Ghanshyam

Dr Uday Dokras
Krishna Sanskrit: कृष्ण, is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of
Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is perhaps the most popular of all the
heroes of Hindu mythology. Krishna's adventures appear in the Mahabharata, Bhagavad
Gita, Harivamsa, and the sacred texts known as the Puranas where he is described as the
Supreme Being and creator of the universe.
The most ancient tales of Krishna in sacred texts involve his adventures with the Pandava princes
whilst later, stories accumulated over the centuries which describe his eventful youth, when
Krishna used his proficient weapons skills to good effect to defeat a host of fearsome enemies,
demons and monsters.

Painting by Amol Hirwadekar

Family & Adventurous Youth
According to tradition Krishna belonged to the Yadava - a pastoral race - and the god's birth is
picturesquely described in the Mahabharata. One day Vishnu, the great Hindu god pulled two
hairs from his own head, one white and one black. The black hair was planted into the womb of
Devaki, a princess of the city of Mathura, and so Krishna was born into the Pandava family, his
earthly father being Vasudeva. Unfortunately for Krishna his mother's brother, Kamsa, had been
warned that Devaki's eighth child would kill him, and so Kamsa determined to murder the eighth
child, a crime he had already carried out seven times before Krishna was born. Fortunately,
Vasudeva took the precaution of hiding Krishna in the remote village of Vrindavana where the
boy was brought up as a simple cowherd (in this guise he can be referred to as Govinda). There
he spent an idyllic childhood and stirred the hearts of many gopis or herd-women with his dark
good looks, playful charm, and mastery of music and dance.

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Thus the story of Krishna contains a double concealment - Krishna is both a god disguised as a
mortal and a prince disguised as a commoner. Accordingly, the myths contain many metaphors
of disguise, such as a spark within a pile of ashes or a mighty sword in its scabbard, and these
hint at Krishna's dual purpose as the punisher of human deeds but also as a bringer of
enlightenment.

Krishna's foster parents at Vrindavana were Nanda and Yashoda, his sister is Subhadra, and his
brother Balarama. Krishna's favourite wife was Radha, with whom he had a son Pradyumna and
daughter Carumati, but tradition has it that the god actually acquired 16,108 wives and fathered
180,000 sons. Queen Rukmini, an earthly form of the goddess Lakshmi, is considered Krishna's
second most favoured wife after Radha.

Krishna was involved in many escapades in his adventurous youth. Notable amongst these are
his various killings and thrashings of prominent enemies such as the ogress Putana, the giant
bull danava, the giant snake Kaliya, and the king of the Hayas (horses). Also swiftly dealt with
was the scheming tyrant Kamsa – after whose beheading Krishna established himself as king of
Mathura. Krishna slew many demons and demon kings: Muru and his 7,000 sons, Pralamba –
who Krishna beat up using only his fists, Naraka – son of the Earth and who had accumulated a
harem of 16,000 captured women, and the sea-demon Pancajana who looked like a conch shell
and who lost his magic shell to Krishna which the hero carried thereafter and used as a trumpet.
Krishna also found time to lift the mountain Govardhana to foil a terrible deluge sent by Indra,
to conquer Saubha, the floating city of the Titans (daityas), got the better of the sea-god Varuna,
and even managed to steal the divine discuss possessed by the fire-god Agni. Against mere
mortals Krishna also wreaked havoc amongst the Gandharas, Bhojas, and Kalingas, amongst
others.

Krishna Manifesting His Full Glory to Arjuna-Steve Jurvetson (CC BY)

Krishna and Arjuna

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Krishna acted as the warrior-prince Arjuna's charioteer in the Great War, the Battle of
Kurukshetra, between the Pandavas (whom Krishna supported) and the Kauravas. It was on the
eve of this battle that Krishna recounted the sacred song of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. Within,
Lord Krishna highlights that the self is quite separate from the body and continues throughout
time: 'Never was there a time I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future, shall
any of us cease to exist' (Bhagavad Gita). It is in the Bhagavad Gita that Krishna also states that
'All this universe has been created by me; all things exist in me'. Arjuna, in the same work, tells
us that Krishna is 'divine, prior to the gods, unborn, omnipresent'.
In other adventures Krishna built the great fortress city of Dvaraka in Gujarat, known as the 'City
of Gates'. Seven days after Krishna was accidentally killed by a hunter's arrow striking his heel,
Dvaraka was submerged beneath the ocean. Krishna had also stolen the sacred Parijata tree from
Indra, defeating the god in the process. Krishna planted the tree at Dvaraka, but upon his death it
was returned to Indra.

Krishna & Radha-Jean-Pierre Dalbera (CC BY)

Worship & Representation in Art

The worship of Krishna may have started as early as the 5th century BCE. Today he is
worshipped as the supreme Hindu god by many believers, and he is especially revered in Bengal
and Udupi in southern India. One of the many festivals held in his honour is the ratha-
yatra chariot festival in Puri which commemorates Radha's successful attempt to persuade
Krishna to return to Vrindavana.

Krishna is typically portrayed in Hindu art with a dark skin (usually blue-black), and he
may carry the cakra discus Vajranabha and the club Kaumodaki – both given to him by Agni. He
typically wears a yellow robe, has a peacock feather in his long black hair, and commonly plays
a flute. In reference to his occupation as a cowherd in his youth, Krishna is often accompanied
with cows. In Khmer art the most popular scene of Krishna's adventures is the lifting of Mt.
Govardhana, and the god is frequently represented in the architectural sculpture at such famous
sites as Angkor Wat.Alsotherefore known as Ghanashyam or dark blue, we try to solve the
puzzle of this colour on one of the favourite Gods of Hinduism.

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 The concept of Ghanshyam

The concept of Ghanshyam is actually the puzzle of why God Krishna is portrayed in blue color.
The word Ghamshyam means Ghan ( Dark,dense)_ Shyam (blue).The Blur God.

Until about 150 years ago, Krishna was generally depicted with black complexion - jet black or
variations of black. Even the folios from Akber's copy of Shrimaad Bhagvatam commissioned
(1600s) show Kruishna as dark blue. Pics of ShriNathji prior to 1850s are also of dark hue. Most
stone and wooden statues of Krushna were also black at this point. Metal images were the only
ones that were "fair" or golden. By the time of Pahari paintings (1800s), Krushna is light blue in
colour and no longer black. Even in Rajasthan, Krishna becomes lighter shade of black. Even
Shrinathji becomes indigo blue in popular depiction.

KRISHNA lifting the Goverdhan mountain in Angkor

Now-a-days, most stone statues of Krishna are made of white marble and he is depicted white -
despite the fact that marble can be painted in shade of any colour they want. Indeed, most marble
statues are painted with clothes and jewels so they could paint it black if they want. All current
representation of Krishna, even on calendar art, is waterdown version of black / blue.
This "gorification" (making everything ‘fair’ (white)) of our ancient heroes is mainly because
society now values fair skin colour above a dark one. This could be because we were ruled by
fair and white skinned people for a number of centuries, making us - the commoners - consider

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fair skin to be a pre-requisite for power and position. I know - a bit too much pseudo psychology
that smacks of reverse racism but i can't explain it any other way.

As to why Krushna is black –

* Krush + na = He who attracts. Black colour absorbs heat. Black colour absorbs energy. As we
know, black hole even attracts light ! So Krishna is literally, he who attracts and absorbs all
things around him. He attracted the souls of the good and the great and even wicked people when
they died, merged with Krishna. No one – not even the evil is rejected. Such is the compassion of
Krishna !

* Black is the colour of space and ether. Krishna is as boundless and endless as space.
Vishnu has come to earth in many hues and skin tones. According to scriptures, he has even been
white, golden, red and black. God can take on any form, so a specific colour is of no big deal.
God has come as a fish, boar, wild man with lionian head, brahmin, kshtriya, vaishya (Yadava)
to show that divinity exists in any and every form. Species, race, ethnicity, gender, colour, these
are only labels. God exists beyond them all. God is reflected in the soul of every creature in the
universe. Let us embrace God in every hue possible.

“how did he end up being portrayed as predominantly blue.”

The short answer is he is both black and blue, so it’s ok to paint him blue. However, almost all
ancient deities of Krishna are jet black. These deities are much older than any painting. It is also
stated in the Bhagavata Purana that he is crystal clear, and that he is lord and source of color
(Ranganatha).

Krishna dancing over the subdued Kāliya and his wives asking Krishna for his mercy. From a Bhagavata Purana
manuscript, c. 1640./// Kāliya Daman, c. 1880.

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 Poisoneous Fight
The fight with a serpent Kaliya and being bitten by him or imbibing his poison hence the
black colour

Kaliya
Devanagari कालिय
Sanskrit transliteration Kāliya
Affiliation Nāgas
Texts Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Harivaṃśa Purāṇa, Mahābhārata
Gender Male
Festivals Nāga Nathaiyā
Personal information
Parents Kashyapa (father)
Kadrū (mother)
Siblings Śeṣa, Vāsuki, etc./Spouse Surasa

Kaliya : कालिय, in Hindu traditions, was a venomous Nāga or snake living in the Yamunā
river, in Vṛndāvana. The water of the Yamunā for four leagues all around him boiled and
bubbled with poison. No bird or beast could go near, and only one solitary Kadamba tree grew
on the river bank. The celebration of Nāga Nathaiyā or Nāga Nṛitya is associated with the tale of
Lord Krishna dancing upon and subduing Kāliya.The story of Krishna and Kāliya is told in the
sixteenth chapter of the Tenth Canto of the Bhagavata Purana.The proper home of Kāliya was
the island of Ramaṇaka, but he had been driven away from there in fear of Garuḍa, the foe of all
serpents. Garuḍa had been cursed by the yogi Saubhari dwelling at Vrindavan so that he could
not come to Vrindavan without meeting his death. Therefore, Kāliya chose Vrindavan as his
residence, knowing it was the only place where Garuḍa could not come.

Once, the sage Durvasā came as a guest and was served by Rādhā. After this
episode, Rādhā took a walk across the river Yamunā and became terrified upon seeing the giant
serpent. She fled to Vrindavan where she informed the people that she had seen a giant serpent in
a river. Lord Krishna was very angry upon hearing this and wanted to teach a lesson to Kāliya as
he had troubled his Rādhā. He went to the river Yamunā searching for Kāliya, who upon seeing
Krishna, coiled around Krishna's legs and constricted him.

The Gokul people came to see that Krishna was in the river. Yaśodā was afraid of the snake and
ordered Krishna to return at once. Meanwhile, Kāliya attempted to escape, but Krishna stomped
on his tail and warned him to not trouble anyone again before returning to the people. The next
day, Krishna was playing a ball game across the Yamuna with Rādha and friends. After the ball
fell into the Yamunā, Rādhā tried to retrieve it, but Krishna stopped her and offered to do so.
When he went into the Yamunā, Kāliya constricted him and pulled him into the Yamunā.

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The Gokul people heard the commotion and all the people of Nandagokula were concerned and
came running towards the bank of the Yamunā. They heard that Krishna had jumped into the
river where the dangerous Kāliya was staying. At the bottom of the river, Kāliya had ensnared
Krishna in his coils. Krishna expanded himself, forcing Kāliya to release him. Krishna
immediately regained his original form and began to jump on all of Kāliya's heads so as to
release the poison in the snake so that he could no longer pollute the Yamunā.

