The whole universe is spherical. It was never born, nor will it ever die. It is anadi (beginningless), and anantha (endless). Akasha (space) is described as all-permeating, all-pervading. Everything is contained in akasha, all the four elements are in akasha. The most gross is earth, then water, fire, air and space. Space is the subtlest. It is unimaginable to think of something that is beyond space. What is it that is beyond it? It is the mind, intellect, ego and the Mahatattva. This is tattva gyan—knowing the principle of the universe. Unless you know the principle of the universe, you cannot know the Self. When you go beyond the akasha, it is an experiential field. The whole realm begins beyond the akasha. The ancient seers have spoken about the relationship between the substance and its quality. There is a very interesting debate whether we can separate the quality from the substance and the conclusion was that you cannot. Can the sweetness in sugar be separated from sugar? Will it remain sugar still? Can heat and light be separated from fire? Will it still be fire? What brings the quality into the substance? What comes first—the quality or the substance? There are many questions like this. The subtler you go is the paramevyoman. All the devis and devtas reside there, in that space. Swarupa is the quality of that space. Swarupa is that consciousness. From the Swarupa happens the Sputa (explosion) from which Svarita (creation) flows and Sakaara manifests with name and form. All the millions of beings in the creation were formed from the Swarupa. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a humanitarian leader, spiritual teacher and an ambassador of peace.
