The Vaikuntha world is suddha-sattva

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The Vaikuntha world is suddha-sattva; cinmaya-rasa: no mundane

influence. It's residents are fully self-realized and in full knowledge

of their position.

 

Maha-maya is the deluding potency which covers the living entity in

material existence. "The living entity cannot be forgetful of his real

identity unless influenced by the avidya potency." (Bhag. 3.7.5, purp.)

In the spiritual world there is no illusion, no fear whatsoever, nor

anxiety . The following quotes show that no mundane qualities whatsoever

exist in the spiritual world. The inherent qualities of the residents of

the spiritual worlds and of the spiritual world itself, do not allow

it's residents to become bewildered, envious or susceptible to maya.

 

Sastric texts:

 

In the personal abode of the Lord . . . There is no predominance of the

influence of time, so what to speak of the illusory, external energy

[maha-maya]; it cannot enter that region. (Bhag. 2.9.10, TEXT)

 

.. . . Vaikuntha, where there is no fear. (Bhag. 12.11.19, text)

 

The Viraja, or Causal Ocean, is the border between the spiritual and

material worlds. The material energy is situated on one shore of that

ocean, and it cannot enter onto the other shore, which is the spiritual

sky. (Cc. Madhya-lila 20.269, text)

 

Srila Jiva Gosvami

 

In Bhagavat-sandarbha text 75-78, Sri Jiva describes that the Lord's

associates have transcendental bodies, possess qualities identical to

those of the Lord, they are beyond the influence of time, are all

suddha-sattva in nature, eternal, immutable, devoid of the lower modes,

free from lust and greed, are effulgent with Vedic knowledge and are the

personification of the fivefold worship of the Lord.

 

Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

 

Devotional service cannot be performed without disturbance in any place

other than Vaikuntha and in the association of like-minded devotees.

(Brhad-Bhag. 2.3.131-2) Sanatana Gosvami comments further, "In Vaikuntha

there are no obstacles to bhakti created by elements such as time."

 

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura:

 

The jivas who are the eternal devotees of God in Goloka Vrndavana and in

Paravyoma (Vaikuntha) . . . are adroit in the service of the worshipable

entity, God . . . they have nothing to do with maya, without any

knowledge even of the existence of a sakti known as maya-sakti . . .

They are ever free from bondage. It is love that is their very life;

affliction, death and fear are quite unknown to them. Also, the atomic

jivas who are the outcomes of the rays of the glance of Mahavishnu lying

in the ocean of karana (cause) towards maya-are numberless. Because they

are by side of maya, the variegatedness of maya is visible to them. The

characteristics that have been stated of the jivas in common are in

them; yet due to their atomic character turn their eyes towards the cit

region as also the world of maya from the border line. In this

condition, the jivas are too weak, because they have not acquired the

cit strength through the grace of the Entity (God) to Whom their service

is due. (Jaiva Dharma, Chapter 16, p. 227, translated and published by

the Madras Gaudiya Matha)

 

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

Each and every Vaikuntha planet is many, many times bigger than the

biggest universe within the material world, and in each of them there

are innumerable inhabitants who look exactly like Lord Visnu. These

inhabitants are known as the Maha-paurusikas, or persons directly

engaged in the service of the Lord. They are happy in those planets and

are without any kind of misery, and they live perpetually in full

youthfulness, enjoying life in full bliss and knowledge without fear of

birth, death, old age or disease, and without the influence of kala,

eternal time. (Bhag. 1.14.35-6, purp.)

 

In the spiritual world there is no struggle for existence because

everyone there exists eternally. There is no disparity because everyone

wants to render service to the Supreme Lord, and no one wants to imitate

the Lord in becoming the beneficiary. The Lord, being creator of

everything, including the living beings, factually is the proprietor and

enjoyer of everything that be, but in the material world, by the spell

of maya, or illusion, this eternal relation with the Supreme Personality

of Godhead is forgotten, and so the living being is conditioned under

the law of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. (Bhag.

1.15.25-6, purp.)