Krishna suddenly sprang onto Kāliya's head and assumed the weight of the whole universe,
beating him with his feet. Kāliya started vomiting blood and slowly began to die. But then
Kāliya's wives came and prayed to Krishna with joined palms, worshiping him and praying for
mercy for their husband. Kāliya recognized the greatness of Krishna and surrendered, promising
he would not harass anybody again. Krishna pardoned him after performing a final dance upon
his head. After the performance, Krishna asked Kāliya to leave the river and return to Ramaṇaka
island, where he promised that Kāliya would not be troubled by Garuḍa.

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The people who had gathered on the banks of Yamunā were terrified, beholding the water that
had changed to a poison colour. Krishna slowly rose up from the bottom of the river while
dancing on Kāliya's head. When the people saw Krishna, everyone was happy and they danced
ecstatically upon Kāliya. At last, Kāliya was pushed into Pātāla where he is said to reside to this
day. This event is often referred to as the Kāliya Nāga Mardan.

Fiji connection
According to the legend, Krishna banished Kaliya to the Ramanik Deep, which the Fiji
Indians believe to be in Fiji. Moreover, native Fijians also believed in a serpent-
god called Dengei.

Hinduism is so scientific, cosmic and universal that it boggles the mind. Every Hindu God or
concept has some parallel in the observable Universe. And even according to modern science,
the universe is not all material. In contrast, baryonic or atomic matter makes up a small portion
of the mostly dark and seemingly infinite universe.
Lord Krishna while being all-attractive, is also majestically radiant. Vishnu is also known as
Surya Narayana, our sun is simultaneously attractive (gravitationally) and radiant, but certainly
not black. So then why is Krishna black?

The irony is that the most powerful, massive, energetic and luminous objects in the universe
ARE black and supremely attractive.

To find out what and who I’m talking about, you have to journey to the center of the milky way
galaxy. Our solar system and billions of other stars, planets etc. are doing “parikrama” around
that supremely massive and powerful center, which in its core contains a supermassive black
hole and a gravitational singularity (which is really an “infinity”).

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Fiji Islands in the Center

Navi folk in the movie AVATAR are

shown as blue

ANGKOR KRISHNA
North Gallery, East Section: Krishna’s Victory over Banasura

The scenes depicted on the bas-relief carved on the eastern section of the north gallery is based
on Krishna’s Victory over Banasura story, which appears in Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana.
This story is about Krishna, who is an avatar of Vishnu, fighting Shiva and becoming victorious.
It is not a well-known story but chosen deliberately to show the dominance of Vishnu

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because King Suryavarman II broke the Shaiva tradition of his predecessors and made Vishnu
the dominant god of the Hindu Trinity.

Legend of Banasura
According to the story, Banasura, an asura king with thousand arms, is an ardent devotee of
Shiva whom he tried to please by doing tapasu (austerity and meditation) for many years.
Pleased with his devotion, Shiva confers upon him with many varas (boons), one of which was
to be his ally in future fights. Once he gets these varas, Banasura becomes arrogant and starts ill-
treating his subjects. When his daughter Usha reaches the marriageable age, many suitors
approach her with an intention to marry. Banasura gets angry at the suitors and builds a fortress
called Agnigraha (house of fire in Sanskrit) and imprisons her there to keep her away from them.

Krishna riding Vishnu’s vehicle Garuda and fighting Banasura

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 Garuda
entering Agnigraha (house of fire) built by Bansaura

One day, Usha dreams of a young man and falls in love with him. When she mentions this to her
maid Chitraleka, who realizes that the young man is Aniruddha, one of the grandsons of Krishna.
Chitraleka with her superpowers summons Aniruddha to Usha’s quarters. When he sees Usha, he
falls in love with her too. Meanwhile, Banasura comes to know of Aniruddha’s presence in
Usha’s quarters. He captures and imprisons him. When Krishna comes to know about his
grandson’s imprisonment, he wages war against Banasura. At the request of Banasura, Shiva
keeps his promise and starts fighting against Krishna. Realizing this, Krishna tricks Shiva by
firing a weapon that puts Shiva to sleep. Krishna then severs all but four arms of Banasura. Shiva
then wakes up and begs Krishna not to kill Banasura. Meanwhile, Banasura realizing his
mistakes begs forgiveness and allows his daughter to marry Aniruddha.
The image shows Garuda facing Agnigraha (house of fire) built by Bansaura to keep his
daughter Usha.

ASTRO PHYSICS

The singularity is where Albert Einstein’s Relativity Theory and all our best mathematics break
down and reach the “monstrosity” of infinitude… even worse these beloved tools (mathematics
and theoretical physics) collapse into recursive infinities while trying to calculate and understand
that universal edge-point known as the singularity.
What we know as the vishnu-nabhi, vaikuntha, goloka, abode of Krishna (the supreme center as
my guru’s guru would call it) is according to bhagavata cosmology, located in the milky way’s
galactic center—what scientists call a “supermassive black hole.” Supermassive black holes are
arguably the greatest, most magnificent “things” in our Universe. They are the
centers/cores/hearts/atmas/souls of galaxies.

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If you study the basics of astrophysics and you have background in any flavor Hinduism (I was
raised with Vaishnavism and read Bhagavata Purana for years) then it quickly becomes clear that
God or Krishna is not just conceptually supreme, but also represents a universal phenomenon
that tends to be supreme in every way you can think of.

Black holes are masters of the universe, essential to the formation of everything, creation,
preservation and destruction. Beyond these processes, inside black holes is something which for
scientists is completely frustrating—the singularity… infinite nature, infinite curvature, density
—and space, time or coordinates have no place inside a singularity.
How can something so black, important and powerful be so tiny and take up precisely zero
space? Ask Lord Krishna! He is after all the trickster. In his mouth/stomach Yashoda saw the
whole universe before her eyes. Brahma tried to search out his origin being going down the lotus
stem into the navel of Vishnu, but he could not find the answer. So he came back up, meditated
on it and within his heart the answer finally manifested. That answer is what bhagavata dharma
is about, for me at least. Knowing the unknowable partially through the mind, but fully with the
heart and acting upon it here on earth. Bhakti Yoga is an amazing system for actualizing this
process. There are many wonderful systems, but the original system is the human form itself.
Our bodies, minds and hearts are capable of understanding the universe with incredible clarity.
The Vedas originated in cosmic sound vibration which ultimately evolved into life.

Krishna was mentioned as “Neela megha shyama” which means Dark blue as rain filled clouds.
The word Krishna itself means DARK. He is a beautiful god by which ancient Indians conveying
that Black is the most beautiful color in the whole Universe. Without Black there is nothing like
Space and without Dark colors there would be no colors.

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 Blue clouds

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Indians do not like Black so we started to paint BLUE COLOR, Lastly Krishna means Black,
Beauty, the Universe beauty, It expresses the beauty of universe.

Sadhguru explains it thus : Blue is the color of all-inclusiveness. You will see in the existence,
anything that is vast and beyond your perception generally tends to be blue, whether it is the
ocean or the sky. Anything which is larger than your perception tends to be blue because blue is
the basis of all-inclusiveness. It is based on this that so many gods in India are shown as blue-
skinned. Shiva has a blue skin, Krishna has a blue skin, Rama has a blue skin. It is not that their
skin was blue. They were referred to as blue gods because they had a blue aura.

What is Aura?
An aura is a certain field of energy that is around every substance. It is a scientific fact that the
whole existence is energy. One part of the energy has manifested itself into a physical form.
Another part of the energy does not manifest itself into a physical form, but it still has a form.
That form which is not yet physical, or refuses to become physical but still maintains a form, is
called aura.

Krishna being blue-bodied need not necessarily mean his skin color was blue. Maybe he was
dark-skinned, but people who were aware saw the blueness of his energy, so they described him
as blue. There are many disputes about who Krishna is and what he is but his all-inclusiveness is
one thing that no one can deny. So the theme of blue remained common, and in every corner of
the country, Krishna is seen as blue.

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Irresistible Blue
Because his energy or the outermost ring of his aura was blue, he was simply irresistibly
attractive – not because of the shape of the nose or the eyes or whatever. There are any number
of people with good noses, good eyes, and good bodies but they do not exude the same level of
attraction. It is the blueness of one’s aura which suddenly makes a person irresistibly attractive.

Can science explain blue skin of Lord Krishna? Religion interprets blue skin as the aura of a
spiritual body; science considers it a rare genetic disorder. Blue skin is a result of a genetic
disorder wherein hemoglobin is unable to release oxygen effectively to body tissues
The world has depicted Lord Krishna as a baby stealing butter and a charming youth holding a
flute, with a peacock feather on his head. And in all these depictions, there’s one common link:
the blue colour of his skin. The question as to why his skin looked different from ours must have
nudged you? The legends tell us that Lord Krishna had drunk poisoned milk given by a demon
when he was a baby and that had caused the bluish tinge in his skin.
The same theory is floated to explain blue throat (neelkanth) of Lord Shiva, who is believed to
have drunk the poison to save the world from destruction at the time of Samudra Manthan.

Religious interpretation of blue

Etymologically speaking, the Sanskrit word ‘Krishna’ means black or dark. At times, it is also
translated as “all attractive”. According to Vedas, Lord Krishna is a dark-skinned Dravidian
god. Even in traditional patta chitras (cloth art) in Odisha, Lord Krishna and Vishnu are always
shown having black skin. Then why is Lord Krishna universally depicted as someone with blue
skin?
Hindu religion believes in symbolisms and the blue color is a symbol of the infinite and the
immeasurable. According to Swami Chinmayananda, the inspiration behind Chinmaya Mission,
whatever is immeasurable can appear to the mortal eye only as blue, just like the cloudless
summer sky appears blue to the physical eye. Since Lord Krishna is beyond our perception, it
seemed apt to attribute this colour to him.
Blue is the colour of aura
Some are of the opinion that the bluish tinge in Lord Krishna’s skin is not the colour of the
material body but the eternal spiritual body of the Lord that emits blue aura. According to
Bhagavad Gita, the blissful form of Lord Krishna is visible only to pure devotees. He may have
bewildered the non-devotees, but those who offered pure devotional service to Him had always
seen Him in his blue blissful form.
The science of blue skin
But in real life, can people actually have that skin colour? While James Cameron, in his
film Avatar, showed Na’vi having blue skin to imply otherness, there’s nothing alien about being
born with a blue skin.
Blue-tinged skin is the result of methemoglobinemia—a condition wherein hemoglobin, the
molecule in red blood cells that distribute oxygen to the body, is unable to release oxygen
effectively to body tissues. As the blood doesn’t get oxygenated, it makes the skin look blue,
lips purple, and blood chocolate-coloured.
Most of us have less than 1 per cent of methemoglobin. The skin gets the bluish tinge when that
level rises to 10-20 per cent.

Famous Fugate family of Kentucky

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Six generations of the Fugate family, who lived in the hills of Kentucky from 1800 to 1960, had
blue skin. The blue lineage began in the early 1800s when Martin Fugate, a French orphan,
settled on the banks of the Troublesome Creek. He married a red-haired American lady who had
a very pale complexion. Their genetic chemistry resulted in a mutation and the both
unknowingly carried the recessive gene that resulted in their descendants being born with blue
skin.
Due to intermarriage, the next generations were also born with this rare disorder. However, most
of the family members lived into their 80s and 90s with no significant health problems.

Blue Baby syndrome

Methemoglobinemia may be passed down through families or can be caused by exposure to
certain drugs and chemicals. Uranium toxicity because of contaminated water is also believed to
have the potential to cause ‘blue baby syndrome’. Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers in
Punjab villages saw a surge in blue baby syndrome in 2009. Cases of blue baby syndrome were
reported in villages in Romania and Bulgaria that faced sanitation problem and high level of
nitrates in groundwater.
Hopefully, Lord Krishna wasn’t a victim of groundwater contamination.

