| Illuminations on Jiva-tattva
3-Residents of Vaikuntha have perfect qualities,
are fully satisfied (desireless) and there is no disharmony.
The following quotes substantiate that there is no possibility
of emnity between the Lord and His personal associates in the spiritual
world. Envy and disharmony are nonexistent there. The eternal residents
are completely satisfied and all their desires are satisfied by rendering
service to the Lord.
Sastric texts:
In the Vaikuntha world there is complete harmony
between the residents and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Bhag. 3.15.33,
text)
And in the spiritual world every living entity is called
infallible. (Bg.15.16, text)
Srila Rupa Goswami:
All the eternally perfected devotees have eternal and
blissful qualities just like Lord Mukunda. Their supreme love for Krsna
is millions and missions of times more than their love for their own self
or body. (Brs. 2.1.290)
Srila Jiva Goswami:
According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the so-called fight among
the members of the Yadu dynasty was actually a display of the pastime potency
of the Lord, since Lord Krsna's personal associates are never subject
to ordinary birth and death like conditioned souls. (Bhag. 11.31.11,
purport)
Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
In Vaikunthaloka there is no occupation but the service
of the Lord, and this service is not rendered with a purpose. Although
every service has a particular result, the devotees never aspire for
the fulfillment of their own desires; their desires are fulfilled by
rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord. (Bhag. 3.15.14, purport)
In the Vaikuntha world, the spiritual sky, only the mode
of goodness in its pure form exists. 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.)
Serving the Lord in transcendental love yields such
transcendental pleasure that, in comparison, sense gratification
is counted as insignificant. (Bhag. 3.15.17, purp.)
The most important thing about the spiritual world is
that there is no envy among the devotees there. This is true even
among the flowers, which are all conscious of the greatness of tulasi.
In the Vaikuntha world entered by the four Kumaras, even the birds and
flowers are conscious of service to the Lord. (Bhag. 3.15.19, purp.)
The difference between the inhabitants of a Vaikuntha
planet and those of a material planet is that in Vaikuntha all the residents
engage in the service of the Lord Himself and are equipped with all His
good qualities. It has been analyzed by great personalities that when a
conditioned soul is liberated and becomes a devotee, about seventy-nine
percent of all the good qualities of the Lord develop in his person. Therefore
in the Vaikuntha world there is no question of enmity between the Lord
and the residents. Here in this material world the citizens may be
inimical to the chief executives or heads of state, but in Vaikuntha there
is no such mentality. One is not allowed to enter Vaikuntha unless he has
completely developed the good qualities. The basic principle of goodness
is to accept subordination from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
sages therefore, were surprised to see that the two doormen who checked
them from entering the palace were not exactly like the residents of Vaikunthaloka.
It may be said that a doorman's duty is to determine who should be allowed
to enter the palace and who should not. But that is not relevant in this
matter because no one is allowed to enter the Vaikuntha planets unless
he has developed one hundred percent his mentality of devotional service
to the Supreme Lord. No enemy of the Lord can enter Vaikunthaloka. (Bhag.
3.15.32, purport)
In the Vaikuntha world there is no disharmony between
the Lord and the residents. Therefore God's creation in the Vaikuntha world
is perfect. There is no cause of fear. The entire kingdom of God is such
a completely harmonious unit that there is no possibility of emnity.
Everything there is absolute . . . in the Vaikuntha planets the Lord is
perfect, and the inhabitants also are perfectly engaged in the service
of the Lord . . . Maya means disharmony between the living entities
and the Supreme Lord, and Vaikuntha means harmony between them.
(Bhag. 3.15.33, purp.)
Any material happiness is like water in a ditch, whereas
the spiritual happiness eternally enjoyed in the spiritual world is like
an ocean of nectar in which a devotee wants to swim. (Bhag. 6.12.22, purp.)
In the advanced stage, one falls completely in love
with Krsna. This highest perfectional stage of life enables the devotee
to be transferred to Krsna's abode in the spiritual sky, Goloka Vrndavana,
where the devotee becomes eternally happy. (Bg. 8.28, purp.)