 

The well-situated self, or Brahman-realized soul, perfectly understands

that the Supreme Brahman, or the personality of Godhead, is the

all-powerful Väsudeva and that he (the self-realized living being) is a

part and parcel of the supreme whole. As such, his constitutional

position is to cooperate with Him in all respects in the transcendental

relation of the served and the servitor. Such a self-realized soul

ceases to exhibit his useless activities of attempting to lord it over

material nature. Being scientifically well informed, he fully engages

himself in faithful devotion to the Lord. (Bhag. 2.2.19)

 

.. . . those planets in the spiritual sky, which comprises the

seventy-five percent expansion of the internal potency of the Lord . . .

The inhabitants of those planets are liberated from birth, death, old

age and diseases and have full knowledge of everything; they are all

godly and free from all sorts of material hankerings. They have nothing

to do there except to render transcendental loving service to the

Supreme Lord . . .The Lord and His eternal servitors in the

transcendental kingdom all have eternal forms which are auspicious,

infallible, spiritual and eternally youthful . . . In the material world

there is always anxiety or fearfulness . . . in the kingdom of God . . .

no influence of time and therefore no fear whatsoever . . . Happiness in

spiritual nature always increases in volume with a new phase of

appreciation; there is no question of decreasing the bliss. Such

unalloyed spiritual bliss is nowhere to be found within the orbit of the

material universe. (Bhag. 2.6.18, purport)

 

In the Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda, it is stated that beyond the

one-fourth part of God's creation is the three-fourths manifestation . .

.. This part is eternal, everlasting, without deterioration, and

unlimited, and it contains the highest perfectional stage of living

conditions. In the Sankhya-kaumudi it is stated that unalloyed goodness

or transcendence is just opposite to the material modes. All living

entities [in the Vaikunthalokas ] are eternally associated without any

break. . . everything in the transcendental world is everlasting . . .

There are no such actions and reactions of cause and effects there, so

the cycle of birth, growth, existence, tranformations, deterioration and

annihilation-the six material changes-are not existent there. It is the

unalloyed manifestation of the energy of the Lord, without illusion as

experienced here in the material world. (Bhag. 2.9.10, purport)

 

The Lord and His devotees reside in the Vaikuntha planets, and they are

of the same transcendental quality, namely, suddha-sattva, the mode of

pure goodness. (Bhag. 3.15.15, purp.)

 

In the spiritual sky the planets are called Vaikuntha because the

residents of these planets are free from all anxieties. . . . On the

other hand, the residents of the material planets are always afraid . .

.. full of anxieties. (Bhag. 3.15.13, purport)

 

In the Vaikuntha planets there is no scarcity of the things which are

available in the material world; they are available, but they are more

valuable because they are spiritual and therefore eternal and

blissful... The word yoga-maya is used in this verse. Yoga-maya-balena

vikuntham. The transcendental happiness exhibited in the spiritual world

and all other spiritual manifestations there are made possible by the

influence of yoga-maya, the internal potency of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead. (Bhag. 3.15.26, purport)

 

Those who are ever-liberated never come in contact with maya, the

external energy. (Bg. 7.14, purport)

 

Everything in the Goloka Vrndavana planet is a spiritual expansion of

sac-cid-ananda. Everyone there is of the same

potency­ananda-cinmaya-rasa. The relationship between the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and His servitor is cinmaya-rasa. Krsna and His

entourage and paraphernalia are of the same cinmaya potency. (Cc.

Madhya-lila 19.154, purp.)

 

.. . . Maha-maya is horrible to the conditioned soul, but to the

liberated soul, there is no fear of maha-maya, because he is protected

by yoga-maya. (SP Ltr Madhusudhana, July 29th 1968)

 

One thing you may inform all devotees that maya cannot touch a pure

devotee. When you find a devotee is supposed to be in difficulty it is

not the work of maya but is the work of the Lord by His personal

internal energy . . . It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gita that

anyone who is cent per cent engaged in the service of the Lord is

transcendentally situated and the influence of maya has no more any

action on such body. The Lord and His pure devotees are always beyond

the range of maya's action. Even though they appear like the action of

maya, we should understand their action of yoga-maya or the internal of

potency of the Lord. (SP Ltr Satsvarupa: April 3, 1968)

 

In the ISKCON GBC Position booklet it is stated that the residents of

the spiritual world have the free will to leave, as a crazy man has the

free will to jump off the roof. In this booklet they state that these

residents are indeed crazy (bewildered) when they leave. Yet we find

quotes (presented below) that everyone in the spiritual world is fully

cognizant in their sat-cit-ananda spiritual body, fully in knowledge of

their position and cannot become illusioned; additionally, illusion

being a product of maya, is not allowed there-na yatra maya (Bhag.

