Spiritual World / Vaikuntha
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In the Vaikuntha world all the living entities are in oneness with the Supreme Godhead because they never defy His orders. Here in the material world, however, they are not sammata, agreeable, but always asammata, disagreeable. This human form of life is a chance to be trained to be agreeable to the orders of the Supreme Lord. To bring about this training in society is the mission of the Krsna consciousness movement. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, the laws of material nature are very strict; no one can overcome the stringent laws of material nature. But one who becomes a surrendered soul and agrees to the order of the Supreme Lord can easily overcome those stringent laws. The example of Dhruva Maharaja is very fitting. Simply by becoming agreeable to the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by developing love of Godhead, Dhruva got the chance to personally meet the confidential servants of Lord Visnu face to face. What was possible for Dhruva Maharaja is possible for everyone. Anyone who very seriously engages in devotional service can obtain, in due course of time, the same perfection of the human form of life.
(More...) Unintelligent people think that the Supreme Lord accepts a body composed of the material energy. We can easily understand the material body, but we cannot understand the spiritual body. Therefore Rsabhadeva says: idam sariram mama durvibhavyam. In the spiritual world, everyone has a spiritual body. There is no conception of material existence there. In the spiritual world there is only service and the receiving of service. There is only sevya, seva, and sevaka-the person served, the process of service and the servant. These three items are completely spiritual, and therefore the spiritual world is called absolute. There is no tinge of material contamination there. Being completely transcendental to the material conception, Lord Rsabhadeva states that His heart is composed of dharma. Dharma is explained in Bhagavad-gita (18.66): sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. In the spiritual world, every living entity is surrendered to the Supreme Lord and is completely on the spiritual platform. Although there are servitors, the served and service, all are spiritual and variegated. At the present moment, due to our material conception, everything is durvibhavya, inconceivable. Being the Supreme, the Lord is called Rsabha, the best. In terms of the Vedic language, nityo nityanam. We are also spiritual, but we are subordinate. Krsna, the Supreme Lord, is the foremost living entity. The word rsabha means "the chief," or "the supreme," and indicates the Supreme Being, or God Himself.
(More...) The Lord next explained to Sanatan Goswami about the situation of different spiritual planets in the Spiritual Sky. The spiritual planets are known as Vaikuntha planets. The Universes of the material Creation have a limited length and breadth; but so far as the Vaikuntha planets are concerned, because they are spiritual, there is no limitation to their dimensions. Lord Chaitanya informed Sanatan Goswami that the length and breadth of each and every Vaikuntha planet is hundreds and thousands of millions and billions of miles. Nobody can measure billions of miles or measure the actual extent of such Vaikuntha planets. Each of them is unlimitedly expanded, and in each and every one of them there are residents who are full with all six opulences-wealth, strength, knowledge, beauty, fame, and renunciation. And the Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in each. In each and every Vaikuntha planet a different expansion of Krishna has His eternal Abode. And Krishna has His original eternal Abode on the planet called Krishna Loka, or Goloka Vrindaban.
(More...) This all-pervasiveness of Krsna is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, both in the Ninth and Seventh Chapters. Krsna is all-pervasive in His impersonal feature; everything is resting in Him, but He is not personally present everywhere. In the Seventh Chapter also, it is stated that the five gross elements, earth, water, fire, air and sky, and the three subtle elements, mind, intelligence, and ego, are all His inferior energies. But there is another, superior energy, which is called the living entity. The living entities are also directly part and parcel of Krsna. Therefore Krsna is the source of both the material and spiritual energies. He is always intermingled with everything as cause and effect. Not only the gopis, but all living entities are always inseparably connected with Krsna in all circumstances. The gopis, however, are perfectly and thoroughly in cooperation in their relationship with Krsna, whereas the living entities under the spell of maya are forgetful of Krsna. They think themselves as separate identities having no connection with Krsna.
