Section
74
Vaikuëöha
Manifests Like the Lord's Body
Therefore just as the Lord's body appears in this world, similarly the scriptures describe that sometimes some abode of the Lord also appears in some places. As Çré Süta states (SB.8.5.4,5):
"From the combination of Çubhra and his wife, Vikuëöhä, there appeared the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuëöha, along with demigods, who were His personal plenary expansions. Just to please the goddess of fortune, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuëöha, at her request, created another Vaikuëöha planet, which is worshiped by everyone."
Just as the appearance of the Lord is called "birth", similarly the "creation" of Vaikuëöha means appearance and not that it is generated like a material object. Çré Çuka used the verb "created" (jajïe) with this intention because both the Lord and His abode are eternal. This Vaikuëöha belongs only to the son of Çrématé Vikuëöhä. The original Vaikuëöha was seen by Lord Brahmä before the creation. This is explicitly described in the second canto (SB.2.9.9-16). The Vaikuëöha referred to in Lord Vämana's statement (8.19.11), "Hiraëyakaçipu searched His abode and not finding the Lord, he roared out of anger" should be known about the Lord's place in the heavens.
PURPORT
The Lord's body is eternal but manifests in the material world at certain times. Similarly sometimes Vaikuëöha planets also manifest. In Raivata manvantara, the reign of the fifth Manu, Lord Vaikuëöha appeared from the sage Çubhra and Çrématé Vikuëöhä. His associates who are also known as Vaikuëöha appeared with Him. The Lord manifested His planet Vaikuëöha at the request of His consort Lakñàé Devi . This Vaikuëöha is above Satyaloka and is different from the Mahä Vaikuëöha which Lord Brahmä described in Text Ten. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé confirms this in Laghu bhagavatamåtam (1.91) while describing about Lord Vaikuëöha, the Manvantaravatära. He quotes the two verses cited in this anuccheda and then writes:
"Mahä Vaikuëöha, is all pervading and imperishable in nature." Its appearance above Satyaloka is called "Kalpanam".
Here Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé clarifies the meaning of the word kalpita (used in S.B.8.5.5). The common meaning of kalpanam is "imagined" or "created", but because Vaikuëöha is neither, the meaning must be taken as "manifested". If Vaikuëöha had either of these characteristics, it would be like any other planet. "Manifested" is not an imaginative meaning of kalpita or kalpanam, because kalpita comes from the root kåpü sämarthye, which means "to be capable". By His own power the Lord made Vaikuëöha manifest above Satyaloka. In the same way that the Lord's appearance is called birth (janma), the appearance of His abode is called kalpanam.
The Lord is not visible to the demons. When He appears in the material world demoniac persons cannot realize His nature because the Lord covers Himself by Mäyä. As stated in Bhagavad-gitä (7.25):
"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by my external energy, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible."
Similarly Lord's abode remains invisible to the demons. Even if they consider it to be ordinary. This is evident from the statement of Hiraëyakaçipu (7.3.11) kimanyaiù kälanirdhütaiù kalpänte vaiñëavädibhiù. In this statement he says that Vaikuëöha is also destroyed at the time of dissolution. That means he was unable to realize the real Vaikuëöha. The holy abodes of the Lord like Våndävana which exist within the material world remains covered by a layer of material energy. The non devotees cannot penetrate this layer and see the real abode.
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé points out the difference between the Mahä Vaikuëöha seen by Lord Brahmä and the one manifested by Lord Vaikuëöha, by referring to the history of Hiraëyakasipu. When Lord Varäha killed Hiraëyäkña, his brother Hiraëyakaçipu was enraged and sought to take revenge on Lord Viñëu. He went to Vaikuëöha but not seeing the Lord there, he became even more angry . Since Hiraëyakaçipu did not go beyond the coverings of the universe, the place he visited was the Vaikuëöha manifest in the material world. Therefore Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that this Vaikuëöha is within the upper planetary system.
This verse (S.B. 8.19.11) is spoken by Lord Vämanadeva when He went to beg three steps of land from Bali Mahäräja. It implies that one cannot attain the Lord simply by physical endeavor. Although Hiraëyakaçipu was able to reach Vaikuëöha, he could not see the Lord. Thus his reaching Vaikuëöha was as good as not reaching. Similarly there are many unfortunate people who come to Våndävana but do not appreciate that it is the land of Lord Kåñëa's pastimes. Such people get no benefit of residing in the dhäma, rather they become more and more fallen. Somehow, some of these foolish people think that they will get liberation by meeting death in Våndävana. They want the benefit but without appreciation of the dhäma. This is their foolishness.
In this Çréla Jéva Gosvämé has shown that Vaikuëöha is completely transcendental and belongs to the internal nature-svarüpa, of the Lord. It can manifest just like the Lord. Next he shows that Lord's associates are also part of His internal nature.