2.9.10).

 

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura writes,

 

Because of association with avidya, which has no beginning, the jiva has

forgotten his blissful and conscious nature and has developed a false

ego in the material body. He suffers because of acquiring bodily

characteristics and misfortune, therefore no one is to be blamed.

(Commentary on Bhag. 3.7.9)

 

Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes,

 

The root of all actions is the desire for acts, the root of which again

is avidya. Avidya is the name for the forgetfulness of [the] soul's

essential nature that 'I am Krsna's servant.' This avidya did not

commence within the course of the mundane time. That root of karma of

the jiva arose when he was at the tatastha position. As such, the

beginning of karma is not to be traced within mundane time, and, on that

account karma is beginningless. (Jaiva Dharma, page 234)

 

Srila Prabhupada writes,

 

How then can the living entiry become forgetful of his real identity as

pure spirit soul and identify with matter unless influenced by something

beyond himself? The conclusion is that the living entity is influenced

by the avidya potency, as is confirmed in both the Visnu Purana and the

beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam . . . The living entity cannot be

forgetful of his real identity unless influenced by the avidya potency.

(Bhag. 3.7.5, purp.)

 

A living entity misuses his little independence when he wants to lord it

over material nature. This misuse of independence, which is called maya,

is always available, otherwise there would be not independence.

Independence implies that one can use it properly or improperly. (Bhag.

3.31.15, purp.)

 

The devotees of the Lord do not misuse their freedom. (Bhag. 1.8.23,

purp.)

 

Bhaktijana: When the souls that were never conditioned at all..., do

they also have the independence?

 

Prabhupada: Yes, but they have not misused. They know that "I am meant

for Krsna's service," and they are happy in Krsna's service.

(670218CC.SF)

 

Everyone in the spiritual world is fully cognizant of their actual

position. To desire something else when in full knowledge, fully

satisfied and full of bliss is highly unlikely:

 

Text:

 

My devotee actually becomes self-realized by My unlimited causeless

mercy, and thus, when freed from all doubts, he steadily progresses

towards his destined abode, which is directly under the protection of My

spiritual energy of unadulterated bliss. That is the ultimate

perfectional goal of the living entity. (Bhag. 3.27.28-29, text)

 

A pure devotee of the Lord can never forget those lotus feet in any

circumstance. (Bhag. 11.2.53, text)

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

 

In Cit-jagat there is no ignorance whatsoever of free souls. (Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura: Sri Caitanya's Teachings-Part II,

Chapter One, p. 390-1)

 

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

.. . . enjoying life in full bliss and knowledge without fear of birth,

death, old age or disease, and without the influence of kala, eternal

time. (Bhag. 1.14.35-6, purp.)

 

The inhabitants of those planets are liberated from birth, death, old

age and diseases and have full knowledge of everything. (Bhag. 2.6.18,

purp.)

 

They eternally live in bliss and knowledge in the various Vaikuntha

planets in the spiritual sky. (Bhag. 3.5.29, purp.)

 

One who does not forget this position and knows that he is part and

parcel of the Supreme Lord is nitya-mukta. (Bhag. 4.16.19, purp.)

 

Those who are in the spiritual world are known to be completely

self-realized because on the spiritual platform the living entity is not

forgetful of his service to the Lord. Therefore in the spiritual world

all those who are in the devotional service of the Lord are eternally

fixed, for they understand the position of the Supreme Being, as well as

their individual constitution. (Bhag. 4.24.33, purp.)

 

They are all self-realized souls who are nitya-mukta. (Bhag. 6.1.34-6,

purp.)

 

[Nitya-mukta] He never forgets his eternal servitorship to Krsna. (Cc.

Madhya-lila 20.118, purp.)

