Adho Loka
Seven earths stacked one beneath the other, holding 8,400,000 separate hells between them.
Each earth is named for what it is made of or looks like, and each is worse than the one above: Ratnaprabhā (jewel-hued), Śarkarāprabhā (gravel), Vālukāprabhā (sand), Paṅkaprabhā (mud), Dhūmaprabhā (smoke), Tamaḥprabhā (darkness), Mahātamaḥprabhā (great darkness).
Rebirth here is not punishment handed down by a judge. It is the mechanical result of accumulated karma, and it ends when that karma is spent. Lifespans are long but finite, running from ten thousand years in the first earth up to thirty-three sāgaropama in the seventh.
The uppermost earth, Ratnaprabhā, has a top layer 1,000 yojana thick where the Bhavanavāsī and Vyantara gods live. The flat surface of Madhya Loka rests on top of it.
Measurements and counts
| Earths | 7 |
|---|---|
| Hells in total | 8,400,000 |
| 1st — Ratnaprabhā | 3,000,000 hells |
| 2nd — Śarkarāprabhā | 2,500,000 |
| 3rd — Vālukāprabhā | 1,500,000 |
| 4th — Paṅkaprabhā | 1,000,000 |
| 5th — Dhūmaprabhā | 300,000 |
| 6th — Tamaḥprabhā | 99,995 |
| 7th — Mahātamaḥprabhā | 5 |