Imagine an ancient “cosmic blueprint” laid out with the precision of a star map and the depth of a philosophical treatise—that’s what the Bhagavati Sutra offers. The universe isn’t a free-for-all; it’s an intricately tiered reality, bound by eternal laws and cyclical rhythms.

Main pillars of this cosmic vision:

• Eternally Self-Existing Universe
– No creator deity; the cosmos simply is, like a timeless tapestry.
– Boundaries defined by six infinities: in length, breadth, depth, duration, substance, and space beyond its edges (aloka).

• Three Great Regions (Triloka)
– Urdhva Loka (Heavens): Seven tiers where celestial beings revel, comparable to today’s fascination with exoplanets—each realm more ethereal than the last.
– Madhya Loka (Middle World): Home to humans, animals, plants; anchored by Jambūdvīpa at its heart. Think of Earth as the bustling hub in a galactic neighborhood.
– Adho Loka (Underworlds): Seven infernal layers, each with its own brand of cosmic justice.

• Cosmic Shape (Loka­purusha)
– The universe takes on a giant human-like form: broad shoulders, tapered waist, arms akimbo. It’s a symbolic gesture reminding seekers that the macrocosm and microcosm mirror one another.

• Six Eternal Substances (Dravyas)
– Jīva (Soul) and five types of Ajīva (matter, motion, rest, time, and space). Like ingredients in a timeless recipe, these interact without ever creating or destroying the universe itself.

• Time’s Roller-Coaster (Kālacakra)
– Endless cycles of Utsarpinī (ascending prosperity) and Avasarpinī (descending decline). Picture history’s peaks and valleys—planetary exploration highs and societal lows—playing out on a cosmic scale.

Far from dusty dogma, these ideas read like an age-old sci-fi script—only it’s reality by Jain lights. Modern telescopes might reveal galaxies colliding, but Jain cosmology insists on an inner map, too: study the soul’s journey, and the greater universe unfolds, layer by layer, as astonishing as any discovery by the James Webb Observatory.