Picture of Vaikunda - Garuda eagle is the vehicle of Vishnu

Vaikuntha ( sa, वैकुण्ठ, lit=without anxiety, translit=Vaikuṇṭha), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

, the supreme deity in the

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as ...

tradition of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

Gavin Flood __NOTOC__ Gavin Dennis Flood (born 1954) is a British scholar of comparative religion specialising in Shaivism and phenomenology, but with research interests that span South Asian traditions. From October 2005 through December 2015, he served ...

,
An Introduction to Hinduism
' (1996). and his consort, Lakshmi, the supreme goddess. According to

Ramanuja Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...

, Vaikuntha is the ''Parama Padam'' or ''Nitya Vibhuti,'' an "eternal heavenly realm", and is the "divine imperishable world that is God's abode". In Vaishnava literature, Vaikuntha is described as the highest realm above the fourteen ''lokas'' (worlds), where the devotees of Vishnu go upon achieving liberation. It is guarded by the twin deities, Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha. The army of Vishnu, stationed at Vaikuntha, is led by Vishvaksena. The planets of Vaikuntha are described to be full of golden palaces and hanging gardens that grow fragrant fruits and flowers. The planets of Vaikuntha begin 26,200,000

yojanas A yojana (Sanskrit: योजन; th, โยชน์; my, ယူဇနာ) is a measure of distance that was used in ancient India, Thailand and Myanmar. A yojana is about 12–15 km. Edicts of Ashoka (3rd century BCE) Ashoka, in his Major R ...

(209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka. In most of the extant Puranas and

traditions, Vaikuntha is located in the direction of the ''Makara Rashi,'' which coincides with the constellation of the Capricorn. One version of the cosmology states that Vishnu's eye is present at the south celestial pole, from where he watches the cosmos.

Literature

Vedas

The Vedas do not mention Vaikuntha, but a verse in the ''

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...

'' mentions Vishnu's feet as a potential abode:

Bhagavata Purana

Vaikuntha and its characteristics are described in the Bhagavata Purana, a revered text in

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

, which was composed between the eighth and the tenth century CE, and maybe as early as the 6th century CE. Edwin Bryant, in his book from 2003, comments about the verses describing Vaikuntha in the text of Bhagavata Purana: Translation of some verses in Canto 2, by Bibek Debroy: Raja Ravi Varma, Seshanarayana (Oleographic print)

Raja Ravi Varma, Seshanarayana (Oleographic print)

Narayana Upanishad

The Narayana Upanishad mentions the abode:

Brihad Bhagavatamrita

The Brihad Bhagavatamrita paints a picture of Vishnu's activities at Vaikuntha: Brooklyn Museum - A Vision of Vishnu (Vaikuntha Darshana)

Tiruvaymoli

In the work of Nammalvar, Vaikuntha is referred to as ''Tirunatu'' (sacred land) in the Tamil literary tradition. In Sri Vaishnava tradition, this abode is listed as the one hundred and eighth, and the last of the Divya Desams, the divine realms of Vishnu on earth and beyond. The verses of the Tiruvaymoli describe this abode as the following:

References

Bibliography

*Dallapiccola, Anna. ''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend''. . *Gail, Adalbert J. 1983. "On the Symbolism of Three- and Four-Faced Vishnu Images: A Reconsideration of Evidence." '' Artibus Asiae'' 44(4):297–307. pp. 298–99. {{heaven Vaishnavism Locations in Hindu mythology Conceptions of heaven Divya Desams