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 Cambodian GHANASHYAM?
DR UDAY DOKRAS

There are around 4000 temples in Cambodia, out of which most of them are
located at Siem Reap, Battambang, Preah Vihar, and Kampong Thom.
Cambodia's many striking temples. Most dedicated to God Vishnu of the Hindu
Pantheam. Vishnu is the preserver and protector of the universe. His role is to
return to the earth in troubled times and restore the balance of good and evil.
So far, he has been incarnated nine times, but Hindus believe that he will be
reincarnated one last time close to the end of this world.were commissioned by
the kings of the Khmer Empire. From the 800s to the 1400s, this empire
stretched across Southeast Asia. ... There was a widespread shift from
Hinduism to Buddhism in the latter half of the empire, so you'll find some
temples have symbolism from both religions.Originally dedicated to the Hindu
god Vishnu, Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple by the end of the 12th
century. Who destroyed Hindu temples in Cambodia?

Standing Shiva (?) 11th century. This figure is the most intact metal image surviving
from Angkor. It belongs to a small group of metal sculptures of Hindu deities associated
with royal cult practices that was discovered in Khmer territories in Cambodia and
northeastern Thailand.(ABOVE RIGHT PIC)

In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was
sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Since

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then, Hinduism slowly declined in Cambodia, and finally being replaced by
Theravadan Buddhist as the major faith in the kingdom.

Angkor was was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the first half of
the 12th century, around the year 1110-1150, making Angkor Wat almost 900
years old. The temple complex, built in the capital of the Khmer Empire, took
approximately 30 years to build. Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor,
Cambodia. It is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site
measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres) which was built by a
Khmer king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and
capital city. Khmer temples were typically enclosed by a concentric series of
walls, with the central sanctuary in the middle; this arrangement represented
the mountain ranges surrounding Mount Meru, the mythical home of the gods.
Enclosures are the spaces between these walls, and between the innermost
wall and the temple itself.

Krishna Lifting Mount Govardhan in 2017 (left) and 2021 (right)

Krishna’s torso is moved into alignment with the upper section of the sculpture in the new
reconstruction, 2021

Krishna Lifting Mount Govardhan, carved around 600 for the temple site of
Phnom Da - According to Sanskrit texts, Krishna, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu,
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once hoisted a mountain overhead to shelter people and cattle from a mighty storm
brought upon them by Indra, the god of rain and lightning, whom Krishna had angered.
At the time, the dark-skinned god was just eight years old, and after this feat, his fellow
villagers came to recognize him as a divinity.

Krishna Lifting Mount Govardhan, carved around 600 for the temple site of Phnom Da
in southern Cambodia, is one of the central works of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s
Southeast Asian sculpture collection. The sculpture depicts the boy god, standing larger
than life within an integral stone niche, pressing the weight of the mountain overhead
with his left hand.

This sculpture was on view for decades at the CMA, as standing securely on complete
stone legs and feet, with his arm raised into thin air. Today, after seven-plus years of
research, international collaboration, and conservation treatment, the sculpture looks
very different. In a dramatic change, the lower base and parts of the legs have been
removed and a large upper section, showing the top of the stone niche and the figure’s
left hand, has been added.

The new reconstruction is based on scholarship and analysis that illuminated the
complex history of this sculpture and seven others that were found on the sacred twin-
peaked mountain, Phnom Da, in southern Cambodia.
Wat Ek Phnom is an angkorian temple located on the left side of the Sangkae
River at the small creek of Prek Daun Taev northwest the G Peam Aek spot
approximately 9 km north of the city of Battambang in north western
Cambodia. It is a Hindu temple built in the 11th century under the rule of king
Suryavarman I. Although partly collapsed and looted it is famous for its well-
carved lintels and pediments.
An enormous white-stone sitting Buddha statue leads to the
modern Buddhist pagoda Ek Phnom surrounded by 18 Bodhi Trees. The site is
deemed as a very popular picnic and pilgrimage destination for Khmers at
celebration times. The pagoda opens the way to the ruins of the ancient
hinduist temple. The ancient temple, built of sandstone blocks and enclosed by
the remains of a laterite outer wall and a Baray, consists of small temples
or prasats on a platform and measures 52m by 49m. Mostly reduced to ruins
today only the main towers of the temple remain standing whose upper flanks
hold some fine bas-reliefs.

The bas-reliefs depict events of Hindu mythology mostly referring to Krishna.

In the same way as Krishna, Suryavarman I carried out institutional reforms of
the state[

19
1. Buddha statue/modern Wat Ek Phnom/ancient temple
2. Lintel of the central tower: Krishna, lifting Govardhana hill and fighting the Kaliya snake, whilst
standing on a kala

Lintel above the north door: Krishna taming horses whilst standing on kala/Lintel
with pediment

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21
 A red
sandstone fragment of a lintel with Krishna, with Krishna at center and his left
arm raised surrounded by leafy scrolls. With his hand raised to present his flat
palm upwards, it is likely this frieze represents the moment when Krishna lifts
Mount Govardhan to shield the villagers from the monsoon.
Khmer, Angkor period, Baphuon style, 11th century (45 cm high).

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 KRISHNA IN ANGKOR

North Gallery, East Section: Krishna’s Victory over Banasura

The scenes depicted on the bas-relief carved on the eastern section of the north
gallery is based on Krishna’s Victory over Banasura story, which appears in
Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana. This story is about Krishna, who is an
avatar of Vishnu, fighting Shiva and becoming victorious. It is not a well-known
story but chosen deliberately to show the dominance of Vishnu because King
Suryavarman II broke the Shaiva tradition of his predecessors and made
Vishnu the dominant god of the Hindu Trinity.

Legend of Banasura

According to the story, Banasura, an asura king with thousand arms, is an

ardent devotee of Shiva whom he tried to please by doing tapasu (austerity and
meditation) for many years. Pleased with his devotion, Shiva confers upon him
with many varas (boons), one of which was to be his ally in future fights. Once
he gets these varas, Banasura becomes arrogant and starts ill-treating his
subjects. When his daughter Usha reaches the marriageable age, many suitors
approach her with an intention to marry. Banasura gets angry at the suitors

23
and builds a fortress called Agnigraha (house of fire in Sanskrit) and imprisons
her there to keep her away from them.

Krishna riding Vishnu’s vehicle Garuda and fighting Banasura

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Garuda entering Agnigraha (house of fire) built by Bansaura (The image shows
Garuda facing Agnigraha (house of fire) built by Bansaura to keep his daughter
Usha.)

One day, Usha dreams of a young man and falls in love with him. When she
mentions this to her maid Chitraleka, who realizes that the young man is
Aniruddha, one of the grandsons of Krishna. Chitraleka with her superpowers
summons Aniruddha to Usha’s quarters. When he sees Usha, he falls in love
with her too. Meanwhile, Banasura comes to know of Aniruddha’s presence in
Usha’s quarters. He captures and imprisons him. When Krishna comes to
know about his grandson’s imprisonment, he wages war against Banasura. At
the request of Banasura, Shiva keeps his promise and starts fighting against
Krishna. Realizing this, Krishna tricks Shiva by firing a weapon that puts Shiva
to sleep. Krishna then severs all but four arms of Banasura. Shiva then wakes
up and begs Krishna not to kill Banasura. Meanwhile, Banasura realizing his
mistakes begs forgiveness and allows his daughter to marry Aniruddha.

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Baphuon bas-relief illustrating the legend of Krishna (second level, gopura II/N, south
face, east section)

Copyright Statement=Palgen-Maissoneuve, Mimi, 1918-1995 (Photographer)

Krishna lifting Govardhan at ANGKOR

26
THE STORY OF SHRI KRISHNA LIFTING GOVARDHAN HILL

There is an interesting story in the Bhagwata and other Puranas about Shri
Krishna lifting the ‘Govardhan Parvat’ or Govardhan Hill when he was only a
small child. The story goes like this:

Once, when the elder people of Braj including Nanda Maharaj were planning
for the Puja of Lord Indra, Shri Krishna, a child then, questioned them as to
why they were doing so. Nanda Maharaj explained to Krishna that this was
done every year to please Lord Indra so that he continued to grace the people of
Braj by providing rain as and when required. But little Krishna debated that
they were farmers and they should only do their duty or ‘Karma’ to the best of
their abilities, by concentrating on farming and protecting their cattle, rather
than performing pujas or conduct sacrifices like this for any natural
phenomenon. Finally convinced by Krishna, the villagers did not perform with
the puja.

Furious with the inhabitants of Braj for listening to the little child Krishna and
worshipping the Govardhan Hill instead of him, lndra, the King of Heaven,
decided to punish them by sending terrible rain clouds to flood the land of
Vrindavan. Calling the Samavartaka clouds of devastation, lndra ordered them

27
to lash upon Vrindavan with torrents of rain and thunderstorms and cause
extensive floods that would destroy the livelihood of the inhabitants.

As terrible rains and thunderstorms ravaged the land and submerged it under
water, the frightened and helpless inhabitants of Vrindavan approached Lord
Krishna for help. Krishna, who understood the situation perfectly well, lifted up
the entire Govardhan Hill at once with His left hand, and held it up like an
umbrella. One by one all the inhabitants of Vrindavan, along with their cows
and other household possessions, took shelter under Govardhan Hill. For
seven days they stayed under the hill, safe from the terrible rains and
surprisingly undisturbed by hunger or thirst. They were also astounded to see
the huge Govardhan Hill resting perfectly balanced on Krishna’s little finger.

Stunned and mystified with the order of events, King Indra called back the
clouds of devastation, thus stopping the thunderstorms and the rains. The sky
became clear again and the sun shone brightly over Vrindavan. Little Krishna
asked the inhabitants to return home without any fear, and gently placed the
Govardhan Hill back to exactly where it was. All the inhabitants of Braj
including Nanda Maharaj, Yasoda and Balarama hailed Krishna and embraced
Him with happiness.

This was how the false pride of King Indra was shattered to pieces. He came to
Lord Krishna with folded hands and prayed to Him for forgiveness. Shri
Krishna, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bestowed his grace on
Indra and also enlightened him about his ‘Dharma’ and duties.

Krishna in BAPHUON
TEMPLE
Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the
state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is
the archetype of the Baphuon style with intricate carvings covering every
available surface. The temple adjoins the southern enclosure of the royal
palace and measures 120 metres east-west by 100 metres north-south at its
base and stands 34 meters tall without its tower, which would have made it
roughly 50 meters tall. Its appearance apparently impressed Temür Khan's late
13th century envoy Zhou Daguan during his visit from 1296 to 1297, who said
it was 'the Tower of Bronze...a truly astonishing spectacle, with more than ten
chambers at its base.'

