Antariksha

Antariksha

“heavenly, airy or outer space”, “middle space”, “sky”, “atmosphere”, “maharloka”

Intermediate place of inhabitation. In the Vedas, antariksha is the middle or second of three lokas (realms), which are usually listed as bhur, bhuvar and svar. In "Atharvaveda", such a division is mentioned in book XII, 3, 20:

"Three worlds are commensurate with Brahman: There is the sky, the earth, the airspace."

In "Vishnu Puranas", antariksha is associated with rishi Vyasa (the author of epic “Mahabharata”). "Taittiriya-aranyaka", belonging to "Krishna-Yajurveda", refers antariksha to one of parts of the lokapanchaka – a five-fold division of the material world, associated with a classification in accordance with five elements.

Apsaras, Gandharvas (heavenly musicians, dancers and warriors) and Yakshas (various natural spirits) live here, as well as Kamadhenu, the sacred cow of Hinduism that fulfills wishes and gives prosperity.