Re: One stop enlightenment ?
Enlightenment is a multi-level process. The seven or fourteen worlds described in the shAstra relate to the fourteen stages of evolution.
Note what the gIta says:
manuShyANA.n sahasreShu kashchidyatati siddhaye
yatatAmapi siddhAnA.n kashchinmA.n vetti tattvataH
Out of many thousands among men, one may strive for siddhi or perfection, and of those who have achieved siddhi, hardly one knows Me in truth.
The implications of this statement are that only very few people truly strive for perfection. Of them, only a handful become enlightened. Even among the enlightened, there are many grades of enlightenment, and the evolution of every soul continues for a very long time before complete enlightenment is attained. It is only when we make our first break-through from ordinary earthly consciousness into a supramental level that we realize that there are many levels to cross before we come to the same level as the Lord. manuShyas, gandharva, pitR, rAjaRishi, Rshi, mahaRshi, brahmaRshi, indra, brahma etc are various ladders (each successive level is associated with an increased erosion of the ego which is the cause of bondage) that need to be crossed before attaining the ultimate perfection.
I don't think one needs to worry about all these. At each step only worry about what to do at present, just like we did while at school. The rest will work itself out.
Guard your Dharma, Burn the Myth, Promote the Truth, Crush the superstition.
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