Lokas Or Planes: Vaikuntha Loka

By Sri Swami Sivananda

In Vaikuntha all persons dwell having the form of Vishnu and propitiate Him by means of Dharma which is not prompted by the desire of any fruit.

There dwells the glorious First Person who is beyond the range of words (who is to be known only by the Vedanta), who having associated Himself with the Sattva unmixed with Rajas, showers blessings on us, His devotees whom He would make happy.

There stands a garden called ‘The Highest Happiness’ filled with trees that yield all that is desired and it shines like the embodiment of the final beatitude.

In that Vaikuntha Loka the Muktas that move about in Vimanas along with their consorts are indifferent to the perfumed breeze, though their mind is agitated by the fragrance of the Madhavi flowers (creepers) dripping with honey in the middle of water, and they always sing the Lord’s deeds which cleanse the world of all sin.

In Vaikuntha, while the kingly bee hums as if singing the story of Hari, there comes for a moment a lull in the tumult of pigeons, cuckoos, cranes, the ruddy geese, Chatakas, swans, parrots, Tittiris and peacocks.

There the Mandara, the Kunda, the Kurava, the Utpala, the Champaka, the Arna, the Punnaga, the Naga, the Bakula, the Ambuja, and the Parijata, all these flowers endowed with fragrance as they are, regard very highly the Tapas of Tulasi when her fragrance is appreciated and valued by Hari who wears the garland of Tulasi as His ornament.

The Vaikuntha Loka is thronged with Vimanas of Vaidurya (cat’s eyes), emerald and gold, which are visible only to those that bow at His feet; and there women of stout hips and smiling faces do not, by their maddening smiles and other arts, excite the passion of those Muktas who have given their hearts to Krishna.

There, in the abode of Hari, the faultless Goddess Lakshmi, in a beautiful form, with her arms freely suspended, with lotus-like feet resounding with anklets, appears by her image reflected on the crystal walls laced with gold, as if engaged in dusting the house—Lakshmi whose grace is sought after by others (Brahma and all others).

There, in her own garden, and at all the wells of pure nectar-like waters surrounded by parapets of coral, while worshipping the Lord with Tulasi, Lakshmi saw her own face with beautiful looks and prominent nose reflected on the water and thought that it was kissed by the glorious Lord.

To the Vishnu-Loka do not go those, who listen to bad stories which spoil the mind, because they concern subjects other than the deeds (creation etc.) of Hari who shatters the sin of His devotees. The bad stories, which when heard by unfortunate men, deprive them of all merit and alas! throw them into hells of darkness where no relief is possible.

These are men, who deluded by the widespread Maya, do not perform the worship of this most gracious Lord, though they have attained this human life which is sought after even by us and in which it is possible to gain the knowledge of truth along with the practice of Dharma.

Thither go those men who are far above us and possessed of enviable virtue and character, men from whom Yama stands aloof, (or who have risen above Yama, Niyama and other restrictions), on whose body the hairs stand on end and from whose eyes tears flow, their mind and heart being overwhelmed by intense love in their mutual conversations about the Lord of delightful glories.

Vaikuntha, the one region worthy of praise in all the worlds, which is shining most splendid with its most beautiful and wonderful mansions of the gods and wise men and which is in short a region of divine nature, is occupied by the Father of the universe.

There are seven entrances to Vaikuntha. In each entrance there are two gods of the same age armed with Gada, beautifully adorned with invaluable Keyura, Kundala and Kireeta, who wear about their necks and between their four blue arms, Vanamala (the so-called wreath) about which swarm gladsome bees, and who appear to wear a face somewhat dark with anger from the bent brow, the prominent nose (wide nostrils) and red eyes.

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This was an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. We want to now the truth behind near death experiences and become certain that there really is a life after death.

Many books have been written on the subject of death, but most of the works deal mainly with the astral or other spirit world. It has mostly been the study of the conditions in the Pretaloka which is merely one among the numerous supramundane planes or lokas beyond the grave. Spiritualism, seance and the testimony of recognised mediums have for most part featured prominently in all such works.

What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj is a departure from the usual line in that it is based, to a great extent, upon authoritative scriptural texts and upon knowledge derived through reasoning, deep reflection and personal meditation. It throws a flood of light upon all aspects of life after death not adequately dealt with in other works. The book also gives valuable information about the different beliefs on this subject, of the various races and religions.

The book is dealing with rebirth, the soul, reincarnation, moksha, heaven and hell, karma and different lokas. It even includes death poems and death poetry, giving a complete picture and a new face of death. For more material see this link: What Becomes Of The Soul After Death.

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