Lokapurusha (Cosmic Being)

The Lokapurusha is a symbolic representation of a cosmic being, encapsulating the entire universe within the form of a human figure. In this portrayal, the figure takes on a female form adorned with a shawl, earrings, and a gold crown. The cheeks depict the palaces of the five most perfect gods. The lower world, adholoka, resides in the wide skirt, housing seven infernal levels where souls undergo suffering for bad karma. The middle world, madhyaloka, is at the figure’s waist, represented as a disk with concentric circles illustrating continents and oceans. The upper world, urdhvaloka, occupies the torso and head, hosting gods, demigods, planets, and stars. A crescent moon on the forehead signifies the realm of Liberated souls, free from the cycle of rebirth. Jainism, with roots in Vedic times, uses numerical and schematic representations, such as those found in texts like Sangrahanisutra and Laghukshetrasamasa, to address existential questions about life, death, and the soul’s existence.