Namaste ShivaFan
There is a story in Srimad Bhagavatam about Jaya and Vijaya, two guards at the gate in Vaikuntha. So it seems that there is an entry in the Vaikuntha as a physical place.Originally Posted by ShivaFan
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As regards the possibility of entering into Vaikuntha, no one can enter there if he has no merits.
I doubt that a demon can enter Vaikuntha.can a demon enter Vaikuntha as a location but perhaps not in consciousness
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anyone who passes through this Vaikuntha Dwara gate on Vaikuntha Ekadashi is guaranteed entrance to Vaikuntha. That might include a demon. Or even a mouse who circumstantially observed ekadashi, fasting due to a famine of grains for example.
You know, these things do not work that way. A religious observance for which the promise is given that allows a person entry into Vaikuntha produces a result just to the person who is pious. A person must be pious and knowingly (consciously) engage in certain religious observance to get pious merit.
I doubt that the mouse or a demon can knowingly (consciously) and piously participate in any religious observance, be it passing through a temple gate or observed ekadashi.
But even if there are some exceptions to this rule, it just depends on the will of the Lord. The Lord can grant mukti even to the mouse if He wants to.
There is no possibility of falling due to some kind of chance, accident, bad luck, or karma, or even because of maya because such things do not exist in Vaikuntha.Do you fall from Vaikuntha like you fall from a cliff? What is falling? Is it a movement, from one location to another, or is the consciousness taking a different state? Just curious about this.
For this reason it is said that "no one falls from Vaikuntha". So we did not fall from Vaikuntha in this sense. Srila Prabhupada explained that we fell because of our own choice. We have tried to imitate God, we have tried to become enjoyers separated from God, then we have forgotten that we need to serve God. Then God has put us in this material world in which we can try to enjoy separate from God.
So it is not about accident. There is no risk of falling!
There is another reason why there is no risk of falling from Vaikuntha. It is because in Vaikuntha souls are protected by the Lord.
In Vaikuntha souls are protected by the Lord, but the souls always have the ability to choose what they want to do. If they want to separate from the Lord and leave Him, the Lord will enable them to do this.
Technically speaking it is not called "fall from Vaikuntha". You could call it a "decision to abandon the Lord".
"Is it a movement, from one location to another, or is the consciousness taking a different state?"
It seems that it is both. Vaikuntha is abode, residence, place from where you go and come to this world or place.
The description of Vaikuntha is given in the Bhagavatam: http://vedabase.net/sb/3/15/en
Consciousness of the soul in Vaikuntha is certainly different from the consciousness of the soul in the material world. There the souls are aware of their spiritual identity, and are aware of their relationship with the Lord. As soon as the soul begins with material life in this world, awareness becomes shrink, reduced in amount and value. The soul forgets himself, forgets his true identity as a spirit soul, forgets his spiritual identity and his relationship with the Lord. The soul starts to think "I'm this material body", "This material body is my true self". This state of forgetfulness of his true identity as a spirit soul is compared with the state of sleep. Just as a person who falls asleep forgets himself as a person from the world of wakefulness and starts to think of himself in a fictional way in dreams. The state of consciousness of the soul in Vaikuntha is compared with wakefulness, while the state of consciousness of the soul in the material world is compared with a dream.
Vaikuntha is a spiritual sky where there are countless planets (lokas, Vaikunthalokas). Goloka is said to be the highest loka in Vaikuntha. Vrindavana is one place in Goloka.I have a question for Gaudiyas - whatever happened to Goloka Vrindavan? I was told this is a place or location with its own identity, regardless whether it is a park in Vaikuntha or its own loka, it is distinct and going to Vaikuntha does not necessarily mean you have gone to Goloka Vrindavan.
Vrindavana which appears in this world is said to be a replica of Goloka Vrindavana. To know that we are talking about Vrindavana which appears in this world it is not called Goloka but Gokula.
I do not know about Jatayu, but it is possible that some soul come from Vaikuntha not to forget himself and his relationship with the Lord but on purpose.
regards
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