In the late 15th century, the Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple. A
9-meter tall by 70 meter long statue of a reclining Buddha was built on the

28
west side's second level, which probably required the demolition of the 8-meter
tower above to supply stones for the statue, thus explaining its current
absence. The temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense
size the site was unstable throughout its history. Large portions had probably
already collapsed by the time the Buddha was added.
Surrounded by a wall 125 by 425 m the central tower was probably gilded
wood, which has not survived.
By the 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed, and restoration
efforts took on an epic quality. A large-scale project to dismantle the temple so
that its core could be re-enforced before the whole is re-constructed again—a
process known as anastylosis—was abandoned after civil war broke out in
1970. The workers and archaeologists were forced to leave 300,000 carefully
labelled and numbered blocks organized across 10 hectares surrounding the
temple. However, the plans identifying the pieces were lost during the decade of
conflict and the Khmer Rouge that followed.
Krishna in Preah Vihear

Cambodia lays a temple of such splendor that it was finally selected as a World
Heritage monument by the World Heritage Committee in 2008. The architects who
planned and built Preah Vihear, but at the time of the temples construction Preah
Vihear was known as Shikhareshvara. Sahai’s extensive knowledge of temples built in
India reveals that this is the only temple where Lord Shiva is attributed to being the
called "Lord of the Peak". This said, the mystery of uncovering what this temple
served within the Khmer Empire takes on a new understanding to what exactly was
the intent of Shikhareshvara.

Krishna Subduing Kaliya

29
Each level of the temple was built on a North South axis, which classifies the temple
as an axial temple similar to Vat Phu and Phnom Rung. However, the temple may
have been considered from a much wider context suggesting that both East and West
developments of the temple also served the purposes of the temple priests and royal
monarchs. The depth of devotion which existed around Lord Shiva between the tenth
and twelfth centuries and how through analyzing the inscriptions one can also see how
the sacred foot prints of Lord Shiva were placed at key locations in the empire. This
act alone is the key referent to the holiness of the land which the high priest
Divakarapandita, the most powerful high priest at the royal court of Angkor, initiated
through the kindom and especially at Preah Vihear.

Krishna and his friend Balaram Angkor

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 Krishna Kills Two Enemies-Central Tower, south face-Angkor Wat

The enemies subdued by Krishna in this scene have not been definitely identified.
According to Roveda (p.212) they might be Canura and Mushtika (two wrestlers
sent to kill Krishna), or perhaps Madhu and Kaitabha (two demons slain by
Vishnu).

A naga head is also visible at the right side of the photo.

Krishna Kills
Kansa. Bantey Sarei

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A popular scene from the Mahabharata is depicted at Banteay Srei: Krishna
and Arjuna attempt to burn down the Kandhava forest, which was home to all
sorts of evil creatures. But Indra, the protector of the forest, sends down heavy
rains to put out the fire. Arjuna, the world’s most skilled archer, then shoots a
barrage of arrows in the sky to prevent any rain from hitting the ground.
Afterward, Arjuna holds his own in a battle against Indra, who, despite being a
god, is actually Arjuna’s biological father!

All About Vaikuntha

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 Vaikuntha loka is the supreme Loka

Are Vaikuntha and heaven the same, and what about Indra Lokam?

Heaven in Hindu scriptures is called svarga - (su + varga) which means a good place or state. It is said to
be a celestial holiday resort like Club Med. Those who have performed exceptionally good deeds for the
sake of others win the lottery ticket and a repair to this state in between incarnations. Once the merit is
exhausted one returns to earth to continue the spiritual journey.
Vaikuṇṭha means “free from obstruction or hindrances” and is beyond time-space and three dimensional
world which we inhabit. Therefore it is not a “place” but rather a “state”.
The enlightened sages repeatedly states that Vaikuntha — the unobstructed and unhindered Supreme
State is INCONCEIVABLE being beyond time and space and without causation. As such, nothing
intelligible can be said about it. All materialistic descriptions of it using human values and concepts are
vain and worthless. A poet or artist’s impression of Vaikuṇṭha is a charming fantasy to encourage the
simple-minded and to instill devotion (bhakti) and purpose in life. Is Lord Krishna in Vaikuntha?
Krishna in his two-armed form eternally resides in the realm of Goloka and in his four-
armed form, as Vishnu he eternally resides in the realm of Vaikuntha loka.

It is like comparing a chart of times tables to quantum mathematics.

yadā pañcāvatiṣṭhante jñānāni manasā saha | buddhiś ca na viceṣṭate tām āhuḥ paramām gatim ||
When the five cognitive senses together with the mind cease (from their normal activities) and the
intellect itself does not stir, that, they say, is the Highest State. (paramam gatim)
(Katha Up 4:3:10.)
viśuddhaṁ bodhanaṁ nityam ajam akṣayam avyayam | avyaktam avikāraṁ yat tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ
padam || na sthūlaṁ na ca sūkṣmam yanna viśeṣaṇa agocaram | tat padaṁ paramaṁ viṣṇoḥ praṇamāmaḥ
sadāmalam ||
That which is the Supreme State (Paramam Padam) of Vishnu is pure, consciousness, eternal, unborn,
undecayable, inexhaustible, unmanifest, immutable, It is neither gross nor subtle, nor capable of being
defined, to that ever immaculate Supreme State of Vishnu I bow.
(Vishnu Purana 1:9:50 – 51)
pradhāna-puruṣāvyakta-kālānāṁ paramam hi yat | paśyanti sūrayaḥ śuddham tad viṣṇoḥ paramam padam
||
What is beyond matter, spirit, manifestation, and time; that pure [state] which sages behold that is the
supreme abode of Vishnu.
(Vishnu Purana 1.2.16)
There are hundreds of verses like these in the Vedas and Puranas that emphasize that Vaikuntha is beyond
comprehension by the ordinary mind - like the Mathematics of Infinity by a market vendor.

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Which is the supreme abode according to Hindu mythology, Vaikuntha, Brahma Lok, Swarga Lok
or Kailash?

All the lokas you have mentioned here like Brahmalok, Vaikuntha or Kailash are abodes of manifest
divinities called Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. There are many other abodes of Gods like Indra too. But all
these are in the manifest domains. Beyond these is the Brahman or the unmanifest domain. That is called
the first divine unmanifest. You can completely dissolve in this unmanifest domain and never return back.
It’s called moksha by some.
Far beyond this unmanifest is another unmanifest abode and that is called Goloka. Therein lies the
ultimate abode. This place is also called the Supreme Divine Unmanifest.
What I have written here is there within the Bhagvad Gita 8:21. It is also mentioned within the Bible and
more such ancient texts.
Yes, Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu is considered the Supreme Abode.
Rig Veda (1.22.20) states,
"Oṃ tad viṣṇoḥ paramam padam sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ"
"All the suras (i.e., devas- divinities) look toward the feet of Lord Vishnu as the Supreme Abode"

It is also the 108 Divya Desam [the final one]

It can be achieved only by pure devotion to Lord Vishnu, after death Vishnudutas will come and take the
soul. If someone achieves Vaikuntha they will be liberated from this continuous cycle of life and death,
that is they will be liberated from this ocean of Samsara.

After taking a dip in the Viraja river [ river flowing outside Vaikuntha that divides the material and
spiritual worlds ] the soul will be free from hunger, pain , anger and other materialistic desires. And then
the soul goes on and merges with Lord Vishnu and also there we can see many great devotees too.

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35
36
37
Description of Vaikuntha :

From Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.15.16–23)

“In those Vaikuntha planets there are many forests which are very auspicious. In those forests the trees
are wish-fulfilling trees, and in all seasons they are filled with flowers and fruits because everything in the
Vaikuntha planets is spiritual and personal.

“In the Vaikuntha planets the inhabitants fly in their airplanes, accompanied by their wives and consorts,
and eternally sing of the character and activities of the Lord, which are always devoid of all inauspicious
qualities. While singing the glories of the Lord, they deride even the presence of the
blossoming madhavi flowers, which are fragrant and laden with honey.

“When the king of bees hums in a high pitch, singing the glories of the Lord, there is a temporary lull in
the noise of the pigeon, the cuckoo, the crane, the cakravaka, the swan, the parrot, the partridge, and the
peacock. Such transcendental birds stop their own singing simply to hear the glories of the Lord.

“Although flowering plants like the mandara, kunda, kurabaka, utpala, campaka, arna, punnaga,
nagakeshara, bakula, lily, and parijata are full of transcendental fragrance, they are still conscious of the
austerities performed by Tulasi, for Tulasi is given special preference by the Lord, who garlands Himself
with Tulasi leaves.

“The inhabitants of Vaikuntha travel in their airplanes made of lapis lazuli, emerald, and gold. Although
crowded by their consorts, who have large hips and beautiful smiling faces, the male inhabitants cannot
be stimulated to passion by their mirth and beautiful charms.

“The ladies in the Vaikuntha planets are as beautiful as the goddess of fortune herself. Such
transcendentally beautiful ladies, their hands playing with lotuses and their leg bangles tinkling, are
sometimes seen sweeping the marble walls, which are bedecked at intervals with golden borders, in order
to receive the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“The goddesses of fortune worship the Lord in their own gardens by offering Tulasi leaves on the coral-
paved banks of transcendental reservoirs of water. While offering worship to the Lord, they can see on the
water the reflection of their beautiful faces with raised noses, and it appears that they have become more
beautiful because of the Lord’s kissing their faces.

“It is very much regrettable that unfortunate people do not discuss the description of the Vaikuntha
planets.”

So, yes Vaikuntha is the supreme Loka.

38
The Spiritual abode as opposed to this material world is eternal, divine, blissful and full of knowledge.
One qualifies to enter Vaikuntha when he or she attains freedom from the karmic bondage by taking
shelter of Supreme Lord Vishnu with pure love and sincere devotion. The original state of consciousness
of the soul is thus attained when it is being favoured by the mercy of the Superconscious Lord Vishnu. In
this state one's engagement diverts into serving the Supreme Lord having attained its original state with a
divine body free from matter and limitations of time which means the soul attains a divine form like Lord
Krishna and continues to serve the original GODHEAD with full blissfulness. There is no dominion of
time, hence the souls attaining such abode do not die, age or get any diseases or become subject to anxiety
or fear. Divine bodies are the original form of the soul unlike material world where the soul is embodied
by the five gross material elements which impose limitations on the free movement of the soul and covers
its original consciousness with the desire to lord it over the material nature. This is because the desire to
serve the Lord is directed to serve one's temporary material coverings through senses. This is a state of
illusion which is absent in the spiritual world. Hence, having acquired divine bodies, the souls do not
have to “maintain” them by eating, sleeping, mating or defending. They are in eternally sat chit ananda
state.

39
40
41
42
43
44
45
Vaikuntha can only be achieved by true Vaishanvas who worship LakshmiNarayan or their Incarnations
(or Hanuman,Garuda, Sheshnag,etc)

Vaikuntha is beyond this material world . There is no birth,death,fight,anger, sadness,disease,

discrimination, corruption, reincarnation , etc over there .

46
Vishnudutas like Nanda and Sunanda come to take you to vaikunth If you're a true Vaishnava . You get
liberated and never come to this world again. As you pass through the golden doors your
ignorance,lust,etc disappears. Then you'll find Jaya and Vijaya at the last door

47
Then you'll enter Vaikuntha. In Vaikuntha you never age like God and always stay young. If you're a
male you will get four arms holding mace,lotus,conch and discus and will get blue skinnned and become
as much handsome and muscular as Lord Vishnu himself. If you're a female devotee of LakshmiNarayan
you will turn into a woman as beautiful as Goddess Lakshmi herself.

Dhruva Loka ,Kailash,Patala,etc for that) There is no sun in Vaikuntha. Everything is illuminated by Lord
Vishnu's bodily efflugence. In Vaikuntha no one is hungry, lusty, envious,greedy,etc and only serve
LakshmiNarayan with devotion chanting there glories. Even gods and Brahma want to go to Vaikunth
which can be achieved only in human body.

