The Spiritual State of Being
The perfect, happy life we all hanker for
The spiritual state of existence is similar to the Christian concept of heaven—a place of eternal life of happiness and joy. However, in the Vedic concept, the heavenly reward is temporary, experienced in between lives, and after one’s pious credits are exhausted by heavenly enjoyments, the jiva will be born again on the Earth plane, as determined by its karma and unfulfilled desires. Our future, whether talking about next week or next life, is determined by our desires. The Supreme Lord, as our ever well-wishing friend, will satisfy our every desire. Thus, a desire for anything of this material world, is sufficient to keep us bound here.
The spiritual state of existence, or Spiritual World, is achieved only after the living being has let go of its material conceptions of life, and desires for anything in the material world. This happens simultaneously, and easily, during the process of performing bhakti-yoga, the path of self-realization recommended in this age. The activities of bhakti-yoga are spiritual activities that give the jiva an experience of its natural transcendental state, a taste beyond anything this world has to offer, a taste that gradually develops into pure love for God. As that superior taste develops, interest in anything on the material plane becomes pale, withers and vanishes.
Artists depiction of the Spiritual Sky Vaikuntha, with unlimited spiritual planets. The material world in lower right
This material world is not the best creation that God is capable of. The perfect creation is the spiritual world, known as Vaikuntha, which is perfectly suited for us in our pure state of being. That perfect world is a place of perfect happiness that is never disturbed by sadness, misery or want. Life in that perfect world is perfect in every respect, is forever free from disease, old age and death. It is literally God’s world, the Kingdom of God.
The ladies in the Vaikuntha planets are as beautiful as the goddess of fortune herself. They have minds solely engaged in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they possess unique bodily features. They are always decorated with dazzling ornaments and garments, and they talk only of topics relating to the Lord. In the Vaikuntha planets is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the original person and who can be understood through the Vedic literature. He is full of the uncontaminated mode of goodness, with no place for passion or ignorance. He contributes religious progress for the devotees. In the Vaikuntha world there is complete harmony between the residents and the Supreme Lord. The trees, creepers, animals, birds, and other inhabitants are all fully conscious of their relationship with the Lord. Everyone there is engaged in glorifying the Lord, and His pastimes, and there is no envy or hate. Srimad Bhagavatam 3.15.14-16There, that perfect love that we have always longed for—that unlimited, ever-expanding, unending and joyful love—will be our constant experience. There we will feel ourselves to be full and complete without any lacking of any kind. In that wonderful world every step is a dance, and every word is a song. Everything there is ever-fresh, free from the degrading influence of time. The only activity there is the eternal exchange of loving relationships, and there is complete harmony because everyone is focused solely on serving and pleasing the most wonderful person—w ho is known as Krishna.
Krishna, and the most beautiful gopi girls, enjoy their Rasa dance. Rasa means exchange of love.
Getting to that spiritual world is simple, but not easy. It’s only a matter of singing a love song, made up of the most purifying sounds of the names of God:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare;
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Meditation on this sound vibration fuels the development of our spiritual body, and when that is perfect body is ready, we easily slip from this body into that blissful spiritual form.
And most wonderfully, one of the fantastic features of that world is we will have a loving relationship with the most perfect person – God Himself – in exactly the kind of relationship we desire. We can know Him as the Supreme Lord in full majesty as God Almighty. Or we can know Him in a more intimate loving and close personal relationship in one of four ways: as His personal servant, as His dear friend, as one of His parents, or most intimately as His lover. These four relationships are characterized by varieties of service of the Lord for His pleasure and satisfaction. And as we serve Him, He lovingly reciprocates and serves us exactly as we desire, in a perfect exchange of eternal love.
The Supreme Lords, Krishna and Balarama, enjoy lunch with their boyfriends
There you have it—Three States of Being in three segments—a simplified explanation of the possible states of existence, and how we can successfully navigate it to a happy end. This has been a concise summary, but a exhaustive explanation is available from the science of Bhakti Yoga.
Rest assured, there is a better way to live.