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loka
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Sanskrit:
“world”
Related Topics:
tri-loka
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loka

Hinduism
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History

loka, in the cosmography of Hinduism, the universe or any particular division of it. The most common division of the universe is the tri-loka, or three worlds (heaven, earth, atmosphere; later, heaven, world, netherworld), each of which is divided into seven regions. Sometimes 14 worlds are enumerated: 7 above earth and 7 below. The various divisions illustrate the Hindu concept of innumerable hierarchically ordered worlds. Lokas are often associated with particular divinities, a linkage that is also found in Buddhism, with the deities replaced by buddhas or bodhisattvas.