Trāyastriṃśa



Description

The heaven is the second of the heavens of the Kāmadhātu, just above Catumaharajika or the realm of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is the highest of the heavens that maintains a physical connection with the rest of the world. is located on the peak of Sumeru, the central mountain of the world, at a height of 80 yojanas ; the total area of the heaven is 80 yojanas square. This heaven is therefore comparable to the Greek Mount Olympus in some respects.
According to Vasubandhu, inhabitants of are each half a krośa tall and live for 1000 years, of which each day is equivalent to 100 years of our world: that is, for a total of 36 million of our years.
Since is physically connected to the world through Sumeru, unlike the heavens above it, the devas are unable to avoid being entangled in worldly affairs. In particular, they frequently find themselves in quarrels with the asuras, a separate set of divine beings who were expelled from and who now dwell at the foot of Sumeru, plotting for ways to recover their lost kingdom. There is, however, marriage between the devas and the asuras just as there is between the Æsir and the jötnar in Norse mythology.
The chief of the devas is Śakra, also known as Indra. Other devas who are frequently mentioned are Viśvakarman, the devas' craftsman and builder; Mātali, who drives Śakra's chariot; and Sujā, Śakra's wife and daughter of the Asura chief Vemacitrin.
The heaven appears several times in Buddhist stories, in which either the Buddha ascends to, or deities from descend to meet the Buddha. The Buddha's mother, Maya, was reborn in the Tusita Heaven, and came down to visit heaven where her son taught her the abhidharma.
The "thirty-three" in the name of the heaven is not an enumeration of the gods who live there but a general term inherited from Vedic mythology, implying "the whole pantheon of gods". In Theravada Buddhist legends, there were 33 humans in Sakka's original group.
In Buddhism, there are "Yāmā devāḥ", "Tushitānāṃ", "Nirmāṇaratayaḥ devāḥ", and "Paranirmita-vaśavartinaḥ devāḥ" above Trāyastriṃśa and "Catumaharajika" below. They are called the six heavens together with Śakro devānām. More heaven "Sunirmita devāḥ" is sometimes added to these depending on sūtras.

Levels

In Mahayana literature, is composed of thirty-three levels. These are enumerated in the. The original Sanskrit names occasionally vary between extant Sanskrit manuscripts and Chinese texts.
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Residents

Below is a list of the devas who are said to dwell here:
Śakra's wives
Śakra's sons
Śakra's daughters
  • Āśā
  • Śraddhā
  • Śrī
  • Hrī
Others

Origins

In Buddhism, Tāvatiṁsa has an interesting origin story. Many eras ago, before the Historical Buddha, there lived a man named Magha. He was a village leader and gathered 33 companions to help him do good merit, such as build rest houses, plant trees, etc. Naturally, him and his companions died due to old age or disease. Because of their good deeds, Magha was reborn as Sakka, the Devaraja of Tāvatiṁsa, and his 33 companions were reborn as the Thirty-Three Great Gods of Tāvatiṁsa. When Sakka and his Thirty-Three gods were reborn into Tāvatiṁsa, the Asuras prepared a giant feast with lots of Sura. Sakka told his 33 Gods to refuse, because they would be heavily intoxicated after drinking it. When the feast was done, the Asuras were heavily intoxicated, just like Sakka said. Him and his 33 Gods made the decision to throw the Asuras off of Sumeru due to them being a danger to the sanctity and morality of the heaven. The Asuras woke up at the lower point of Sumeru, and felt betrayed. They made a vow to never drink Sura again, which explains their name. They constantly attempt to get back their home through force, climbing up Sumeru and fighting the Devas of both Catumaharajika and Tāvatiṁsa.