Trailokya
Trailokya literally means "three worlds". It can also refer to "three spheres," "three planes of existence," and "three realms".
Various schemas of three realms appear in the main Indian religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Hindu cosmology
The concept of three worlds has a number of different interpretations in Hindu cosmology.- Traditionally, the three worlds refer to either the earth, heaven, and hell, or the earth, heaven, and the netherworld.
- The Brahmanda Purana conceives them to be Bhūta, Bhavya, and Bhavat.
- In Vaishnavism, the three worlds are often described to be bhūr, bhuvaḥ, and svaḥ.
- In the Nilanamatapurana, Vamana covers his second step on the three worlds of Maharloka, Janaloka, and Tapaloka, all of which are regarded to be a part of the seven heavens.
Buddhist cosmology
In Buddhism, the three worlds refer to the following destinations for karmic rebirth:- Kāma-loka, is a plane of existence typified by base desires, populated by hell beings, preta, animals, humans, lower demi-gods and gods of the desire realm heavens.
- Rūpa-loka, a realm predominantly free of baser desires, populated by higher level devas. It is a possible rebirth destination for those well practiced in dhyāna.
- Arūpa-loka, a non-corporeal realm populated with four heavens. It is a possible rebirth destination for practitioners of the four formlessness stages of meditation.