Vaikuntha Darshana
Vishnu’s Vaikuntha is the place where only happiness abounds and there is no place for grief, diseases or evil. Vishnu as the god head of Viashnavites of Madhvacharya’s sect of Madhwas or the Srivaishnava’s sect of Ramanujacharya resides in Vaikuntha. Entry of humans to the gateway of Vaikuntha is possible only when once bondage is forever released from rebirths and the soul eternally resides in Vaikuntha without any suffering.
To be in Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu, is also defined in Bhagavad Gita as four levels of mukthi or freedom or liberation from life. These four levels are: The Salokya mukthi, (salokya means same location) in which the individual is permitted to live in Vaikuntha, the heaven; sarupya mukthi means that one will attain the same form as Lord Vishnu in which case one has the vision to see Jaya and Vijaya, the two guards at the gate of Vaikuntha of lord Vishnu, who are also said to possess the same form as Vishnu with shanku (conch), chakra (discuss), gada(mace) and padma (lotus). Samipya mukthi is where one is part of the inner circle of Vishnu. The sayujya mukthi is defined as divine enlightenment. Of all the four types of mukthis, the Samipya mukthi is considered the most deisrble is one gets to stay with the Lord for all time to come and is compared to the “ant forever enjoying the sugar candy,” and is meant for rishis and all devotees of Vishnu.
It is also said that Vishnu’s abode Vaikunta is entirely a contrast to Shiva’s abode, and it is a place of fun (with dances performed all the time) and love with plenty of delectable food.
There is a legend narrated to highlight the importance of Sampiya mukthi, which illustrates the cognitive shift in attitude between “I” and “we”, the former connoting “driving away of the Divine” and the latter meaning “ attracting the Divine”. One day three paraphernalia of Vishnu, the Shankh (conch), the Chakra (discuss) and the paduka (sandal or foot wear) had an argument as to who is the closest to the lord. Every day after Vishnu finishes his sojourn enjoying his life with full of verve and energy returns home and leaves the sandals outside his bed room. Noticing this fact the discuss and the conch make fun of the paduka saying that he is left out of the inner circle while they are with Vishnu all the time enjoing sampiya mukthi whiel he has only fifty percent smaipya mukthi as he stays outside. Paduka does not retort to their jibes, keeps quiet till the next day morning when it poses a question to Vishnu whether he has of an utility for him or unhappy with him as chakra and conch were telling him that he was having only 50% mukthi while they were enjoying full samipya mukthi with the Lord. Vishnu clarified that the role of conch and discuss were different but to him every one was a favourite. He further explained that Chakra is meant to kill and conch’s role is to announce victory and worshipping them does not give moksha or liberation and also both of them were selfish using the word “I” or “me” all the time while you, as a sandal was thinking of me all the time and people even holding you can attain liberation. Showing his annoyance at shanku and chakra for having made fun of the sandals, Vishnu banished them from heaven to live on earth, reborn as Bharata and Shatrungna (brothers of Rama in the epic Ramayana) and worship him (the sandals) for 14 years. They will worship you to get liberation.
When Lord Krishna an avatar of Vishnu died on earth after all the yadavas killed each other and Balarama jumped into the sea and killed himself. Krishna was killed by a hunter by mistaking the toe of Krishna’s toe when he was sleeping the forest, to be rabbit. He left his physical body on earth and went back to his abode the Vaikuntha.
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A Vision of Vishnu (Vaikuntha Darshana) - Brooklyn Museum
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