Devayana Marga and Pitruyana Marga (देवयानमार्गः पितृयानमार्गः च।)

edit title : progression of living entity

देवयान || Devayana (Path to the Realm of Gods) and पित्रयान || Pitrayana (Path to the Realm of Ancestors) is the journey to the higher realms. This can be explained with reference to the Chandogya Upanishad of the Sama Veda (5-3), where Shwetaketu, once came to the assembly of Panchalas, whose reigning monarch was Pravahana Jaivali. The King asks Shwetaketu five questions to gauge his understanding before imparting ब्रह्मविद्या || Brahma Vidya. These famous five questions are as below

1. From here (this लोक || loka) where do the people go (after death)?
2. How do the dead come back?
3. At what point do the paths of the देवयान || Devayana (journey to the deva loka post death) and पित्रयान (journey to Pitr loka post death) get separated?
4. Why do fewer जीवात्मा || jivatmas attain पित्र् लोक || Pitr loka (loka of ancestors)?
5. In पञ्चाग्नि || Panchagni, the fifth आहुती || ahuti (oblation), how does अप तत्त्व || Apa Tattva get the name of पुरुष || Purusha?

देवयान || Devayana (Path to the Realm of Gods)

The student who receives ब्रह्मविद्या || Brahmavidya with श्रद्धा || shraddha (devotion) while doing तपस् || tapas in the forest can reach अर्चिर्देवाः || archirdeva (the God of Light) during उत्क्रमन || Utkramana time. The student who has attained knowledge in the above-mentioned manner continues on his journey through the daytime, शुक्लपक्ष || shukla paksha (full moon night) and when the Sun is in the Northern hemisphere. Then through the देवताः || devta he reaches आदित्य || aditya, and from there to चन्द्र || chandra (the Moon God), moving further to the उर्जा || urja (energy god). There he is received by the देवदूत || devdoot (Bhagawan’s assistants), who welcomes him to परमब्रह्म || parabrahma (the Absolute). This is देवयान मार्ग (the divine Way), the final destination in the भूलोक || Bhuloka dimension.

The human body is likened to the Cosmos. The ब्रह्मज्ञानी || Brahmajñāni (the wise one) goes to the higher realm through heart veins which are beyond hundred, unlike the ordinary person who transits through the veins lesser in number. A critical question that arises is how does he perceive through which veins he is passing through? Such discussion is unwarranted as one who has worshiped the Param purusha, is absorbed in the ultimate goal, the wise seeker who through his own education and by God’s grace being illuminated is able to recognize the veins that help him depart to a higher realm. Such an advanced soul can transit through the path of light and even if such a person dies at night or in दक्षिणायन || Dakshinayana, the jnani will attain ब्रह्मलोक || brahmaLoka (Moksha).

पित्रयान || Pitrayana (Path to the Realm of Ancestors)

Another kind of life journey which involves discharging one’s functional responsibilities and fulfilling material desires with no interest in acquiring ब्रह्मविद्या || Brahmavidya and then eventually death. Such people during continue their journey at night time, during the कृष्णपक्ष || krsnapaksha (अमावास्या || amavasya-dark moon) in the southern direction, reaching the धुमाभिमनि देवताः || dhumabhimani (wind gods) without seeing the संवत्सर देवताः || sanvatsar devata they reach the पितृलोक || pitrulok (land of the ancestors) then to the Sky and eventually reach सोम || soma (the grain of the Gods).

After their karma is exhausted, these souls come back to पृथ्वीलोक || prutvilok using the same path that they had used to go up, through the Sky, Wind, Smoke, Cloud, Rain. Determined by one’s कर्म || karma, the soul is reborn embodied through अन्न || anna (rice, wheat, herbs, tree, varieties of roots and medicinal herbs). By the power of धर्म || dharma and कर्म || karma (दैव || daiva) and through these grains, one may be born either as a ब्राह्मण || brahmana, क्षत्रिय || kshatriya or वैश्य || vaisya. Such pious people are called as रमनिया चरना || ramaniya charna. If however their accumulated sin during the human birth is high, then they could become dog, pig or a चान्डाल || chandala (outcaste). Those souls who do not traverse either of these paths, the देवयान and पितृयान, are reborn time and again in the lower species of life. Therefore पितृलोक || pitri loka is not filled all the time.

This is also highlighted in the Vedavyasa Brahmasutras.

तदन्तरप्रतिपत्तौ रंहति सम्परिष्वक्तः प्रश्ननिरूपणाभ्याम् ( III-1-1)

Tadantarapratipattau raṁhati sampariṣvaktaḥ praśnanirūpaṇābhyām ( III-1-1)

When the transmigration of the soul takes place, the living being enters into the new body along with the subtle elements- मनस || manasa (mind), बुद्धि || buddhi (intellect) and अहङ्कार || ahankara (ego). This is corroborated in the Upanishads. The Devayana and Pitrayana is described in the Brahmasutras in the 4th chapter, 2nd section.

The law of Creation is also explained in the  Bhagavad Gita (VIIth & VIIIth Chapters) and in the third chapter of Yajna chakra.