Imagine a place where there is no fear, responsibilities, conflicts, no death, aging, sounds like a place from a fictional story, Right? But it does exist, in the spiritual world, known as Vaikuntha in Vedic Scriptures. Unlike the world we live in, temporary with a lot of suffering, Vaikuntha is the eternal home of the Supreme Lord, Lord Krishna. Here, all the pure and devoted souls live in devotional ecstasy of the Lord, beyond time and other materialistic limitations.
It is the final destination of all the spiritual practices, especially Bhakti Yoga. Here, we’ll explore the literal meaning of Vaikuntha, scriptural references, and the ways to attain it.
What Does “Vaikuntha” Actually Mean?
The word ‘Vaikuntha’ means a place without anxiety. In Sanskrit, ‘vai’ means ‘without’ and ‘kuntha’ means ‘anxiety’. Vaikuntha is the spiritual world with no material qualities– fear, death, stress, anger, lust, etc. It is the place where only the souls of pure devotees reside. These souls are the ones who were liberated after devoutly surrendering their lives for the Lord.
Devoid of sunlight or moonlight, this place is self-illuminated by the divine energy of Lord Krishna. It is the world of spiritual joy, which provides shelter to the longing souls of true devotees after liberation.
Who Lives in Vaikuntha and What Do They Do?
Vaikutha is the home residency of the souls of true devotees. The Supreme Lord, Lord Krishna, known as Narayan, is the central figure of this place. He is four-armed, holding conch (shankha), discus (chakra), club (gada), and lotus flower (padma) in each of them.
By His side is Goddess Lakshmi, the symbol of wealth and fortune. She is the eternal devotee of Lord Krishna and serves His devotees with wealth and good fortune. Also, the lord is surrounded by countless liberated souls, who are not seeking any personal gain but the opportunity to serve the Lord.
It is explained in Srimad Bhagavatam as:
वसन्ति यत्र पुरुषा: सर्वे वैकुण्ठमूर्तय: ।
येऽनिमित्तनिमित्तेन धर्मेणाराधयन् हरिम् ॥ १४ ॥
~ŚB 3.15.14
Translation: In the Vaikuṇṭha planets, all the residents are similar in form to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They all engage in devotional service to the Lord without desires for sense gratification.
Life in Vaikuntha: No Time, No Death, No Worry
Vaikutha is the spiritually conscious world, where there is no time and hence, no ageing, diseases, or death. These factors are the real cause behind all the worries in the material world. In the material world, the living entities follow a cycle of life – birth, youth, adulthood, old age, death, which is accompanied by three modes of nature – Sattva guna(Goodness), Rajo guna(Passion), and Tamo guna(Ignorance). This results in conflicts, envy, ego, anger, lust, selfishness, depression, anxiety, sadness, etc.
Unlike the material world, the spiritual world of Vaikuntha provides a life free of envy, ego, conflicts, anger, and other selfish emotions. It only provides the serving attitude to the souls, to feel the ecstasy of love for the Supreme Lord, eternally.
This spiritual world has wish-fulfilling trees, beautiful lakes, singing birds(singing the devotional songs), and many more. The Lord wants to offer everything for His devotees to live peacefully and joyfully. Everything here is fresh, beautiful, and pure, and will never get dull or old.
Though these arrangements are not required by a liberated soul, who is already satisfied with the devotional services of the Lord, they exist to please the eyes of the devotees.
It is beautifully explained in Srimad Bhagavatam, as:
यत्र नै:श्रेयसं नाम वनं कामदुघैर्द्रुमै: ।
सर्वर्तुश्रीभिर्विभ्राजत्कैवल्यमिव मूर्तिमत् ॥ १६ ॥
~ŚB 3.15.16
Translation: In those Vaikuṇṭha planets, there are many forests which are very auspicious. In those forests, the trees are desire trees, and in all seasons, they are filled with flowers and fruits because everything in the Vaikuṇṭha planets is spiritual and personal.
प्रवर्तते यत्र रजस्तमस्तयो:
सत्त्वं च मिश्रं न च कालविक्रम: ।
न यत्र माया किमुतापरे हरे-
रनुव्रता यत्र सुरासुरार्चिता: ॥ १० ॥
~ŚB 2.9.10
Translation: In that personal abode of the Lord, the material modes of ignorance and passion do not prevail, nor is there any of their influence in goodness. There is no predominance of the influence of time, so what to speak of the illusory, external energy; it cannot enter that region. Without discrimination, both the demigods and the demons worship the Lord as devotees.
The Spiritual Practices to Attain Vaikunth
The liberated souls are those who qualify to attain Vaikuntha. Liberation is defined as the end result of the lifelong process of devotional services and love for the Lord. It is the fruit of constant devotion that isn’t accessible through material successes, privileged family background or academic learning.
Here is the list of practices that are approved by Vedic scriptures, great acharyas and senior devotees. It requires a practice that doesn’t focus upon outer qualifications, but on inner purification, humility, consistency in devotion, and sincerity for spiritual growth.
1) Chanting the holy names
The Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the way to attain liberation in this Kali Yuga. Chanting the holy names cleanses the heart impurities and awakens the devotional consciousness. Regular chanting is suggested to make spirituality adaptable to the condition of souls(souls bound with the three modes of nature).
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”
2) Hearing and Reading Scriptures
Hearing the teachings of the Supreme Lord, Lord Krishna, from the Bhagavad Geeta, connects the inner consciousness of a person to the divine soul. It improves the intellect of a person, and he/she gains more knowledge about the Supreme Lord.
3) Following a lifestyle of four regulated principles
To purify the materialistic mind, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder-acharya of the Hare Krishna Movement, provided the four regulative principles to follow:
1) No meat eating
2) No intoxication
3) No illicit sex
4) No gambling
Final Words
Vaikuntha is the world where only pure devotion exists. It requires liberation, which can be attained through spiritual practices, like constant chanting of Lord Krishna’s holy names, living a spiritually standardized lifestyle, and associating with Lord Krishna’s pure devotees.
In the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 8, it is stated that:
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् ।
य: प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशय: ॥ ५ ॥
~Bg. 8.5
Lord Krishna says: And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alyou at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
