Māyā

‘The metre Measure;’ – the measure , doubtless , is this terrestrial world ayam vai lökö mā ; for this world is, as it were measured ayam hi lökö mita iva; – ‘the metre Fore-measure !’ – the fore-measure pramā , doubtless, is the air-world itya antarikś lökö vai , for the air-world is , as it were, measured forward from this world pramā antarikśa lökö hyasmāt lökāh pramita iva ; – ‘the metre Counter-measure,’ – the counter-measure pratimā , doubtless, is yonder heavenly world itya asau vai lökah pratimā , for yonder-world is, as it were, counter-measured in the air aiśa hya antrikśa löke pratimita iva ;……

counter-measured is explained in a note as ‘That is, made a counterfeit, or copy, of the earth.’

          The first level of , metre-measure is bhūlök , the world at hand, the terrestrial surroundings – the prithvī . The second level of pramā , fore-measure is that which is beyond our reach and this is the antarikś which is usually translated as the sky or atmosphere. However, this word should not be restricted to the upper reaches only. I feel antarikś extends to both sides of the spectrum – the very large or the very small. The third level is the pratimā , Max Müller translates it as the counter-measure but actually this is the dyauh , as is explained in S. Br. VIII.3.3.5. and Y.V. 14.19. it should be understood as the edge of the universe, but again on both ends of the scale the extremely large….the galaxies, the quasars or the extremely minute the quarks, the neutrinos and so on and so forth. dyauh we can study only by indirect means, by imagery or reflection and this is exactly what pratimā stands for.[14]