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Akasha (or Akash, Aakaashá, Akasa, ) is the Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
 word meaning "aether
Aether (classical element)

According to ancient and History of science in the Middle Ages, aether , also spelled ?ther or ether, is the material that fills the region of the Universe above the Sublunary sphere....
" in both its elemental
Aether (classical element)

According to ancient and History of science in the Middle Ages, aether , also spelled ?ther or ether, is the material that fills the region of the Universe above the Sublunary sphere....
 and mythological
Aether (mythology)

Aether , in Greek mythology, is one of the Protogenoi, the first-born elemental gods. He is the personification of the "upper sky," space, and heaven, and the elemental god of the "Bright, Glowing, Upper Air." He is the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to normal air , the gloomy lower air of the Earth, which mortals breathe....
 senses.

a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m1327",this)' onMouseout='hide("m1327")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Hinduism">Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 Akasha means the basis and essence of all things in the material world; the smallest material element created from the astral world. It is one of the Panchamahabhuta
Classical element

Many ancient philosophy used a set of archetype classical elements to explain patterns in nature. In this context, the word element refers to a chemical substance that is either a chemical compound or a mixture of chemical compounds , rather than a chemical element of modern physical science....
, or "five great elements"; its main characteristic is Shabda (sound).






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Akasha (or Akash, Aakaashá, Akasa, ) is the Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
 word meaning "aether
Aether (classical element)

According to ancient and History of science in the Middle Ages, aether , also spelled ?ther or ether, is the material that fills the region of the Universe above the Sublunary sphere....
" in both its elemental
Aether (classical element)

According to ancient and History of science in the Middle Ages, aether , also spelled ?ther or ether, is the material that fills the region of the Universe above the Sublunary sphere....
 and mythological
Aether (mythology)

Aether , in Greek mythology, is one of the Protogenoi, the first-born elemental gods. He is the personification of the "upper sky," space, and heaven, and the elemental god of the "Bright, Glowing, Upper Air." He is the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to normal air , the gloomy lower air of the Earth, which mortals breathe....
 senses.

Meaning in different philosophies


Hinduism

In Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 Akasha means the basis and essence of all things in the material world; the smallest material element created from the astral world. It is one of the Panchamahabhuta
Classical element

Many ancient philosophy used a set of archetype classical elements to explain patterns in nature. In this context, the word element refers to a chemical substance that is either a chemical compound or a mixture of chemical compounds , rather than a chemical element of modern physical science....
, or "five great elements"; its main characteristic is Shabda (sound). In Hindi
Hindi

Standard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a Standard language register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 official languages of India, and is used, along with English language, for administration of the central government....
 the meaning of Akasha is sky
Sky

The sky is the part of the atmosphere or of outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons....
.

The Nyaya
Nyaya

is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy—specifically the school of logic. The Nyaya school of philosophical speculation is based on texts known as the Nyaya Sutras, which were written by Aksapada Gautama from around the 2nd century AD....
 and Vaisheshika
Vaisheshika

'Vaisheshika', or , is one of the six Hindu schools of philosophy of India. Historically, it has been closely associated with the Hindu school of logic, Nyaya....
 schools of Hindu philosophy state that Akasha or ether 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

Sankhya, also Samkhya, is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible....
 school of Hindu philosophy, Akasha is one of the five Mahabhuta
Mahabhuta

Mahabhuta is Sanskrit and Pali for "great element." In Hinduism, the five "great" or "gross" elements are ether, air, fire, water and earth. In Buddhism, the "four great elements" are earth, water, fire and air....
s (grand physical elements) having the specific property of sound.

Jainism

Akasha is space in the Jain
Jainism

Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness....
 conception of the cosmos. It falls into the Ajiva
Ajiva

In Jainism, ajiva is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of jiva. Because ajiva has no life, it does not accumulate karma and cannot die....
 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.

Buddhism

In Buddhist
Buddhism

Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
 phenomenology Akasha is divided into Skandha
Skandha

In Buddhism Phenomenology and soteriology, the five skandhas or khandhas are five "aggregates" which categorize all individual experience, among which there is anatta to be found....
, Desa
Desa

Desa can refer to:*Desa , an [ American rock] band*Desaparecidos , American punk band*Village *Desa, Dolj, a commune in Dolj County, Romania...
, and Pradesa.

The Vaibhashika
Vaibhashika

Vaibhashika is an early Buddhist school, formed by adherents of the Vibhasha Shastra. The school was originally of a mystical nature, later developing into more materialistic concerns with a focus upon Materialism and 'existent phenomena' ....
, an early school of Buddhist philosophy, hold Akasha's existence to be real.

Carvakism

Adherents of the heterodox Carvaka
Carvaka

' is a system of Indian philosophy that assumes various forms of philosophical skepticism and religious indifference. It is also known as '....
 or Lokayata philosophy of India hold that this world is made of four elements only. They exclude the fifth element, Akasha, because its existence cannot be perceived.

