Akasha or Akash ( Sanskrit ' ) means space or sky or æther in traditional Indian cosmology, depending on the religion. The term has also been adopted in Western
occultism
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...
and spiritualism in the late 19th century. In many modern Indo-Aryan languages and Dravidian languages the corresponding word (often rendered ''Akash'') retains a generic meaning of "sky".
Religious background
The word in Sanskrit is derived from a root meaning "to be". It appears as a masculine noun in Vedic Sanskrit with a generic meaning of "open space, vacuity". In Classical Sanskrit, the noun acquires the neuter gender and may express the concept of "sky; atmosphere" (''
Manusmrti
The ''Manusmṛiti'' ( sa, मनुस्मृति), also known as the ''Mānava-Dharmaśāstra'' or Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitution among the many ' of Hinduism. In ancient India, the sages often wrote their ...
'', Shatapatha Brahmana).
In Vedantic philosophy, the word acquires its technical meaning of "an ethereal fluid imagined as pervading the cosmos".
Hinduism
In Vedantic Hinduism, ''akasha'' means the basis and essence of all things in the material world; the first element created. A Vedic mantra "''pṛthivyāpastejovāyurākāśāt''" indicates the sequence of initial appearance of the five basic gross elements. Thus, first appeared the space, from which appeared air, from that fire or energy, from which the water, and therefrom the earth. It is one of the ''Panchamahabhuta'', or "five gross elements"; its main characteristic is '' Shabda'' (sound). The direct translation of ''akasha'' is the word meaning "upper sky" or 'space' in Hinduism.
The ''
Nyaya
(Sanskrit: न्याय, ''nyā-yá''), literally meaning "justice", "rules", "method" or "judgment",Vaisheshika'' schools of Hindu philosophy state that ''akasha'' or
aether Aether, æther or ether may refer to:
Metaphysics and mythology
* Aether (classical element), the material supposed to fill the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere
* Aether (mythology), the personification of the "upper sky", sp ...
is the fifth physical substance, which is the substratum of the quality of sound. It is the one, eternal, and all-pervading physical substance, which is imperceptible.
According to the ''
Samkhya
''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a Dualism (Indian philosophy), dualistic Āstika and nāstika, school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, ''purusha, puruṣa' ...
'' school, ''akasha'' is one of the five '' Mahābhūtas'' (grand physical elements) having the specific property of sound.
In the '' Shiva Purana'', it identifies ''akasha'' as having "the only attribute of sound".
In the '' Linga Purana'', ''akasha'' is translated as "firmament" and listed as one of the 1,008 names of Lord Shiva.
Adherents of the heterodox ''
Cārvāka
Charvaka ( sa, चार्वाक; IAST: ''Cārvāka''), also known as ''Lokāyata'', is an ancient school of Indian materialism. Charvaka holds direct perception, empiricism, and conditional inference as proper sources of knowledge, embrace ...
'' or ''Lokāyata'' philosophy held that this world is made of four elements only. They exclude the fifth, ''akasha'', because its existence cannot be perceived.
Jainism
Akasha is space in the Jain conception of the cosmos. Akasha is one of the six ''dravyas'' (substances) and it accommodates the other five, namely sentient beings or souls ('' jīva''), non-sentient substance or matter ('' pudgala''), principle of motion (''
dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
''), the principle of rest ('' adharma''), and the principle of time ('' kāla'').
It is all-pervading, infinite and made of infinite space-points.
It falls into the ''
Ajiva
''Ajiva'' (Sanskrit) is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of " jīva" (soul). Because ''ajiva'' has no life, it does not accumulate ''karma'' and cannot die. Examples of ajiva include chairs, computers, paper, plastic, etc.
...
'' category, divided into two parts: ''Loakasa'' (the part occupied by the material world) and ''Aloakasa'' (the space beyond it which is absolutely void and empty). In ''Loakasa'' the universe forms only a part. Akasha is that which gives space and makes room for the existence of all extended substances.
At the summit of the ''lokākāśa'' is the '' Siddhashila'' (abode of the liberated souls).
phenomenology
Phenomenology may refer to:
Art
* Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties
Philosophy
* Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...
, ''akasha'' is divided into limited space (ākāsa-dhātu) and endless space (ajatākasā).
The Vaibhashika, an early school of Buddhist philosophy, hold the existence of ''akasha'' to be real.
Ākāsa is identified as the first arūpa jhāna, but usually translates as "infinite space."
Modern reception
The Western mystic-religious philosophy called Theosophy has popularized the word ''akasha'' as an adjective, through the use of the term "Akashic records" or "Akashic library", referring to an etheric compendium of all knowledge and history.
Scott Cunningham (1995) uses the term ''akasha'' to refer to "the spiritual force that Earth, Air, Fire, and Water descend from".
Ervin László in ''Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything'' (2004), based on ideas by Rudolf Steiner, posits "a field of information" as the substance of the cosmos, which he calls "Akashic field" or "A-field".Gidley, J The Evolution of Consciousness as a Planetary Imperative: An Integration of Integral Views ''Integral Review: A Transdisciplinary and Transcultural Journal for New Thought, Research and Praxis'', 2007, Issue 5, pp. 29–31.]