Namaste all.
Please note that I don't mean begin any discussion about the fact if the description of Sri Vaikuntha is true or symbolic.I just want show how Sri Vaikuntha,the spiritual world where Lord Vishnu lives and where the muktas go,is descripted in the hindu scriptures.
By http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto2/chapter9.html
(1) S'uka said: 'Without the drive of the [Super-]soul, o King, there will never be any good in the spirited consciousness of the beyond relating to the material body, which is then to the seer completely like in a dream. (2) Driven in matter the many forms that appear to have manifested experience different sorts of enjoyment according the modes of the material world and thus they think of 'I' and 'mine'. (3) Whenever indeed, in his own glory of transcendence to the time of the material energy, he [the living entity] enjoys the freedom from misconceptions, then, in that fullness, he will give up those two. (4) 'The reality of the soul is the goal of purification' is what the Supreme Lord factually told the Creator showing him His Form when he was without any misunderstanding in vows and worship (5) He, the first godly person in the universe, as the supreme spiritual teacher, began from his own divine position [on the lotus of the creation] to reflect on the matter of where it came from and he could not figure out what the directions and the ways were of how all should be put together materially.
(6) Once when he was immersed in thinking thus, he heard two syllables being spoken which were the sixteenth [ta] and the twenty-first [pa] of the spars'a-alphabeth and, joined together, became known as the wealth of the renounced order, o King [tapas means penance]. (7) When he heard that, he looked all sides to see the speaker, but there was no one to be found and from where he sat in his divine position he then thought it the best to pay attention to doing penance as he was instructed. (8) With a spotless vision for a thousand godly years, he as the controller of both life and mind, enlightened all the worlds executing such a penance in the past, being of all the one's doing penance the one of the severest practice.
(9) Unto him, the Supreme Lord being pleased by his penance, manifested His own abode [also called Vaikunthha, the place without fear], beyond which no other world is found and which is worshiped as the place where the five miseries of material life [ignorance, selfhood, attachment, hatred and death-fear] have completely ceased with persons who without illusion and fear of existence are of perfect selfrealization. (10) There, the mode of goodness prevails over the other two of passion and slowness without them ever being mixed with it, nor is there the influence of time, the external energy or what to say of [the influence of] others; there both the theists and atheists worship the Lord as devotees. (11) Sky-bluish and glowing with lotuslike eyes, very attractive and youthful with yellowish dress, all of them there have the four arms and the luster of pearls and effulgence of fine ornaments. (12) Some radiate like coral or diamonds, with heads blooming like a celestial lotus with earrings and garlands. (13) In the midst of that brilliance they live in high rising buildings specially designed for the great devotees of the Lord, with ladies beautiful like lightening who have an electrifying celestial complexion as if they are the clouds in the sky. (14) The goddess there is doing devotional service to the lotus feet of the Lord of praise with the help of diverse paraphernalia and a following of dearmost associates who moved by the company [of Apsarā's] that took to the shelter of the [everlasting season of] spring are singing their songs. (15) There one surrounds the Lord of the entire community of devotees, of the goddess, of the Universe and the sacrifice - the Almighty One, who is being served in transcendental love by the foremost associates like Sunanda, Nanda, Prabala and Arhana. (16) The servitors affectionately facing Him are intoxicated by the very pleasing sight of His smile, reddish eyes, His face with His helmet and earrings, His four hands, yellow dress, his marked chest and the goddess of fortune at His side. (17) Adorable and seated on His throne He, accompanied by the opulence of His four [matter, original person, principles and ego] sixteen [the five elements, perceptive and working senses, and mind] and fivefold energies [sense objects of form, taste, sound, smell and touch] and other personal prowesses He sometimes shows [the eight siddhi's or mystic powers], verily enjoys His abode as the Supreme Lord.-Srimad Bhagavata Purana,Canto 2,Chapter 9
By http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto3/chapter15.html
(11) Maitreya said: 'Smilingly he the self-born, o mighty armed one, who by the prayers is understood as the original possessor of all opulence, replied the godly satisfying them with sweet words. (12) Brahmā said: 'Those headed by Sanaka [Sanātana, Sanandana en Sanat-kumāra] where, before you, born from my mind and traveled the peoples of the spiritual and material worlds without any desire. (13) Once upon a time did they, by the Supreme Personality of Lord Vishnu freed from all contamination, enter Vaikunthha, the heavenly abode worshiped by people everywhere. (14) All the persons living there have the same form as the Lord of Vaikunthha and live without desire because of their devotional service of continuous worship of the Supreme Personality. (15) There the original person is the Supreme Lord Himself who is understood by scripture in accepting, in the mode of goodness, the uncontaminated of His own associates, which increases our happiness about the personification of the religious principles. (16) At Vaikunthha, where everything is spiritual and personal, there are forests in the name of happiness that yield to all desires with trees that throughout all seasons are filled with splendid flowers and fruits. (17) Highly elevated they along with their wives are always singing there, free from all inauspicious qualities, of the Supreme Lord, deriding even the mind expanding fragrance of the mādhavi flowers full of nectar blossoming in the midst of the water. (18) The tumult of pigeons, cuckoos, cranes, cakravāka's, and gallinules, swans, parrots, partridges and peacocks but for a moment is stopped by the loud humming of the king of the bumblebees as he sings the glories of the Lord. (19) The fragrance of the mandāra, kunda, kurabaka, utpala, campaka, arna, punnāga, nāgakes'ara, bakula, lily and pārijātā, being worshiped in the good mindedness of the austerity of Vaikunthha, finds there its full glory in a garland of tulsī-leaves. (20) Simply by obeisance to the Lord His feet the devotees attained to palaces, made of lapis lazuli with emeralds and gold, of which the inhabitants have large hips and beautiful smiling faces. But with their minds absorbed in Krishna this does not give rise to any lust with their friendly laughing and joking. (21) Assuming the beautiful body of the goddess of fortune do their leg bangles tinkle as they are playing with lotusflowers in the house of the Lord where they, free from all faults, see to it that its gold decorated walls are wiped crystal clear in the care for others to be worthy of the grace. (22) In the ponds with banks of coral they offer in their gardens surrounded by their maidservants the Lord tulsī leaves, seeing in the clear nectarine water the tilaka high on their noses, thinking their faces thus kissed by the Lord as being part of His beauty. (23) Alas, how unfortunate are the ones who never get near to this Vaikunthha creation of the vanquisher of all sin, but rather hear of other subject matter in bad words that kill the intelligence. Such persons, away from the values of life, are, devoid of all shelter, thrown into the darkness. (24) Those and us who so desired certainly attained to the human form of life and knowledge of the subject matter of the Absolute with the religious principles. Where one is not in such respect of the Supreme Lord, one is alas performing in the bewilderment of His all-pervading illusory energy. (25) Although in association [of Vaikunthha] one refrains from strict austerity and the following in the footsteps of the important wise, one certainly desires there to hear, above hearing from us, about the good qualities from His associates. Discussing amongst one other the glories, in ecstasy of the attraction they are with tears in their eyes and have their bodies shivering.'
(26) The sages [led by Sanaka] upon reaching that place by dint of their spiritual potency attained to an unprecedented supreme happiness seeing it illumined by the highly elevated of the best of devotees and predominated by the Teacher of the Universe, who of all the world is the only one worthy of worship.
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