Kama loka / Sensual plane

This is the ninth square of the first row. Nine is a complete number, an odd number, and marks the completion of the first row. It is a ladder leading to the second level of consciousness, which begins with purifica­tion. After taking birth into the game, the player has to pass through the sensual plane before he can enter into the second level.

Kama in Sanskrit means desire, desire of any kind and every kind — for name, fame, wealth, success, family, position, accomplishment. Any kind of desire, ambition, or noble or nonnoble aim is kama. And kama is the first stage in evolution. If there were no desire there would not be any creation.

So kama-loka is a plane of desires. But since all desires have their origin in man’s sensual nature, this is known as the sensual plane. It is directly linked with ignorance, the lack of knowledge. One may come here through the mouth of the snake of ignorance or through the grad­ual exploration of the first chakra. Nine, a member of the family of odd numbers, signifies completion and perfection. It represents force and energy. Multiplied by any other number, it retains its identity and integrity; thus:

• 9 x 1 = 9;
• 9 x 2 = 18 = 1 + 8 = 9;
• 9 x 3 = 27 = 9;
• 9 x 4 = 36 = 9;

and

• 9 x 23 = 207 = 9;
• 9 x 376 = 3,384 = 9;
• 9 x 280 = 7,380 = 9.

There are nine gates of the body through which the vital energy, prana, leaves at the time of death: the mouth, the two nostrils, the two eyes, the two ears, the anus, and the sex organ. During a day of twenty four hours a man breathes 21,600 times, which reduces to 9. The day contains 1,440 minutes, also reducing to 9. The normal duration of the dominance of one hemisphere or one nostril is about 900 breaths (60 x 15), reducing to 9. There are nine major nerves of the body. Nine god­ desses, navdurgas, are worshipped in Hindu religion. There are 72,000 nerves in the body, called nadis. These are carriers of prana, the vital life-force, and their total also reduces to 9. There are nine planets in the solar system influencing life on planet earth, known as Navgrahas. In numerology 9 is the number of Mars, which shines in the sky with a beautiful red glitter.