Without wish for sense gratification they serve LakshmiNarayan and never reincarnate . Lord Vishnu
with Goddess Lakshmi ,Niladevi and Bhudevi (and partial parts of Saraswati and ganga) blesses them on
Sheshnag.

Maya? It is not in Vaikuntha. Even though the women in Vaikuntha are so much beautiful no one is lusty
there nor they're hungry or thirsty. Yes it could be that they eat prasadam over there 😋 forests in
Vaikuntha are magical . Trees over there are full of fruits and flowers in every Season. There are
Kalpavrikshas ,Parijat, etc which can fulfill anyone's wishes which means you can use it for worship. For
example if you want to make prasad ask the trees for everything you need and they'll give you.

48
Vaikuntha is endless . What is in Vaikuntha? You'll meet great devotees like Narada,
Hanuman,Tumburu,Garuda, Prabhupada, Ramanujanacharhya,Ajamil,Gajendra,Ambarish, ,etc.(you'll
also find Kamsa,etc ) ( Yes you can't meet Dhruva ,Shiva,Bali,etc you'll have to go to

49
Vishnudutas with there wives fly in airplanes chanting the glories of lord Vishnu. Yes it's true you will
get your own airplane there embedded with gems and it will be golden like the one I shared in the above
photos. The king of honeybees sings the glories of Lord Vishnu as the birds like peacocks, cranes,
pigeons,cuckoos,etc stop singing to hear his glories . There are many deer even more beautiful than the
ones present here. Goddess Lakshmi serves the Tulsi leaves to Lord Vishnu which he loves a lot because
it's his dear Goddess Tulsi. Some of the Vaikuntha ladies sweep the floor while some play instruments
with Vishnudutas singing Lord Vishnu's glories . Some look in the pond as they see reflection of their
love Lord Vishnu kissing them. It doesn't end here. There are uncountable planets in Vaikuntha. over
there the incarnations of Lord Vishnu live with there devotees like Matsya, Kurma, Narasimha (where
you'll find Hiranyakaship Prahlad etc) Varaha (where are Bhudevi Hiranyakasha etc) ,Prithu Loka and
many others where his incarnations live with their devotees. Three of these are most famous(hop on your
vimana 🤪) —
Saketa Loka where Lord Rama lives with Goddess Sita , Dasrath,Sugriva,Ravana,Trijata , etc . You'll see
the beautiful Ayodhya over there.
Second most famous one is Goloka which is so much beautiful that I can't describe . It is filled with cows
and rivers of milk. I can't describe the beautiful of Goloka in mere words . Lord Krishna lives there with
Balram,his friends,Radha, Nappipinai,Gopis , Yashoda,Nanda,etc and with those who love Vrindavan
Krishna . There you can see Krishna as a friend, brother, lover, son, God, etc . Using Kalpavriksha you
can create your home there and worship Vrindavan Radha Krishna and play with him,do rasa,etc. Half of
Goloka is occupied by Lord Chaitanya and his devotees.
Third most famous is Dwarka loka where Dwarkadhish Krishna lives with
Pandavas ,Drauapdi ,Astharbhyas,Vasudev, Devaki, Pradyumna,Samba, etc .

Is Vaikuntha outside the galaxy?

According to Srimad Bhagavad Puran (Srimad Bhagavatam)

There are 14 + 1 types of worlds.

7 Higher level material worlds:

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 1. Satya-loka: Satya-loka is also known as the Brahma loka and this loka is the topmost loka in
the material universe. This is the abode of truth where atmans are released from the need of
rebirth.
2. Tapa-loka: This is the abode of tapas or of other Gods and Goddesses.
3. Jana-loka: This is the house of the sons of Lord Brahma.
4. Mahar-loka: This is the dwelling of great sages and laissez-faire beings like Markendeya and
other rishis.
5. Svar-loka: This expanse is between the sun and the polar star. This is the heaven of Lord
Indra. Indra, other Gods, Rishis, Gandharvas and Apsaras live here. This place is full of
heavenly ecstasy where all the 330 million Hindu Gods (Devatas) live in along with the king of
Gods, Indra.
6. Bhuvar-loka or Pitri Loka: This is the place of the Sun, planets, stars and the space between
earth and the Sun. It is an actual region, the atmosphere, the place of soul and essence.
7. Bhur-loka:This is the place where the Earth dwells. According to the Vishnu Purana the earth
is simply one of thousands of billions of occupied worlds like itself located in the Universe.
7 Lower level material worlds:

1. Atala-loka: This loka is ruled by Bala, son of Maya who enjoys supernatural powers.
2. Vitala-loka: This Loka is ruled by the God Hara-Bhava an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The
residents of this dominion are decorated with gold from this region.
3. Sutala-loka: Sutala is the kingdom of the virtuous demon king Mahabali.
4. Talatala-loka: This loka is the kingdom of the demon-architect Maya, who is well-versed in
necromancy.
5. Mahatala-loka: Mahatala is the abode of many-hooded Nagas, the sons of Kadru lead by
Krodhavasha band of Kuhaka, Taksshaka, Kaliya and Sushena.
6. Rasatala-loka: This is the home of the Danavas and Daityas, who are the everlasting foes of
Devatas.
7. Patala-loka: The lowest territory of the materialistic universe is called Patala or Nagaloka.
Vasuki is the ruler of this Naga region. Here live quite a lot of Nagas.

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  VAIKUNTHA (Completely spiritual, outside all the material cosmos)
It is the abode of Narayana, The Supreme Lord. The Supreme Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. Cause of
all causes, Seed of all existences.

 It has 7 entrances from front and 1 entrance from back. Total 8 entrances.

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One who surrenders or submit his will to the Lotus feet of Narayan/Vishnu shall go there. It is the
ultimate and supreme destination. Highest abode of all, supreme Goal of all Hindus.

On Visiting Vaikuntha!
One has to die first to be able to visit Vaikuntha Loka or Naraka Loka depending upon the deeds one did.
When a person dies, he/she has to leave behind the body for the soul to travel to these Lokas. Now
without a body, what is the use of good food or company of other good creatures.
Instead of nurturing such thoughts, one can concentrate on how to make this Loka where we live now a
heaven. When a person nurtures positive thinking, does well whatever he does joyfully, willingly, such a
person is experiencing total bliss which is heavenly.

Vaikunta is beyond this material Universe were supreme Brahman (God) or Narayana resides who is
beyond every thing after great destruction (MAHAPRALAYA) happen he alone survives all the lower
souls merge into him and that supreme abode is beyond human s thinking which our limited brain cant
reach it so instead think about permanent God remember his different attributes for different functions of
the universe and by calling him Narayana shiva Vishnu

What do gods and goddesses do in Vaikuntha? Do they eat, work, or meditate? What do they do all
the time?

In VAIKUNTHA, everyone is just serving LAKSHMI NARAYAN.

Not only God's and Goddesses but also Souls of people who have developed pure love for HIM stay
there.

No sense exist in VAIKUNTHA.

Eating, working etc. are all sensory actions.

In VAIKUNTHA only serving LAKSHMI NARAYAN

Om Namo Narayanaya

Vaikuntha Loka is here on the Earth .

Lord Krishna calls it “ Param Dhama”, the Abode of the liberated men and women/Ananyabhaktas' .
(Gita, 15.6 ; Sarvangayoga, 8 . 2 ) .

It is Sweetness and Light Eternal (Akshara Brahman) that pervades throughout the vast visible universe
(Kshara-Virat) and Illumines/upholds it .

There is harmony in eating and resting, in sleeping and keeping awake . Their food is ‘ Sattvic' . ( Gita, 6.
17 ) .

They live in harmony with Nature . They perform their natural duty (Svakarma/ 'Svadharma') selflessly,
fearlessly for the welfare of all beings . ( Gita, 18 . 46 ) .

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Vaikunth Lok means a state without Kuntha means a conflict of mind. When a man becomes totally free
from desire his mind becomes thoughtless or quiet with total awareness. That state of mind is Vaikunth
Lok.

What is the ranking of Swarg, Vaikuntha, Brahma Loka, Kailash and Moksha in Hinduism?

There are various levels of realizations and accordingly one attains certain planets.

Let’s analyze the mentioned planets and their qualities in the ascending order .

1. Swarga - this is the planet of Indra. The residents of this planet is called devata. Here the
lifestyle is thousand times better than that in the earthly planets. Here the sense gratifications
too is about thousand times better than that on the earth. Here the lifespan of the living entities
too is way longer than that in the earthly planet. However this planet is NOT safe from the
attacks of demons. We find various demons like Hiranyakashipu, Mahabali, Ravana etc
managed to dislodge the devatas from here and the devatas had to take the help of Lord Vishnu
to regain their abode. This abode comes under the jurisdiction of material world.
2. Brahma loka - This is the abode of Brahma. This is the highest planet in the material creation.
In Bhagavad Gita, the lifespan of one day of Brahma is given. Bhagavad Gita states “By
human calculation, a 1000 maha yugas (1 maha yuga comprises of 1 Satya, Treta, Dwapara
and Kali yuga)taken together is the duration of Brahma's one day. And such also is the
duration of his night.” So that means one complete day in Brahma loka is equal to 2000 maha
yugas. Brahma lives 360 complete days each comprising of 2000 mahayugas. After that
Brahma too dies and his abode perishes. So we can find even Brahma loka too is perishable i.e.
it comes under the jurisdiction of material world. Hence this too is not the supreme.
3. Vaikuntha loka - This abode belongs to Lord Vishnu. This realm is in the spiritual world. The
term Vaikuntha means abode of no anxieity (Vi - no, Kuntha - anxiety). So here is no end at all
meaning this abode is eternal. Vaikuntha has further levels as per the rasas or mellows are
concerned. In Vaikuntha, more intimate is the abode called Saketa loka or Ayodhya, the
abode of Lord Rama. Then much more is Dwarika where Lord Krishna exhibits His majestic
form having traces of sweetness. Beyond Dwarika lies Mathura where Lord Krishna has
combo of a bit of majesty and much more sweetness. Finally comes Vrindavan where Krishna
exhibits His complete sweetness without the majesty aspect.
Now coming to Kailasha. Kailasha is the abode of Lord Siva which falls somewhere between the
spiritual world and the material world. In other world, Kailash is not one of the material world but it is
below the spiritual world also.

Finally we should thoroughly understand the meaning of the term moksha. Moksha means liberation or
release. For example, if someone is serving sentence in a prison, he can be considered to be inside the
material world. But once he gets release from the prison, he can be viewed as attaining moksha. Attaining
the moksha means the cycle of birth and death came to the full stop. Moksha can be of the following 5
categories:

1. Sahujiya moksha - here the living entity merges with the Brahman i.e. the soul loses its
identity.
2. Salokya moksha - here the living entity lives in the same abode of Lord Vishnu i.e. the soul
gets the permanent residence in Vaikuntha.
3. Sarupya moksha - here the living entity attains the identical form of Lord Vishnu i.e. the soul
too has a body comprising of 4 hands holding sankha, chakra, gada and padma.

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 4. Sarshti moksha - here the living entity attains the same opulence and power as that of the
Supreme God, Lord Vishnu.
5. Samipya moksha - here the living entity can remain in the constant company of the Lord.
Out of the above 5, a pure devotees of Lord Vishnu will never accept the 1st type of getting merged with
the Brahman. The remaining 4 they may accept occasionally where devotees enters into the Vaikuntha
planet. But still they will never think of those 4 also ahead of the pure devotional service. Though
ultimately the pure devotee does find a place in Vaikuntha despite the devotee not desiring that.

