By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
In traditional belief, there is only one heaven. This concept of one heaven comes from monotheistic religions. So, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism speak of one heaven, where souls go after death, if one has been true to the way of God. However, in Hinduism, there is a reference to three heavens. There is Swarga, the heaven of Indra; there is Vaikuntha, the heaven of Vishnu; and there is Kailash, the heaven of Shiva. These represent three very different concepts. None of these places is accessible by following any law of God, because the idea of commandments and alignment to the law of God are not Hindu concepts. That’s an Abrahamic concept.
