BY: SUN STAFF
Apr 19, CANADA (SUN) —
Bhagavat Sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
SECTION SEVENTY-FOUR
(Section Seventy-three not available)
Vaikuntha Manifests Like the Lord's Body.
Therefore just as the Lord's body appears in this world, similarly the scriptures describe that sometimes some abode of the Lord also appears in some places. As Sri Suta states (SB.8.5.4,5):
"From the combination of Subhra and his wife, Vikuntha, there appeared the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuntha, along with demigods, who were His personal plenary expansions. Just to please the goddess of fortune, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuntha, at her request, created another Vaikuntha planet, which is worshiped by everyone."
Just as the appearance of the Lord is called "birth", similarly the "creation" of Vaikuntha means appearance and not that it is generated like a material object. Sri Suka used the verb "created" (jajne) with this intention because both the Lord and His abode are eternal. This Vaikuntha belongs only to the son of Srimati Vikuntha. The original Vaikuntha was seen by Lord Brahma before the creation. This is explicitly described in the second canto (SB.2.9.9-16). The Vaikuntha referred to in Lord Vamana's statement (8.19.11), "Hiranyakasipu searched His abode and not finding the Lord, he roared out of anger" should be known about the Lord's place in the heavens.
COMMENTARY
The Lord's body is eternal but manifests in the material world at certain times. Similarly sometimes Vaikuntha planets also manifest. In Raivata manvantara, the reign of the fifth Manu, Lord Vaikuntha appeared from the sage Subhra and Srimati Vikuntha. His associates who are also known as Vaikuntha appeared with Him. The Lord manifested His planet Vaikuntha at the request of His consort Lakshmi Devi. This Vaikuntha is above Satyaloka and is different from the Maha Vaikuntha which Lord Brahma described in Text Ten. Srila Rupa Gosvami confirms this in Laghu bhagavatamritam (1.91) while describing about Lord Vaikuntha, the Manvantaravatara. He quotes the two verses cited in this anuccheda and then writes:
"Maha Vaikuntha, is all pervading and imperishable in nature." Its appearance above Satyaloka is called "Kalpanam".
Here Srila Rupa Gosvami clarifies the meaning of the word kalpita (used in S.B.8.5.5). The common meaning of kalpanam is "imagined" or "created", but because Vaikuntha is neither, the meaning must be taken as "manifested". If Vaikuntha had either of these characteristics, it would be like any other planet. "Manifested" is not an imaginative meaning of kalpita or kalpanam, because kalpita comes from the root kripu samarthye, which means "to be capable". By His own power the Lord made Vaikuntha manifest above Satyaloka. In the same way that the Lord's appearance is called birth (janma), the appearance of His abode is called kalpanam.
The Lord is not visible to the demons. When He appears in the material world demoniac persons cannot realize His nature because the Lord covers Himself by Maya. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.25):
"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by my external energy, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible."
Similarly Lord's abode remains invisible to the demons. Even if they consider it to be ordinary. This is evident from the statement of Hiranyakasipu (7.3.11) kimanyaih kalanirdhutaih kalpante vaishnavadibhih. In this statement he says that Vaikuntha is also destroyed at the time of dissolution. That means he was unable to realize the real Vaikuntha. The holy abodes of the Lord like Vrindavana which exist within the material world remains covered by a layer of material energy. The non-devotees cannot penetrate this layer and see the real abode.
Srila Jiva Gosvami points out the difference between the Maha Vaikuntha seen by Lord Brahma and the one manifested by Lord Vaikuntha, by referring to the history of Hiranyakasipu. When Lord Varaha killed Hiranyaksha, his brother Hiranyakasipu was enraged and sought to take revenge on Lord Vishnu. He went to Vaikuntha but not seeing the Lord there, he became even more angry. Since Hiranyakasipu did not go beyond the coverings of the universe, the place he visited was the Vaikuntha manifest in the material world. Therefore Srila Jiva Gosvami says that this Vaikuntha is within the upper planetary system.
This verse (S.B. 8.19.11) is spoken by Lord Vamanadeva when He went to beg three steps of land from Bali Maharaja. It implies that one cannot attain the Lord simply by physical endeavor. Although Hiranyakasipu was able to reach Vaikuntha, he could not see the Lord. Thus his reaching Vaikuntha was as good as not reaching. Similarly there are many unfortunate people who come to Vrindavana but do not appreciate that it is the land of Lord Krishna's pastimes. Such people get no benefit of residing in the dhama, rather they become more and more fallen. Somehow, some of these foolish people think that they will get liberation by meeting death in Vrindavana. They want the benefit but without appreciation of the dhama. This is their foolishness.
In this Srila Jiva Gosvami has shown that Vaikuntha is completely transcendental and belongs to the internal nature-svarupa, of the Lord. It can manifest just like the Lord. Next he shows that Lord's associates are also part of His internal nature.
Return to Section Seventy-two
(Section 73 not available)
