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Vaikuntha, Kailasa, Manidvipa, Goloka, Brahmaloka and Beyond When people hear the word loka in Hinduism, they often imagine a distant planet floating somewhere in the physical universe. But the Hindu scriptures present a much richer idea. A loka can mean a world, realm, plane of existence, sphere of experience, or divine abode. Some lokas are connected with karma and rebirth. Some are described as the residences of gods, sages, ancestors, or other beings. Others—such as Vaikuntha, Kailasa and Manidvipa in their theological interpretations—are understood as transcendent divine abodes, beyond the ordinary cycle of material existence. The most important point is that Hinduism does not have only one cosmic map. The Vedas speak of the three great divisions—Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ. The Upanishads explore Brahmaloka and the ultimate reality of Brahman. The Puranas expand the universe into fourteen worlds. Vaishnava traditions describe Vaikuntha and Goloka; Shaiva traditions speak of Kailasa and...