Here the Lord is giving, in summary, the contents of the
Vedanta-sutra. He says that the living entities, who are innumerable, can
be divided into two classes the fallible and the infallible. The living
entities are eternally separated parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. When they are in contact with the material world they are called
jiva-bhuta, and the Sanskrit words given here, ksarah sarvani bhutani,
mean that they are fallible. Those who are in oneness with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, however, are called infallible. Oneness
does not mean that they have no individuality, but that there is no
disunity. (Bg. 15.16, purp.)
This description of the abode of Krsna gives us definite
information of the transcendental place where not only is life eternal,
blissful and full of knowledge, but . . . the qualities in Vaikuntha are
a manifestation of God's internal potency, and therefore they are purely
spiritual and transcendental, with no trace of material infection . . .
where the five inherent qualities of the material world-namely 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: they are eternally cognizant of their relationship
with God . . . There is no difference between atheists and the faithful
in the Vaikuntha planets because all who settle there are freed from the
material qualities, and thus suras and asuras become equally obedient loving
servitors of the Lord. (Cc. Madhya-lila 5.22, purp.)
The Vrndavana-lila of Krsna is the perfect presentation
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He's simply enjoying. And all
the inhabitants of Vrndavana, the gopis, the cowherd boys, Maharaja
Nanda, Yasoda, everyone is simply anxious how to make Krsna happy.
They have no other business. The inhabitants of Vrndavana has no other
business than to satisfy Krsna, and Krsna has no other business. Yasoda-nandana
brajajana-ranjana. He's acting as the little son of Yasoda, and His
only business is how to please the inhabitants of Vrndavana. Yasoda-nandana
brajajana-ranjana. [710217CC.GOR]
In many places in the sastra it is stated that the Lord
is completely controlled by His devotees:
The Supreme Living Being is perfect in all relations with
His pure devotee. (Bhag. 1.15.4)
The Lord becomes submissive to even a very insignificant
devotee because of his devotional service. (Cc. Adi-lila 7.145, text)
He comes under the control of His devotees. (Bhag. 10.9.19,
text)
. . . certainly conquer Your Lordship. (Bhag. 10.14.3,
text)
I am completely under the control of My devotees. (Bhag.
9.4.63, text)
The pure devotees . . . bring Me under their full control.
(Bhag. 9.4.66, text)
The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart.
(Bhag. 9.4.68, text)
How can I give up such devotees at any time? (Bhag. 9.4.65,
text)
It is also generally accepted that the highest and most
perfect devotees are the residents of the spiritual world. So, they are
certainly the most dear to the Lord. Throughout sastra the spiritual world
is referred to as perfect, infallible and eternally blissful.
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)
Additionally it is stated in many places in sastra that
the Lord easily excuses any offenses by His surrendered devotees:
He is so gentle that even if His servant is implicated
in a great offense, He does not take it very seriously. (Brs. 2.1.138,
text)
If devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall
from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for You
still protect them. (Bhag. 10.2.33, text)
If such a surrendered soul accidentally commits some sinful
activity, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated within everyone's
heart, immediately takes away the reaction to such sin. (Bhag. 11.5.42,
text)
Declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish. (Bhag.-gita
9.31)
Characteristically, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
does not take seriously an offense committed by a pure devotee.
(Cc. Antya-lila 1.107, text)
Even if His servant is implicated in a great offense,
He does not take it very seriously. (Cc. Antya-lila 1.108, text)
To the eternal servitors of the Lord, the Lord is pleased
to give all protection at all times. (Bhag. 1.14.32-3, purp.)
The Lord is equal in behavior to all living beings, but
He is partial to His pure devotees, being very affectionate toward them.
(Bhag. 1.14.38)
The Lord can tolerate insults upon Himself by any miscreant
because the father tolerates even insults from the son. But He never tolerates
insults upon His devotees. (Bhag. 1.15.10, purp.)
The Lord cannot tolerate any inconvenience on the part
of the devotee. He is therefore famous as bhakta-vatsala. (Bhag.
3.16.7, purp.)
To conclude that the Lord has allowed or arranged for an
uncountably huge number of dear associates of His to systematically and
continuously fall from the spiritual world (His perfect abode) to hellish
repeated mundane births is illogical and ridiculous, in view of the above
references.
jiva
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