Akasha (Sanskrit ākāśa आकाश) is a term used in traditional Hindu beliefs about the universe. It means aether. The term was also used in Western mystical traditions and spiritualism in the late 19th century. In many modern Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages, the word for Akasha still generally means "aether." The Hindu god associated with Akasha is Dyaus.

Etymology and meaning

The word in Sanskrit comes from a root meaning "to be." In Vedic Sanskrit, it is a masculine noun with a general meaning of "aether." In Classical Sanskrit, the noun becomes neuter and can refer to "aether" (Manusmriti, Shatapatha Brahmana). In Vedantic philosophy, the word takes on a specific meaning of "an ethereal fluid imagined as filling the cosmos."

Indian philosophy divides Akasha into three groups. The first group, including Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Purva Mimamsa, and Jain traditions, sees Akasha as an independent, all-pervading, and eternal substance important for the structure of the universe. The second group, which includes Samkhya-Yoga and Vedanta, views Akasha as something that comes from another source. The third group considers Akasha a mental concept, an idea found especially in later Buddhist traditions.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, akasha refers to the foundation and basic nature of all things in the physical world. It is considered the first element created. A Hindu mantra, "pṛthivyāpastejovāyurākāśāta," describes the order in which the five basic physical elements first appeared. According to this, aether appeared first, followed by air, then fire, next water, and finally earth. Akasha is one of the Panchamahabhuta, or "five gross elements." Its main feature is Shabda, which means sound. The word "akasha" directly translates to "aether" in Hinduism.

The Nyaya and Vaisheshika schools of Hindu philosophy explain that akasha (aether) is the fifth physical substance. It serves as the base for the quality of sound. It is described as eternal, present everywhere, and cannot be seen or felt.

The Samkhya school teaches that akasha is one of the five Mahābhūtas (great physical elements), with the specific property of sound.

In the Shiva Purana, akasha is described as having only one attribute: sound.

In the Linga Purana (Volume I, Chapter 65), akasha is translated as "aether" and listed as one of the 1000 names of Shiva.

Jainism

Akasha is space in the Jain idea of the universe. Akasha is one of six dravyas (substances) and holds the other five: living beings or souls (jīva), non-living matter (pudgala), the principle of motion (dharma), the principle of rest (adharma), and the principle of time (kāla).

Akasha belongs to the Ajiva group, which has two parts: Loakasa (the space where the material world exists) and Aloakasa (the space beyond the material world, which is completely empty). In Loakasa, the universe is only a part of the space. Akasha provides space and allows all extended substances to exist.

At the top of lokākāśa is Siddhashila, the home of souls that have been freed from suffering.

Buddhism

In Buddhist teachings, the concept of space, called akasha, is divided into two types: limited space (ākāsa-dhātu) and endless space (ajatākasā). The Vaibhāṣika, an early group of Buddhist thinkers, believed that akasha is real. Ākāsa is sometimes linked to the first stage of meditation called the "sphere of infinite space" (ākāśānantyāyatana), which is the first of four advanced meditation states known as the "immaterial absorptions" (arupa-dhyānas).

In the Abhidharma analysis, ākāśa has two main meanings. First, in meditation, it is important for understanding the "sphere of infinite space." Second, in philosophy, ākāśa is considered one of the "uncompounded phenomena" (asaṃskṛtadharmas) in six Buddhist schools, such as the Sarvāstivāda, Mahāsāṃghika, and later Yogācāra. However, three schools, including the Theravāda, do not accept this view.