(More...) Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 27, 1973. Thank you very much. In answer to your several questions, first; what is meant by conditioned soul? Conditioned soul means one who has accepted something illusion as reality. Conditioned means that due to imperfect desires the spirit soul becomes dependent on material conditions for his satisfaction. Your second question; how does he become conditioned when the jivatma is eternal full of bliss and knowledge? The answer is that it is not the soul itself that becomes mixed with matter but it is his consciousness that becomes absorbed in trying to enjoy the matter. Out of desire to lord it over, the jiva soul forgets that he is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss and identifies with the material energy. So it is the consciousness of the conditioned soul that is affected. Your third question is: does the soul ever become weak or strong on account of its association and contact with material nature? It is not the spirit soul that becomes weak or strong but it is his determination to become Krsna Conscious that me become weak or strong. By the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance he becomes weak and by the influence of the mode of goodness he becomes strong. But by the association with the pure devotee he becomes strongest. Your fourth question: "Whether or not it is possible for the soul to exist without having this external gross and subtle body covering it? So if the bird is existing within the cage and someone takes away the cage does that mean that the bird can no longer exist? No. This body is illusion. It is only because of our attachment for this body that we have to remain within it. But as soon as one transfers his attachment to Krsna then no more is there any need for this body. Your fifth question is, "Bhagavad-gita says that the conditioned soul is subjected to four defects. Does that refer to the body or the soul?" The defects are there in the living being when he is acting on the material platform. As stated in Bhagavad-gita chapter 15 verse 17: "dvavimau purusau loke, ksaras caksara eva ca, ksarah sarvani bhutani, kutastho 'ksara ucyate:" "There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every entity is called infallible." So the defects are there only on the material platform. One who is acting in Krsna Consciousness is beyond those defects. Your next question: "The Bhagavad-gita says that Lord Brahma is a conditioned soul. Then how was it possible for him to impart the Vedas to a non-conditioned soul-Narada Muni?" So, Lord Brahma is a conditioned soul means that due to his desire to become the creator of the material manifestation he had to take birth within the material world. But although he was conditioned by such desire, still he is a great devotee of Lord Krsna. He has written Brahma-samhita which is pure Vaisnava literature describing the Supreme Personality of godhead. Lord Brahma was the first created being within the universe and the first spiritual master, as he received knowledge from within his heart from Lord Krsna. Narada appeared as the son of Brahma and therefore he had to accept Lord Brahma as his spiritual master. Your last question, "How is the soul degraded (by lust, anger and greed) when it is transcendental to the body? Doesn't that imply that the sould has changed?" No. The soul never changes, but due to his tinyness he may become forgetful of his relationship with Krsna. The spiritual quality of the spiritual spark has not changed but he has forgotten his spiritual nature, bewildered by the imperfect desire to become equal or greater than Krsna. I hope you are able to understand all these points. As you know, I am translating so many books into English from the Sanskrit, therefore, I am very busy. Now, I have representatives, the GBC and the temple presidents who are qualifies to answer your questions. Of course if you ask me I am obligated to reply because I am your spiritual master. So please direct your question to my representatives. I may be coming to London in June, and I will be pleased to see you at that time. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher,
(More...)A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Regarding your question, There is really a place as Vaikuntha, beyond this dark material universe. In the material world if our consciousness is changed to Krishna then even here is vaikuntha consciousness. This is very easy to understand. Suppose one is a foreigner in India, but still he can continue his European or American consciousness. The process for doing this is bhakti yoga and the beginning of that process is hearing and chanting the Holy Name of Krishna, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Please chant Hare Krishna and be always in Krishna consciousness. I hope this letter finds you well. Visnu impregnated Maya or material nature simply by glancing at her. This is the spiritual method. Materially we are limited to impregnate by only one particular part of our body, but the Supreme Lord, Krsna or Maha-Visnu, can impregnate any part by any part. Simply by glancing the Lord can conceive countless living entities in the womb of material nature. The Brahma-samhita also confirms that the spiritual body of the Supreme Lord is so powerful that any part of that body can perform the functions of any other part. We can only touch with our hands or skin, but Krsna can touch just by glancing. We can only see with our eyes, we cannot touch or smell with them. Krsna, however, can smell and also eat with His eyes. When foodstuffs are offered to Krsna we don't see Him eating, but He eats simply by glancing at the food. We cannot imagine how things work in the spiritual world where everything is spiritual. It is not that Krsna does not eat or that we imagine that He eats; He actually eats, but His eating is different from ours. Our eating process will be similar to His when we are completely on the spiritual platform. On that platform every part of the body can act on behalf of any other part.
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