Coming to the previous analogy of a prisoner getting release from the jail. We can say just getting release
from the jail is not sufficient for the person. As after going out of the jail, he needs to do some job for his
survival. Getting release from the jail is not the all in all for that person. Similarly for the devotees of
Lord Vishnu, moksha is not the highest goal. For the devotees highest goal is to serve the Lord which can
be compared with the prisoner going out of the jail and then joining the king’s service.

Does Vaikuntha exist?

let me answer this logically.....

In universe there exists 64 dimensions , in which we humans can only perceive 3 dimensions ,
that too i would say 3rd dimension is still not fully perceivable, for example : you cannot see a
cuboid (6 sides) at one point of time , you will only be able to percieve any 3sides and you have
to change the orientation of the cube to see the other side of cube (other 3 sides).

Imagine 4th Dimension ? we cannot , let me say why it is not possible to perceive 4th
dimension , Just imagine you can see the other side of the cube without changing the orientation
of the cube or you changing the location to see the other side of the cube, so from any spatial
point you should be able to see the 3D cube with all 6sides . Just try to stitch and imagine the big
picture (Good Example : Panoramic Photos -360 Degree) your views from all spatial orientations
(360 Degrees)This is 4th dimension.

5th Dimension : Now adding another dimension to 4th dimension which is Time (Time is
considered as a physical dimension). Just imagine you were able to perceive i mean see all 6sides
of cube from 360 Degree Orientation (4th Dimension) from any time period with limits 0 to
Infinity ... Best Example is shown in Interstellar movie , I mean you can stitch your views in all
360 Degree from any time period (Time can from Seconds to Light Years ) , If you can imagine
this and visualize then you must be able to attain 5th dimension too..

Like this there are 64 dimensions in the universe and Ethereal planes of consciousness does exist
which only your soul can surpass all the dimensions and not your gross physical body .

There are ways and means to go to Vaikunta which is only plane in entire universe which doesnt
get destroyed even the whole universe gets recycled from time to time.

Here is how :

1. attain Moksha (To know whats moksha , refer any other articles)
2. Practise Kriya Yoga , by performing kriya yoga you can attain all the 64 dimensions of
universe , so your soul will be able to feel the vaikunta and other lokas as well

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As said except Earth (Bhuloka) all other planets / Lokas are subtle means no gross/physical body
will be able to see / feel / perceive because they are beyond our imagination and dimensions,
only our soul / athman can feel the subtle effect.

Even Heaven & Hell lokas / planets are subtle , based on your karma you will feel pleasure in
heaven because of your good karma , for sins you will feel pain in hell , which is fully subtle and
not gross.

Ex : You cannot show me the pain , you feel the pain if you have been cheated / hurted by
someone , only your soul knows that pain , its not physical pain .

Thats how the lokas / subtle planets which really exists , only our soul can feel that and not our
gross body.

Same way you cannot feel god , unless you attain 64 dimensions .

After moksha, where does a soul depart to, Kailasa or Vaikuntha?

Moksha or liberation is the merging of Anda ( man ) into Brahmanda( the Cosmic energy, God).
But it's a popular belief that Shiva devotees ultimate aim of moksha is to go to Mount Khailash, and Lord
Vishnu’s devotees reach Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu.
Moksha is the ultimate bliss, where in there are no more physical forms or birth to this body, which
means that you have put an end to this vicious cycle of life and death.
In my perspective , there is no difference between Vishnu’s Vaikunta or Shiva's Kailasa, they are just
names given by us, since whether you say ‘Hari or Hara’, both are one and the same, and they help you to
connect to the Para_Brahman.
Being a Shiva devotee, my aim for this life is to visit Khailash and do service to the Lotus feet of my
Shiva :)

Does every soul get a chance to meet Lord Vishnu in Vaikunta after death?

Soul that has done severe penance to please lord vishnu and extremely good deeds like charity, donation
etc, only such soul unites with lord vishnu
Rest of the soul either enjoys in heaven or suffer in hell in proportionate to the good karma or bad karma
done by it in previous life. After enjoying in heaven or suffering in hell, soul traverses across the universe
in search of a new body . Soul gets the new according to the karma done by it in previous body
if good karma, then it will get a place in a rich family where it will enjoy all pleasures and comforts.
if bad karma, then it will get a place in a poor family with absolutely no pleasures and only struggles
if worst karma like murder, rape etc, then it will get a place in the animal kingdom where other animal
will rape it, hunt you, cut it, eat it etc.
For more details on what happens to death based on the above theory, check the below video

Are the realms of Goloka and Vaikuntha real locations or are they metaphorical descriptions of
union with God?

Goloka is an invention of the Brahmavaivarta Purana and is nowhere mentioned in Vedas -

only Vaikuṇṭha is mentioned. Even Srimad Bhagavatam 3:15 speaks of Vaikuṇṭha only.
Vai-kuṇṭha literally means “unimpeded” or “unobstructed” and is a state of consciousness not a physical
or material place or realm.

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The term Vaikuṇṭha is first met with in the Rig Veda Mandala 10 in which there are four suktas addressed
to Indra Vaikuṇṭha.
Attainment of Vaikuṇṭha is mentioned in Nārāyaṇā Upaṇiṣad:–
pratyag ānandaṃ brahma puruṣaṃ praṇa̍va svarū̱paṃ | akāra ukāra makā̍ra i̱ti | tān ekadhā samabharat tad
eta̍d oṃ i̱ti | yam uktvā̍ mucya̍te yo̱gī̱ ja̱nma̱ saṃsā̍ra ba̱ndhanāt | oṃ namo nārāyaṇāyeti ma̍ntropā̱sakaḥ |
vaikuṇṭha bhavana loka̍ṃ gami̱ṣyati | t || 4 ||
The Yogi that recites the name of Him who is Bliss Absolute, The Great Person, and who is represented
by AUM, is released from the bondage of birth and mundane existence. He who chants the mantra om
namo narayanaya attains Vaikuṇṭha. 4.
But it doesn’t give us any further information as to what exactly is meant by Vaikuṇṭha – is it a material
sensual paradise or is it state of being? Is it to be taken literally or figuratively?
The Viṣṇu Purāṇā comes to our aid and tells us exactly what it is:–
viśuddhaṃ bodhanaṃ nityam ajam akṣayam avyayam |
avyaktam avikāraṃ yat tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam ||
na sthūlaṃ na ca sūkṣmam yan-na viśeṣaṇa ‘gocaram |
tat padaṃ paramaṃ viṣṇoḥ praṇamāmaḥ sadāmalam ||
That which is the Supreme State (Paramam Padam) of Vishnu is pure consciousness, eternal, unborn, un-
decayable, inexhaustible, unmanifest, immutable, It is neither gross nor subtle, nor capable of being
defined, to that ever immaculate Supreme State of Vishnu I bow. V.P 1:9:50 - 51
pradhāna-puruṣāvyakta-kālānāṃ paramam hi yat |
paśyanti sūrayaḥ śuddham tad viṣṇoḥ paramam padam ||
What is beyond matter, spirit, manifestation, and time; that pure [state] which sages behold that is the
supreme abode of Vishnu. (Vishnu Purana 1.2.16)
So in short Vaikuṇṭha is a non-material state of consciousness which is beyond the capacity of the mind
to comprehend or to articulate and it is definitely not a Disneyland paradise with cows and trees and
rivers and playful activities lasting for all eternity!

Do all the incarnations of Shri Hari exist eternally in different regions of Vaikuntha? And do the
devotees go to those incarnations whom they love and worship throughout their life?

This is called an “ati-praśna” - it is superfluous to need, asking has no benefit and answering is
imaginative and speculative.
In Vedānta these questions are dismissed as:–
1. gagana-āravinda- nyāya - discussing the cultivation of lotuses in the sky.
2. gandharva-nagara-nyāyaḥ – buying and selling real estate in the city of the Gandharvas.
3. kāka-danta nyāyaḥ – doing dental work on a crow.
4. vandhya-putra-nyāya – discussing and planning the raising and education of the barren
woman’s son.
There are only three categories of questions that need to be asked in Vedānta:–
1. Who am I? i.e. what is my true nature? (sva-svarūpam)
2. What am I doing here? i.e. what is the purpose of life and what is the source of my discontent
and suffering ?
3. What should I do next? i.e. how should I live my life? What is a good life? How should I live
my life in accordance with Dharma.
ko'ham, katham idam, kiṃ vā, katham maraṇa-janmanī | vicārayāntare vettham mahat tat phalam
eṣyasi || Annapūrṇā Upaniṣad 1.40
Who am I? How came I into being? What is life about? How came death & birth? Thus inquire within
yourself; great will be the benefit you will derive from such inquiry.

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The Pauranikas will go on expounding about fanciful things which no one can comprehend, which are
totally implausible, which have no basis in Vedas or Upanishads and have no tangible benefit other than
leading into a morass of Spiritual Materialism.
So best to avoid all such delusive and chimerical question and focus on Self-enquiry (atma-vicāra) and
how to live a Dharmic life (dharma-vicāra).

Why are there seven gates to Lord Vishnu's abode Vaikuntha instead of a single gate? What is the
significance?

Vaikuntha ,Vaikunthaloka, Vishnuloka, Paramam padam or Nitya Vibhuti is the celestial abode of
Vishnu who is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and the supreme being in its Vaishnavism
tradition.

Vaikuntha is an abode exclusive to him, his consort the goddess Lakshmi and other liberated souls that
have gained moksha. They are blessed with pure bliss and happiness in the company of the supreme being
for all eternity. According to Ramanuja, Parama padam or Nitya Vibhuti is eternal heavenly realm and is
the divine imperishable world that is the God's abode. It is the highest state beyond all worlds and
nothing else beyond it.
Version 1
There are 14 "Lokas" or universes mentioned in Hindu scriptures. 6 are below or on one side of the
universe we live in and 7 are above or on the other side.
The 7 universes above are referred to as Bhu:, Bhuva: Suva: Maha: Jana: Thapa: and Satya Loka. This is
there in Gayatri Mantra too. Each door opens to an universe. When you pass through each of the universe
above, after passing through the 7th door, you reach Satya Loka or the Brahman or Lord Vishnu. I think
that is the significance of going through the Sapta Dwara to get the Darshan of Lord Vishnu.
Version 2
Seven entrances or seven doors are a reference to the mystical plexuses or lotuses of yoga - the muldhara,
svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, visuddha, ajna, and sahasrara. It is only after one has gone through each
one of these lotuses that the Lord is seen.

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What is the difference between Saket, Vaikuntha, and Goloka?
Ram, Vishnu, and Krishna are the same, so how is their abode
different?

Goloka is certainly within Vaikuntha. It is at the centre and is the topmost region where Krishna
Himself resides as Krishna. Therefore it is also known as Krishnaloka. The most obvious
difference between Goloka and the rest of Vaikuntha is in rasa, the nature of the exchanges
between the Lord and His devotees. Goloka (Sanskrit: गोलोक) also known as Gauloka, Goloka
Vrindavana, Krishnaloka or Gokula, is the eternal supreme abode of Lord Krishna and Radha.
Please see picture below:-

According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, , Krishna is the highest supreme lord and eternal one
whose loka is above all. It is said that Goloka never vanishes and remains eternal like the Lord
himself. Goloka is spread across a diameter of 3 crore yojanas; here, Krishna resides in his
teenage form with all gop and gopies. Vaikunta is just south of Goloka and 5 crore yojanas away
from it; here, four-handed Narayana resides with his wife Lakshmi. Shiva loka is situated to the
north of Goloka; here, Shiva resides with his consort and devotees. Both Vaikunta and Shiva
loka are 1 crore yojanas in diameter. However, some texts point to the possibility that Vaikunta
and Goloka are in fact equal in diameter. Goloka means World of cows or Krishna's heaven The
Sanskrit word go refers to "cow" and "loka" is translated to as "realm" and not "planet".

