THE ELEVEN RUDRAS AND THE GALACTIC RADIUS
As we have learned, the first twelve gods listed in the Vedic pantheon were called the twelve adityas—the twelve solar gods—representing the first twelve layers above the half measure, which determine the size of our sun as represented by the solar radius.
The next eleven gods were called the eleven rudras. The Sanskrit word rudra is derived from rud, “to make cry or weep,” and ra, “to illumine or shine.” The rudras may be understood as the universal gods or metaphysical layers through which the Creator weeps luminous teardrops out of compassion for all created beings so that they might have worlds in which to live and evolve—these teardrops are the planets and stars that make up the galaxy.
The rudras represent the universal gods that preside over all forms of interplanetary and interstellar space characterized by relations among planets and stars within the galaxy. By means of their synthetic powers, they serve to bind all the planets and stars within the galaxy into a single nonlocally correlated whole that corresponds to the overall form of the Milky Way Galaxy itself. The chief of the eleven rudras, known simply as Rudra, corresponds to the highest of these universal gods. Just as the chief of the twelve adityas, known as Aditya, has a celestial body that corresponds to the luminous body of our sun, so Rudra has a celestial body that corresponds to the luminous body of our galaxy. Further, whereas Aditya represents the solar embodiment of the twelfth layer above the half measure, Rudra represents the galactic embodiment of layer 12 + 11 = 23.
As the characteristic measure of the twelfth layer determines the radius of our sun, the characteristic measure of the twenty-third layer determines the radius of our galaxy as measured from its center to the edge of the luminous disk. The universal rule of thumb gives this measurement as 1022 centimeters, which leads to a prediction regarding the galactic radius. This prediction, obtained on the basis of the ancient science of the gods, is consistent with that provided by modern physical science, which estimates the galactic radius to be roughly 1022 centimeters. Once again, this confirms the scientific nature of the ancient wisdom.