the latter was a Karma Yogī in his own karma, but these did everything for others. This is a very good deed. Candra is the dominant Graha here. You helped mother nature in her work and took care of her children. That’s why, with the blessing of mother nature, Śakti, these souls go to Jana Loka.
The next Loka is Tapaḥ Loka. Sādhus go there. The Lord is Śani Mahārāja. Śani is the significator of tapas, i.e., strong, severe penance. There is only one way to go to this Loka, and that is through severe penance. There is no other method to go there. There is no other excuse to go there. By doing good worldly deeds in this life, the highest Loka that you can reach is Jana Loka, but never beyond that. Tapas is higher than that. The highest penance is the practice of absolute truth. That’s why Satya Loka is higher than that. Satya is the highest tapas.
Dictum by Guru Sanjay Rath: That Graha which is strongest on Lagna, the person will want to go to the Loka pertaining to that Graha.
For example, if there is no Graha in Lagna, then you have to check this from the second Bhāva. This one simple rule is the conclusion of many classical texts on this topic. Kṛṣṇa has taught this one simple rule in the Bhagavad Gītā: whatever sits in buddhi, your intelligence, becomes the direction the native goes in. If Guru is strong and alone in Lagna or Dhana Bhāva, then that person will worship truth and won’t like anything lower than that. This is the power of Guru. But if Śani is in Lagna or in the second house and is strong, the person will be headed towards Tapaḥ Loka. The ability to do penance is given by Saturn only. Without getting this ability from Saturn, tapas is impossible. Rāhu and Ketu take downwards, not upwards. If Maṅgala is there, then forget the others because the person will come back to earth. Tapas is not struggle. Struggle is not tapas. Penance is tapas. There is no struggle in tapas, and there is no struggle with anyone in tapas. Now you know that the Graha-ownership of Lokas is based on the speed of the planets.
In the last two minutes of the audio, Guruji is talking about various translations of Viṣṇu Purāṇa. Guruji is saying that you should read this because the conversation is between Parāśara and Maitreya, and he wants his students to come into that understanding and that particular atmosphere.