Lord Krishna is also known as Gaulokvihari (vihari means "a resident of") since he is a resident
of Goloka and his consort Radha is called Radhika

All the Vaikuntha planets are said to be like petals of a lotus flower, and the principal part of that
lotus, called Krsnaloka or Goloka Vrndāvana, is the centre of all the Vaikunthas. Thus the
expansions of Krsna in various forms, as well as His various abodes on the spiritual planets in
the spiritual sky, are unlimited. Krsnaloka is divided into three different portions: Gokula,
Mathurā and Dvārakā. As stated in Brahma-samhitā (5.43), all the Vaikuntha planets in the

59
spiritual sky (known as Vishnuloka) emanate from the predominating Deity of Krsnaloka,
Goloka Vrndāvana, known as Bhagavan.

Where is Vaikuntha?

Vaikuntha is located 26,200,000 yojanas (209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka (also known as
Brahmaloka since it is the celestial abode of Lord Brahma). The location of Vaikuntha coincides
with the Makara Rashi i.e. the Capricorn constellation

The same Vaikunth-lok is known by different names and forms like Golok-dham for Bhagwan
Krishna and Saket-dham for Bhagwan Shri Raam. This is because there's no difference between
the names, forms, pastimes and abodes of Bhagwan. Devotees attain Bhagwan and his abode
according to their bhaav.

What is Saket Dham?

Śrī Sāketa-Loka : The supreme abode of godhead. In Vaidic-scriptures, Shri Sāket (साकेत) Lok
(or Shri Ayōdhyā-Purī) is celebrated and eulogized as the supreme abode of the original
personality of godhead, Lord Śrī Rāma.

Incidentally, it may be interesting to note that there is a location named, “Saket” in Delhi.

What is Saket famous for?

Saket is an upmarket residential colony located in the South Delhi district, of Delhi, India. The
neighbourhood is named after the city of Ayodhya, also known as Saket, an ancient, religiously
significant city in Uttar Pradesh. Saket has four major malls on the Press Enclave Marg.

Ram and Krishna are the complete incarnations of Lord Vishnu. They both are one and supreme,
but the difference; Vishnu is Narayana himself and Ram/Krishna are Narayana in human forms.

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What is Vaikuntha in Hinduism?

The literal meaning of the word Vaikuṇṭha can be understood by dissecting the word itself.
Vaikuṇṭha can be divided into Vai (meaning without) & Kuṇṭha (meaning anxiety). Thus,
Vaikuṇṭha means a place where there is no anxiety.

Now the concept of Vaikuṇṭha is generally associated with Lord Viṣṇu in Hinduism. It is
believed that Vaikuṇṭha is the realm where Lord Viṣṇu resides. There are detailed descriptions of
the wonderful realm called Vaikuṇṭha & the religious Hindus aspire to go there. The Svarga
(heaven) on the other hand is a temporary concept in Hinduism & is not recommended as final
resting place in our scriptures. In other words, one remains in the cycle of birth & death, even
after attaining Svarga.

Vaikuṇṭha
One of the most widespread misconception amongst Hindus is that Svarga & Vaikuṇṭha are one
and the same. Some people believe that Svarga is the desired realm of afterlife as per Vedic
scriptures. But the Svarga is place within the realm of time & its residents are mortal. The only

61
difference between Svargaloka & Bhūloka (Earthly realm) is that the duration of life is very long
in Svarga & the residents have many enjoyment facilities.

The Vaikuṇṭha, on the other hand, is beyond time. It is part of the spiritual world, with many
other timeless realms like Ayodhyā, Goloka & Navadvīpa. Different Avatāras reside eternally in
those extra dimensional realms with their devotees & devotees participate in their pastimes.

Spiritual world is the place where liberated beings go. Within it there are Vaikuṇṭha planets,
Ayodhyā, Goloka, Navadvīpa & many other realms. Sometimes the term Vaikuṇṭha is used for
the entire spiritual world & sometimes specifically for the planets where Lord Nārāyaṇa rules. In
such transcendental realms the living entities have higher level of existence.

Ayodhyā

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Goloka

63
Navadvīpa
The living entities in spiritual world are in their actual eternal form, in other words they are
immortal. Further, they are full of knowledge and bliss. They know that each & every living
being is part of same God & they live peacefully together.

The extraordinary atmosphere of spiritual world is such that the trees as well as many non-living
things are conscious there. It is described that the soil of spiritual world is made of wish-stone,
the trees are wish-fullfilling trees, the words are songs and each step is a dance there. It is the
ultimate concept of afterlife that is found in Hinduism.

5 WORLD RECORDS of DR Uday Dokras as

World #1

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Highest number of Literary ventures in Hindu Temple Architecture and Vastu ///Highest number of Literary ventures in
the world 2000 books and research Papers, Seen here with Ms. Mansse Bhandari, COO FUN and FOOD Village Nagpur,
Delhi and Uzbekisthan

LINK to 3 World Awards+ titel to 2 more

1. https://www.uniqueworldrecords.com/records/posts/most-articles-on-dhamma
2. https://www.worldwideworldrecords.com/post/maximum-number-of-books-written-on-
hindu-temples-by-an-individual-world-record-by-dr-uday-dokras
3. https://www.worldwideworldrecords.com/post/largest-number-of-religious-research-papers-
written-by-an-individual-world-record-by-uday-dokras
4. Highest number of Literary Endeavours in the World by an Individual. URL to come later
5. Highest number of articles and books written on Hindu/ Buddhist Temples of Indonesia( Including
Borobudur and Prambanan). URL Later

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR DR UDAY DOKRAS

About the Author

The author has worked for 30 years in the human resources arena in
India and abroad. He was Group Vice -President of MZI Group in New
Delhi and has anchored Human Relations in Go Air and Hotel Holiday
Inn;was General Manager-Health Human Resources at the Lata
Mangeshkar Hospital amd Medical college. Is currently Consultant to
Gorewada International Zoo,Nagpur and visiting Faculty at the Central
Institute of Business Management and Research, Nagpur.

In Sweden he anchored HR in Stadbolaget RENIA, SSSB and advisor to a

multi millionaire. He has studied in Nagpur, India where he obtained
degrees of Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts(Managerial Economics)
and Bachelor of Laws. He has done his Graduate Studies in labour laws
from Canada at the Queen's University, Kingston; a MBA from USA, and
Doctorate from Stockholm University, Sweden. Apart from that he has
done a Management Training Program in Singapore.

A scholar of the Swedish Institute, he has been an Edvard Cassel Fund

and Wineroth Fund Awardee.A scholar for the Swedish Institute for 5
years.
In 1984 he was involved with the Comparative Labour Law Project of the
University of

74
 California, Los Angeles, U.S.A. He was also visiting lecturer there. In
1985 he was invited by the President of Seychelles to do a study of the
efficacy of the labour laws of Seychelles.

Author of a book on a Swedish human resource law, his brief life sketch
is part of the English study text book of 7 th Class Students in Sweden
-“Studying English. SPOTLIGHT 7”- and 8th Class students in Iceland
- “SPOTLIGHT 8- Lausnir.”

RESEARCH PAPERS-320 + in Researchgate and academia.edu &

scribd-Followers(readers) 2 million consolidated as on 26 th
June,2023.

Authors-DR Uday DOKRAS

Dr. Uday Dokras
B.Sc., B.A. (Managerial Economics), LL.B., Nagpur University, India
Certificat'e en Droit, Queen’s University. Ontario, Canada,
MBA, CALSTATE,Los-Angeles, USA,
Ph.D. Stockholm University, Sweden,
Vastu,Temple Construction and Management and Efficacy Consultant,
India/Bangkor------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviews of the Book PROJECT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The authors highlight the benefits of paying attention to human

resources and offer success and failure factors guideline for a variety of
potential practitioners and students in global project marketplace.

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 Ms.Ylva Arnold, Head HR- Norstedts Publishers, Stockholm
SWEDEN

From the Newspaper Times of India March 24, 2018

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Iceland & Sweden- both countries use the English Text SPOTLIGHT-
one of the lessons in which is about Dr Uday Dokras

Prof. S.Deshpande,President of the Indian Institute of Architects,

New Delhi INDIA releasing the book of Dr Dokras HINDU TEMPLES
on the web in CARONA times( May 2020)

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DIRECTOR (Technical)-https://smkfoundation.com/our-
team/

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 Unravelling the

SCIENSome of the 2300 Research Papers and 422 BOOKS written by

DR UDAY DOKRAS
Published by
The Indo Nodic Author’s Collective Sweden and Finland

Dr. Uday Dokras

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 Tamil People as Traders and Voyagers

The Cambodian Trilogy

I.HINDU CAMBODIA

II.HYDROLOGY of ANGKOR
ANGKOR is known as a Hydraulic city- full or canals and river and waterways.
It is this water system they say that brought the downfall of this intrinsic
kingdom. But is that TRUE?

III.ENTER…… THE KINGDOM THAT VANISHED- Angkor

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Building Materials of the Hindu Temple
Indo Nordic Author's collective, 2021
In depth study of how Building Materials of the Hindu Temple was used in
India,Indonesia and Cambodia and India

The Art & Architecture of THE GOLDEN TEMPLE COMPLEX, AMRITSAR

Mathematics in Temple Designs

Jain ART

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 Book on Jain Art and Iconography

Jain Temples- Part I -Complete Compendium-Book I

A to Z of the architecture, Design,Cosmology,Philosophy of Jain temples in

Jain Temples II
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARCHITECTURE OF JAIN TEMPLES AND THE
ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHS(ORIGINAL) OF 3JAIN TEMPLES of Nagpur

DWARKA- CELESTIAL MYSTERIES of the Lost CITY of KRISHNA

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TIRUPATI TEMPLE Book part I

TIRUPATI TemplePart II

Vahanas- the vehicles of Hindu Gods

Vahanas- the vehicles of Hindu Gods. Animals in Hinduism. demi Gods

SATYANARAYAN PUJA-The Complete Compendium

Satyanarayan Puja or 9 Graha Puja( a puja of 9 planets) has been performed by
most Hindus not only now but for 1,000’s of years.

MAHALAXMI Puja
Hindu Goddess MAHALAXMI Puja

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ARCHITECTURE OF PALESTINE

Palestine my Love
Palestine my Love is about the culture arts and crafts of palestine so we
recognize it as a entity that is fighting for recognition of not only its legitimacy
but also its cultural heritage
QUINTET (5) BOOKS ON MANDALA

Unravelling the MAZE of the MANDALA BOOK I

First part of a two book treatise on MANDALAS. This introductory phase
introduces mandalas

Maze of MANDALA BOOK II

85
Advanced Mandala routine for those who want to know more about MANDALAS

Mandala BOOK III on Nakshatra

BOOK IV MANDALA & ARCHITECTURE

The Use of Mandalas in Building Temples and Modern Buildings

Book V on Mandala of the Oriental Kingdoms

Islamic Architectureal Arts of of Imam Ali's 2 Shrines

86
Hindu Gods in Scandinavia
Did the Hindu Gods originate or live in Scandinavia once? Find out

Book on Divinity and Architecture

What is divinity? How has man tried to harness architecture to create magic in
space

Virat Hridaya Padma-sthalam CHIDAMBARAM Temple -Celestial Mysteries

This book is about a mysterious and revered tempe built by the Chola Kings of
South India 2000 years ago

T2- Temple Tech. A Book

How are Hindu temples built and the technology that follows this craft. From A
to Z Complete Guide.

