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Does Hinduism have any references to the multiverse?
What is the concept of the multiverse in Hinduism?
Is the concept the same as the Avengers:endgame multiverse theory that a new universe is created if time travel is done and a significant change is done and it creates a new timeline which is in a separate universe.
or All possible multiverse is created beforehand i.e start of time and interaction between the universes is not possible.
Yes
Hinduism believes in multiverse and has several references to the multiverse in many scriptures.
One such reference is from the following conversation between the Narada and Narayana
Nârâyana said:-- “O Devarsi! The egg (born of Mûla Prakriti) that was floating in the waters for a period equal to the life period of Brahmâ, ........................................................................................................... The child that will become the Lord of countless Brahmândas (universes), now an orphan having no father nor mother began to look upwards from the waters. This boy came to be denominated afterwards by the name of Mahâ Virât, when he became gross and grosser. As there is nothing finer than radium so there is nothing grosser than Mahâ Virât. The power of this Mahâ Virât is one-sixteenth of that of S’ri Krisna, the Highest Self. But this boy, (born of the Prakriti Râdhâ) is the Sole Stay of all this Universe and he is denominated by the name “Mahâ-Visnu”. In his every pore countless universes are existing. So much so that even S’ri Krisna could not count them. If it were possible to count the number of dust particles, it is impossible to count the number of universes. So there are endless Brahmâs, Visnus, and Mahes’varas. In every Brahmânda, there is Brahmâ, Visnu, and Mahes’a. Each Brahmânda extends from Pâtâla to the Brahmâloka. The abode of Vaikuntha is higher than that, again the abode of Goloka is fifty koti yojanas higher than Vaikuntha. ................................................ .....................................................................................................................................................................When this Brahmânda (cosmos) dissolves, everything dissolves and is destroyed. All are temporary like bubbles of water. Only Goloka and Vaikuntha are eternal. In every pore of this Mahâ Virât is existing one Brahmânda (cosmos). What to speak of others when even Krisna cannot count the number of these Brahmândas. In every Brahmânda there is Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahes’a. O Child Nârada! In every Brahmânda, the number of the gods is three kotis or 30 millions. Some of them are the Dikpatis (the Regents of the quarters); some are the Dikpâlas (the Rulers of the quarters), some are asterisms, and some planets. In the Bhûrloka, there are four Varnas (Brâhmins, etc.,) and in the Pâtâlas there are Nâgas. Thus the Universe exists composed of moveable and non-moveable things (This is Brahmânda Vivriti). O Nârada! Now the Virât Purusa began to look up to the skies again and again but He could not see anything within that egg except the void.
[On the origin of Brahmâ, Visnu, Mahes’a and others, Chapter III, 9, Sri Mad Devi Bhâgavatam]
Yes Hinduism believes in the existence of the multiverse but not in the way often depicted in movies (sorry to disappoint you). The theory is called the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics. It's said that infinite number of universes pop out into existence from the skin pores of Lord Maha Visnu who is lying in the vast expanse of the Karana Ocean in the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha Brahmajyoti. This happens when He breathes out and when He breathes in all the universes are annihilated and sucked in back into His pores. So, the entire lifetime of a universe is just the short duration taken by Lord Maha Visnu when He breathes out and back in. The same Maha Visnu expands Himself into yet another incarnation called Garbhodakasayi Visnu and enters into all the universes. There's also this episode where lord Brahma comes to meet Krsna at Dwarka and the Lord displays His divine power by calling upon countless Brahmas, Sivas and Indras from all the universes just to bewilder our universe's Brahma and educate him about the nature of the universe.
