Ākāśa

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Ākāśa (Skt., ‘open space, vacuity, ether’).
1. One of the five gross elements (mahābhūtas) of Hindu philosophy (albeit the finest), the ether which pervades the universe and is the vehicle of life and sound. See also BHŪTA.

2. In Matsya Purāṇa, Ākāśa is a god of house-building.

3. In Buddhism, space, either as limited by the boundaries of bodies, or unlimited space.

4. For Jains, see ASTIKAYA.

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