87
Rendezvous with Sri RAM Portfolio of Temple Art by Srishti Dokras, Architect
Special section on Hindu Foods by Karan Dokras, Product Guru

Best Foot Forward

The story of Footwear through the ages up to COVID times

Hindu Temple Panorama-Celestial Mysteries

A to Z of Temples. A total Panoramic View of design and architecture of Hindu
temples in 350 page...

DUOLOGY (2) on JAINISM

Ativir

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 ATIVIR means Very Brave and is the name given to Lord Mahavir the 24 th
Saint(TIRTHANKAR) Contains rare translations of the Dialogue of the Mahavir
with his disciples called GHANDHARVAVAD

Vardhaman-वर्धमान
IThis book is about Jainism- written by a non-
THE TRILOGY(3) on DEVRAJA The God kIngs of Khemer

Book I DEVRAJ- The God Kings of Indo China-Cambodia.

This is the first Book of a Trilogy that traces the growth of Hinduism in South
East Asia.
BOOK I I DEVRAJA- The Great Civilizations of South East Asia -HINDU Era
How Hinduism reached Cambodia and how the Hindu Kings called Devraj Built
these magnificent structures

Devraja BOOK II I Devraja and Raj Dharma God King and Kingly Religion The
HINDU Era of Great Civilizations of Khemer
Book 2 of a Trilogy that traces the advent of Hinduism on South East Asian
and Indo-Chinese

89
Vayu- Man's taming of the winds
Man's conquest of nature spans a million years. How was wind tamed by him.
Here is the full story... more

VIMANA Ancient Conquests of Wind

Ancient flying machines of Gods and Men(?) Were they true. Did they really
exist. 7000 years ago?

LIGHT HOUSES In words and pictures

BOOK Architecture of the Lighthouse of Alexandria-BOOK

Indo Swedish Author's Collective, 2020
The lighthouse was built on an island off the coast of Alexandria called Pharos.
Its name, legend

90
Cosmology of lotus
Indo Nordic Author's Collective, 2020
The Lotus is the king of the flower world but few know it as a part of creation.
Find out the Cosmology.

Celestial Mysteries of the Borobudur Temple

Borobudur remains a mystery even today. The largest Buddhist Stupa in the
world has many unanswered...
Win with this new DIET

Hindu tempel of India , Cambodia and Indonesia

Hindu Temples dot India, Cambodia and Indonesia

91
DISRUPTION-Book

Book Architecture Creativity

Creativity and Architecture are linked and go hand in hand. This Book is a
culmination of 16 publications that have been put together as a book

Project HR Management
Indo Swedish Author's Collective
PROJECT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT/'Dr UDAY DOKRAS The project
sphere has not been valued appropriately

Human Resource Engineering in Theme Parks.

by Dr. Uday Dokras and Mansse Bhandari
As theme parks evolve into facilitating for greater thrill seeking audience,the
role of human res... more

92
Health Human Resource Management
Management of Health care workers in hospitals and the human resource
practices to be followed in hospitals.

WIN DIET Lose fat-Diet and Exercise Book ONLY BODY SHAPING GUIDE YOU
NEED
The Act on Co-determination at Work – an Efficacy study
Thesis of the Author for the degree of Doctor of Law
Stockholm University, SWEDEN 1990

The special meaning of Prambanan Temple BOOK

Durga Tantric goddess

Development of the Garbagriha

93
The 4 sided Hindu Mandir( temple ) plan

Vahanas the vehicles of Hindu Gods

Book on Rajmandala

TEMPLE MOUNTAIN o1 or ????

94
 Borobudur as a Tantric Yantra

Mandalification BOOK

All you wanted to know about the structure of Buddhist Cosmology

featured in the Borobudur- but were afraid to ask

Will you walk with me to Borobudur

Bayon...Temple Mountain of Jayagiri

Dr. Uday Vasant Dokras, gets WORLD RECORD of writing and

uploading Highest number of Books and Research papers on Hindu
Temples, Vastu etc

95
 VISHNU as a DESIGN COMPONENT of Angkor

Design Your Destiny. Astrological Readings of Dr Uday Dokras

The Orthogonal plan of Angkor Thom

Spiritual Technologies at Borobudur BOOK

Tantricity of the PRAMBANAN GROUP of Temples BOOK

96
 Borobudur- Waiting for the Maitreya

Selected Essays on some Celestial Mysteries of the Borobudur.. Book

Borobodur BOOK

Celestial Mysteries of the Borobodur Temple

Scientific Borobudur

97
 Transition between the pre and post Jayavarman II period

Jayavarman II BOOK The Monarch of the Khmer Empire

JAYAVARMAN II Book

The Mystery of the Tantric Dwarpals or Door Guardians in the

ELLORA Hindu Temple Architecture

Architecture and Creativity BOOK

98
 The Book of SriYantra

MANDALA and ARCHITECTURE

Maze of MANDALA PART II

DISRUPTION Book

99
 Hill Temples BOOK

Borobudur---The Tantric Mystique of the Big Boro/ BOOK

“Direction of the Wind “ - “Movement of the Water” Voyage of the
Tantra to South East Asia

The secrets of the Moolasthanam Consecration of Hindu & Other

Temples

The Mysterious Continent of Nusuntara Book

Angkorean Tantricism Revealed

Angkorean Tantricism Revealed COLLECTION of ESSAYS

100
DWARKA & Dvaravati -------Mysterious lost cities of the Hindu World
of Lord KRISHNA

Rama as DEVRAJA
Rama as DEVRAJA in India (Bharat) and Angkor

Krishna's Astonishment BOOK

Krishna's Astonishment BOOK The Complete Compendium of Rock Cut Temple
Architecture of Hindu Manndirs.

101
 Building Materials of the Hindu Temple

THE COSMOLOGY OF ANGKOR

The Enigma of KRISHNA in the KINGDOM of FUNAN (Dvaravati)

The Enigma of KRISHNA in the KINGDOM of FUNAN (Dvaravati)

Lingapura or KOH KER The complete Story-- BOOK

Erotic Sentiment in Indian Temple Sculptures Dr Uday Dokras

102
MANDALA and Territorial Continuity in SE ASIA

Mandala of the Tantra

Selected Essays on some Celestial Mysteries

Grand iteration in Tantrism of Borobudur BOOK

Grand iteration in Tantrism of Borobudur BOOK

103
SACRED LANDSCAPE - BOROBUDUR & the COMPLEXITIES of its
CONSTRUCTION
SACRED LANDSCAPE - BOROBUDUR & the COMPLEXITIES of its CONSTRUCTION
Detailed PROJECT

Complexities of the Construction work of Angkor Wat

The Complex Layout and Construction Plan of ANGKOR

TEMPLE )==SHORT BOOKLET(100 pages )
The Complex Layout and Construction Plan of ANGKOR TEMPLE

DWARKA----- CELESTIAL MYSTERIES of the Lost Continent of

KRISHNA
DWARKA----- CELESTIAL MYSTERIES of the Lost Continent of KRISHNA

104
 MARCO POLOS OF ANCIENT MARITIME TRADE
MARCO POLOS OF ANCIENT MARITIME TRADE The amazing Tamilians as traders and
voyagers

Neither here nor there- but where (NUSUNTARA)

The concept Nusantara is derived from two Sanskrit words: nusa meaning ‘island’
and antara meaning space

ATLANTIS The lost Continent -BOOK

ATLANTIS The lost Continent -BOOK

THUGEE Book
Before everything else, let me stress that there are 4 theories about the existence of
the Thugee

105
 Prambanan Temple BOOK

Book V on Mandala of the Oriental Kingdom

The curtain walls in Khmer Architecture Also featuring The 5 gates of

Angkor Thom
The curtain walls in Khmer Architecture Also featuring The 5 gates of Angkor

MANDALA of BOROBUDUR

106
 Borobudur as "Bhumisambharabhudura" \book
Borobudur as "Bhumisambharabhudura" \book collection of Essays

Shiva Bhairava worship in India and Indonesia. Featuring the Tantric

Ganesh

The Hidden cities of Angkor book

Mandala 6 Book

107
 The destiny of Borobudur BOOK

Book V on Mandala of the Oriental Kingdoms

The destiny of Borobudur BOOK

Destiny of Borobudur(How a Hindu Shiva Temple ended up becoming the Worlds
biggest monument to 2 religions

Triptych Mandirs(Temples) of Angkor-BOOK

A triptych is an artwork made up of three pieces or panels. Often used to impart
narrative.

108
 THE TEMPLE OF Mahishasuramardini in JAVA - BOOK
THE TEMPLE OF Mahishasuramardini in JAVA - BOOK

The Mystic SHIKHARA ---A BOOK

The Mystic SHIKHARA ---A BOOK

Enter Mysterious Borobudur (REPRINT) BOOK

Enter Mysterious Borobudur (REPRINT) BOOK

One Against Many- the Tantric Temples of Indonesia

One Against Many- the Tantric Temples of Indonesia Fully explained right from how
tantrcism reached Indonesia of those days..

109
 SELECTED ESSAYS on Hindu Temples
SELECTED ESSAYS on Hindu Temples

The Troglodyte Architecture of ancient India part II book

The Troglodyte Architecture of ancient India part II book

Divinity and Royalty in the Khmer Lands

Indo Nordic Authors' Collective, 2022

Divinity and Royalty in the Khmer Lands Was Angkor connected to the power of the
Kings to use as a sword in their people

The Technology of Hindu Mandirs (temples)

Indo Nordic Authors Collective, 2022

110
 600 + pages of all info needed to understand the tech of the Hindu mandirs

The Empire that Practiced HYDROLOGY book

Angkor-The Empire that Practiced HYDROLOGY book Collection of the author's
essays

Hydrology of Angkor (BOOK)

HYDROLOGY of the Hindu Mandir BOOK

INAC, 2022

HYDROLOGY of the Hindu Mandir Water and the Holy Places of Hinduism

SACRED INDIA Collection of Essays (BOOK)

111
SACRED INDIA Collection of Essays (BOOK) PART I-The Hindu Land of Bharat Varsh
(INDIA)

The Mandala of the Sunyata

In Search of the Mandala of emptyness If Mandalas are circular then why are they
bare and emply.

In Search of the Square Mandala

In Search of the Square Mandala If Mandalas are circular then is there a SQUARE?...

The world OF sanskrit book

Khmer cities' Town Planning

How were the Khmer cities planned? BOOK Chapter I-Town Planning in Khmer
Times-

112
 Multiplicity of Hindu Temple Meaning BOOK
Indo Nordic Authors' Collective, 2020

Multiplicity of Hindu Temple Meaning Is the Hindu mandir A Mandala A stepped

Pyramid A temple Mountain.

Angkor as a SPIRITUAL LIGHTHOUSE

Angkor as a SPIRITUAL LIGHTHOUSE that attracted the Hindu Masses of the Khmer
Kings.

The Pillars and Mandapa of the Hindu Mandir

The Pillars and Mandapa of the Hindu Mandir BOOK

Sanskrit The SINDBAD

113
Dr Dokras( LEFT) with Dr Harish Rathi leading medical practitioner
of Nagpur,India

114
115