Because much of the traditional sacred information about the Supreme Lord and our
interconnection with Him is no longer easily accessible on this planet, there is a great deal of misunderstanding about spiritual topics.
One such area of confusion concerns what heaven is and what the kingdom of God is. We will examine this distinction beginning with a discussion of the material universe.
By better understanding the material universe, we can better appreciate and understand the heavenly planets and the spiritual world.
Where in the Universe Are We?
According to the Vedas, the universe in which the earth is situated consists of a fourteen-planet system.
The specific planets are categorised into three areas: higher planets, middle planets and lower planets. The lower or hellish planets are abodes of extreme chastisement for the purpose of rectification.
The medium planets are the earthlike planets. The higher planets are those heavenly kingdoms that people sometimes call Heaven.
Above all these planetary systems is the kingdom of God, or the spiritual world, which is anti-material in nature and has nothing to do with the mundane world.
Science, specifically exobiology, says that there are billions of other universes, many of which contain life molecules.
Our planet is actually like a speck of dust floating in one of the smallest universes in the creation. By considering our minute position in the larger scheme, we can be more open to aspects of this discussion that may seem completely outside of everyday reality.
Agents of the Lord
In every universe, there are agents in charge of overseeing the basic functioning of the material energy. They all work under the Supreme Lord. The Lord is not actively involved in the creation and maintenance of these universes.
Agents of the Lord called demigods are responsible for these environments. They oversee the material universes under the Lord’s jurisdiction [see chapter three].
One such agent is called Brahma. Different names are given to the same being according to different traditions. In the Vedic tradition, Brahma is the name of the agent that is assigned the duty of creation, a chore we usually ascribe to the Supreme Lord.
Moreover, he is responsible for overseeing some of the heavenly kingdoms and resides in the highest of heavenly kingdoms. There is a different Brahma for each universe.
When people speak of God the Creator, they are actually referring to Brahma (by whatever name each respective culture chooses to call him). He is not God but is serving a function on behalf of God.
Brahma’s post is given to an agent who sometimes falls from higher abodes or falls from the spiritual kingdom but does not fall very low.
At other times, the post is given to a being who is almost 100 percent perfect but has not completely transcended the tendency to be in control.
Such a soul is given a chance to channel those desires by being a co-creator with God and being responsible for seeing that the material manifestation of the universes take place in the proper manner.
Everyone has had the opportunity to occupy the same post as Brahma, but because of association with material energy, cannot remember. Some of you may have had that post for millions of lifetimes.
Brahma has a life span of 311,000,040,000,000 (311 trillion 40 million) years. Such a number may seem fantastic, but consider how your view of time and space is relative to your body.
A small ant would see the distance from one wall to the other as being tremendous, but to an elephant it would be just a few steps. What to speak of those beings who are the size of a planet, or of those beings who are the sun, the moon, and the earth? Yes, the earth that we call Mother is itself a living entity.
Just as you are a universe with living entities, like bacteria, inside of you, so too is this planet. When you start letting your mind consider these things freely, you will see that there are so many aspects of space, time, and different dimensions, and that it is all relative.
Since Brahma is a material being, albeit a very advanced one, he too leaves his body at the end of his life span. When he leaves his body after 311 trillion years, all creation is annihilated in his particular universe.
Every four billion years, all the planetary systems are completely destroyed, including the top heavenly planets. Within those four billion year periods, there are fourteen distinct intervals of temporary annihilation.
This is the rhythm within which organized and systematic creation, maintenance, and annihilation take place. Every two thousand years, there are also some major shake-ups.
Those on the earth planet are in the introductory phases of a major shake-up that is about to come to a head very soon. Many of you have come to this particular planet and universe at this time to play a role in this transformation.
Exposure to this type of knowledge will help you to unfold and understand your future purpose.
