[Advaita-l] Narada Purana - Returning to earth even after attaining the Vaishnava-Parama pada

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 9:25 PM Sangeerth P via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> In Vishishtadvaita philosophy, we make a clear distinction between *Vishnu*
> and *Narayana* in certain contexts. For example, in the *Mahalakshmi
> Ashtothram*, one of Mahalakshmi’s names is *Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva-Atmikayai
> Namaha*. If Narayana is the *Aadhara* (support) of everything, and if
> Vishnu and Narayana were entirely identical in all aspects, then how could
> Mahalakshmi be described as the *Atma* (inner self) of Vishnu?
>

Namaste

Is this *Mahalakshmi Ashtothram* acceptable to Srivaishnavas? Also, is the
two-type Vaikuntha that Ramanuja system accepts, admitted in any Purana
like the Bhagavatam?  There we see the Jaya-Vijaya episode happening in
'Vaikuntha' and no adjective like kārya is added there.

In the Rangaramanuja Kathopanishad bhashya we see:


4. कठोपनिषत् - प्रथमा वल्ली
- मम उपदेशात्, जानीहि इत्यर्थः । ज्ञानस्य फलं दर्शयति - स्वर्ग्यमग्निं इति
। अनन्तस्य - विष्णोः लोकः, तत्प्राप्तिम् । *तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम्' *(क.उ.३-९)
इति उत्तरत्र वक्ष्यमाणत्वात् । अथो - तत्प्राप्यनन्तरं प्रतिष्ठाम् -
*अपुनरावृत्तिं
*च; 'लभते' इति शेषः ।

The above says: tad vishnoH paramam padam = the mukti from where *there is
no return.* In the Narada Purana verses cited, we have this alluding to
that  *तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम् ।*। २३-८७  from where the people return after
experiencing bhoga for long.

regards
subbu

>
> Similarly, consider the episode of the Sanakadi Rishis reaching Vaikuntha
> and cursing Jaya and Vijaya. Even after this, we see Jaya and Vijaya born
> in the material realm. This raises two important points:
>
>    1.
>
>    If the Sanat Kumaras had truly reached *Nitya Vaikuntha*, they would not
>    be seen anywhere else, such as in Brahmaloka. But we see that at the
>    beginning of Bhagavatham's Mahatmyam only there is Narada and Sanat
> kumara
>    samvada which is at the beginning of Kali yuga. And the Jaya vijaya
>    incident should have happened very before this meeting.
>    2.
>
>    If Vaikuntha were a place of *non-return*, then the curse on Jaya and
>    Vijaya could not have led them back into *samsara*.
>
> Thus in Vishishtadvaita, we clearly differentiate between two realms:
> *Karya
> Vaikuntha* and *Nitya Vibhuti Vaikuntha*. It is the *Nitya Vibhuti
> Vaikuntha* that is the true eternal, non-returnable abode, not the Karya
> Vaikuntha. For instance, in the *Uttara Kanda* of the Ramayana, when Lord
> Rama takes all the people of Ayodhya to His *Dham*, this refers to *Karya
> Vaikuntha*, not Nitya Vaikuntha. As per the siddhanta, the mukti can be
> obtained either by Bhakthi yogam or Sharanagati.
>
> This understanding is supported by *Arthapatti Pramana.*
>
>
> Regards
> Sangeerth P
> 8608658009
>
>
>
>