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Re: Vibhava lokas

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Parthasarathy Srinivasan • September 6, 1999 


Narayana.

Sri Mani Varadarajan wrote:

>The positing of various "lokas" stems from thinking 
>of Vaikuntha primarily as a physical place.  I 
>suggest that Vaikuntha should be thought of more as a >*state* of
consciousness where one has attained God,
>rather than a particular physical place.  Beyond all 
>materiality, Vaikuntha or parama-padam represents the 
>state of moksha, where the jIva stands unfettered by 
>karma due to the grace of God.  

I can appreciate that Vaikuntha is more of a state than a place where
the dharma-bhuta-jnana of the jiva expands to infinity and covers the
whole of existence. In this context, I have 3 questions:

1) Does the expansion of dharma-bhuta-jnana mean that the mukta is
omniscient like Bhagavan?
2) Why cannot this happen while the jiva is here on earth, by the grace
of Bhagavan?
3) Does this dharma-bhuta-jnana reveal the jnanaanandaika-nature of
Bhagavan also? In other words, does the mukta directly perceive the
swarupa (essential substantive nature) of Bhagavan (apart from his
rupa)?

>Ramanuja beautifully explains the multiple notions 
>implied by the term parama-padam. He writes in the 
>Vedarthasangraha:
>  In some texts, the term "parama-pada" is used to 
>mean the highest state.  In others, it means the true 
>nature of the individual self, freed from contact 
>with matter, and in still some other texts, it refers 
>to the true nature of Bhagavan. ...

It is interesting to note that in all the three meanings, the notion of
a physical place is not present.

Narayana.

Vishnudasadasan,
P.Srinivasan

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