Theosophy

The Western religious philosophy called Theosophy
Theosophy

Theosophy is a doctrine of religious philosophy and metaphysics originating with Madame Blavatsky . In this context, theosophy holds that all religions are attempts by the "Mahatma" to help humanity in evolving to greater perfection, and that each religion therefore has a portion of the truth....
 has popularized the word Akasha as an adjective, through the use of the term "Akashic records
Akashic Records

The akashic records is a term used in theosophy to describe a compendium of mystical knowledge encoded in a non-physical Plane . These records are described to contain all knowledge of human experience and the history of the cosmos....
" or "Akashic library," referring to an ethereal compendium of all human knowledge.

In popular culture


Literature

  • Anne Rice
    Anne Rice

    Anne Rice is a best-selling United States author of gothic fiction and religious-themed books. She was married to poet and painter Stan Rice for 41 years until his death in 2002....
     used the word "Akasha" as the name of the second vampire
    Vampire

    Vampires are mythology or folklore Revenant who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living. In folkloric tales, the undead vampires often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods they inhabited when they were alive....
     in the novel The Queen of the Damned
    The Queen of the Damned

    The Queen of the Damned is the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. It follows Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat....
    .
  • In the Black Library novel Mechanicum the Theosophic idea of Akashic records is referenced, in this case as an underlying universal substrate which contains the secrets behind all possible forms of technology. Adept Koriel Zeth attempts to build a device called an Akashic Reader to access this information.


Music

  • The word has been taken as its name by an alternative metal band from Costa Rica.
  • The word has been taken as its name by a music industry label in the United States, Akashic Records.


Film

  • In the anime series Code Geass, the Emperor of the Britannia Empire built a shrine-like building called the Sword of Akasha, which was described as a weapon to defeat the gods.


Games

  • Akasha is used in the main title of "Akasha Seal", a RPG Maker XP Episodic Series (RMXP Episode for short) by ScriptKitty. The series was left unfinished at episode 4, where the connection of the title and the story is still a mystery.
  • In the Super Robot Wars
    Super Robot Wars

    is a series of tactical role-playing game video games produced by Japanese gaming company, Banpresto, a division of Namco Bandai, for various video game console and Handheld game console....
     series of strategy video games, Akashic Buster is one of the many attacks in the repertoire of the mecha Cybuster
    Cybuster

    Cybuster is a 26 episode anime that aired in Japan between May 3, 1999 and October 25, 1999. The story is set in 2040 after a disaster happens in Tokyo in 2029....
    .
  • In the Mage: The Ascension
    Mage: The Ascension

    Mage: The Ascension is a Role-playing game based in the old World of Darkness, and was published by White Wolf, Inc.. The characters portrayed in the game are referred to as mages, and are capable of feats of magic....
     role-playing game, a group of mages calls itself the "Akashic Brotherhood", after a character called Akasha.
  • In the Nephilim
    Nephilim (role-playing game)

    This article is about the Role-playing game, for the supernatural beings, see NephilimNephilim is a role-playing game about powerful elemental entities reincarnating into human beings....
     role-playing game, an Akasha is some kind of alternate reality bubble, whose existence and content are based on the thoughts and dreams of the humans.
  • In popular Warcraft III custom map DotA
    Defense of the Ancients

    Defense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for Warcraft III, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft. The objective of the scenario is to destroy the opponents' "Ancient"....
    , Akasha is the name of a female hero with the ability to create waves of sound that damage multiple units, perhaps as a reference to the NPC of Blizzard
    Blizzard Entertainment

    Blizzard Entertainment is an American video game developer and video game publisher headquartered in Irvine, California. It is a division of Activision Blizzard....
    's Diablo II
    Diablo II

    Diablo II is a sequel to the game Diablo , a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game in a hack and slash and "Dungeon roaming" style....
    .
  • Akasha is the name of the female Necris High Inquisitor in the Unreal Tournament 3 single player campaign.
  • In the PS2
    PlayStation 2

    The PlayStation 2 is a History of video game consoles video game console manufactured by Sony. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation of video game consoles....
     game, Persona 3
    Persona 3

    is the third video game in the Persona console role-playing game series. The game was developed and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 console system....
    , the 12th Shadow (boss enemy) performs an attack called "Akasha Arts".


See also

  • Classical element
    Classical element

    Many ancient philosophy used a set of archetype classical elements to explain patterns in nature. In this context, the word element refers to a chemical substance that is either a chemical compound or a mixture of chemical compounds , rather than a chemical element of modern physical science....
  • Ervin László
    Ervin László

    Ervin L?szl? is a Hungarian philosophy of science, Systems theory, integral theory , and classical pianist. He has published about 75 books and over 400 papers, and is editor of World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution.....


External links

  • Chandogya Upanishad
    Chandogya Upanishad

    The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the "primary" Upanishads. Together with the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it ranks among the oldest Upanishads, dating to the Vedas Brahmana period ....
     I.9.1