Adi-lila, Chapter 5 383

nand-kalpa-latakirnam
vaikuntham vyapakam smaret

adhah sGmyam gunanamh ca
prakstih sarva-kGranam

“While chanting the mantra, one should always remember the spiritual world,
which is very extensive and full of desire trees that can yield anything one desires.
Below that Vaikuntha region is the potential material energy, which causes the
material manifestation.”’ The places of the pastimes of Lord Krsna, such as Dvaraka,
Mathura and Vrndavana, eternally and independently exist in Krsnaloka. They are
the actual abode of Lord Krsna, and there is no doubt that they are situated above
the material cosmic manifestation.

The abode known as Vrndavana or Gokula is also known as Goloka. The Brahma-
samhitd describes that Gokula, the highest region of the kingdom of God, resembles
a lotus flower with thousands of petals. The outer portion of that lotus-like planet
is a square place known as Svetadvipa. In the inner portion of Gokula there is an
elaborate arrangement for Sri Krsna’s residence with His eternal associates such as
Nanda and Ya§Soda. That transcendental abode exists by the energy of Sri Baladeva,
who is the original whole of Sesa, or Ananta. The tantras also confirm this description
by stating that the abode of ri Anantadeva, the plenary portion of Baladeva, is called
the kingdom of God. Vrndavana-dhama is the innermost abode within the quadrangu
lar realm of Svetadvipa, which lies outside of the boundary of Gokula Vrndavana.

According to Jiva Gosvami, Vaikuntha is also called Brahmaloka. The Ndrada-
pajicaratra, in a statement concerning the mystery of Vijaya, describes:

tat sarvopari goloke
tatra lokopari svayam

viharet paramanandt
govindo 'tula-ndyakah

“The predominator of the gopis, Govinda, the principal Deity of Gokula, always
enjoys Himself in a place called Goloka in the topmost part of the spiritual sky.”’

From the authoritative evidence cited by Jiva Gosvami we may conclude that
Krsnaloka is the supreme planet in the spiritual sky, which is far beyond the material
cosmos. For the enjoyment of transcendental variety, the pastimes of Krsna there
have three divisions, and these pastimes are performed in the three abodes Dvaraka,
Mathura and Gokula. When Krsna descends to this universe, He enjoys the pastimes
in places of the same name. These places on earth are nondifferent from those
original abodes, for they are facsimiles of those original holy places in the transcen-
dental world. They are as good as Sri Krsna Himself and are equally worshipable.
Lord Caitanya declared that Lord Krsna, who presents Himself as the son of the
King of Vraja, is worshipable, and Vrndavana-dhama is equally worshipable.

TEXT 19

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