 

The nitya-siddhas are eternally Krsna conscious without any

forgetfulness. (Nectar of Devotion, p. 205)

 

In the Vaikuntha sky everyone is in full knowledge. (Krsna Book, Ch. 28,

7th parag.)

 

"When one goes to a transcendental planet, it is necessary to change

both the finer and gross bodies, for one has to reach the spiritual sky

completely in a spiritual form." (Cc. Adi-lila 5.22, purp.)

 

Where not only is life eternal, blissful and full of knowledge . . .

ignorance, misery, egoism, anger and envy-are completely absent . . .

the influence of maya, the total external energy, which induces us to

become more and more materialistic and forget our relationship with God,

is also absent there . . . the living beings in Vaikunthaloka are never

forgetful of their identities (Cc. Madhya-lila 5.22, purp.)

 

He has His eternal form of bliss and knowledge (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha).

Everything in the Goloka Vrndavana planet is a spiritual expansion of

sac-cid-ananda. Everyone there is of the same

potency­ananda-cinmaya-rasa. The relationship between the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and His servitor is cinmaya-rasa. Krsna and His

entourage and paraphernalia are of the same cinmaya potency. (Cc.

Madhya-lila 19.154, purp.)

 

The inhabitants of those planets are liberated from birth, death, old

age and diseases and have full knowledge of everything. (Bhag. 2.6.18,

purp.)

 

Prominent mistakes:

 

We contrast these descriptions of self-realization and full knowledge

regarding the residents of the spiritual worlds with that presented in

the GBC Position Booklet. Therein, "full of knowledge" is defined as

"possessing only a small portion of knowledge according to ones small

capacity and necessity." It is also stated that, "the living entity,

covered by envy, cannot recognize that he will suffer in the material

world...Covered by lust, the living entity forgets his original

knowledge and enters into the material domain to try to satisfy his

desires." Here in particular, three mistakes are made. The first mistake

is the assumption that "full knowledge," in reference to the residents

of the spiritual world, can be interpreted to mean that these residents

are not fully self realized--as stated througout sastra and repeatedly

by Srila Prabhupada. Numerous supporting references have already been

presented earlier in this section.

 

In the material world the minute jivas, who are sac-cid-ananda by

nature, are covered over by maya and are thus in a bewildered state.

When the living entity uses his free will to try and enjoy independently

of the Lord in the material world, he is covered by maya and is forced

to serve maya. He has no choice, in the sense that he is attached and

thinks this is in his best interest. Although he has the free choice to

choose spiritual life, he sees this as a threat to his sense

gratification and therefore undesirable. Therefore materialistic

atheists resist the efforts of preachers.

 

In the spiritual world however, the living entity, fully absorbed in

ecstatic love, cannot bear the thought of doing anything averse to the

Lord's interest--seeing this as a threat to his continued absorption in

pure loving devotional service--his very life. Here in the spiritual

world, all the living entities are fully self-realized, in that they

have fully realized the conclusions of sastra--that they are an eternal

servant of the Lord, and they are fully experiencing their realizations

of eternal blissfulness. It is not that they know every last detail of

sastra. For example, some of the gopis were previously the Personified

Vedas. Although as gopis, they exhibited the highest standard of

devotion as recognized by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu-ramya kacit upasana

vraja-vadhu-vargena, they had almost no knowledge of the Vedas, and

state as much in their wonderful prayers upon meeting their beloved

Krsna after so long at Kuruksetra. (Bhag. 10.82.48) Yet we should not

agree with them that they are ordinary girls simply engaged in household

affairs. They are the personification of the Vedas, absorbed in the

highest mellows of devotion.

 

The second mistake as mentioned above, is that the living entity may be

covered by envy and lust while still within the spiritual world.

 

The third mistake is that a resident of the spiritual world has desires

to satisfy. These points are discussed in section three.

 

As stated above by Srila Prabhupada, residents of the spiritual world

are blissful and are never forgetful of their eternal position as

servitors of the Supreme Lord. For them to turn away from the Lord

toward the material world is equivalent to a normal sane man considering

jumping off of a roof as a viable option in life. They have the freedom

to do so, but never consider it for a moment.

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