Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.23.26
Nirodha· Winding upDevotees Reach Vaikuṇṭha as Individual Persons
“The wives of the demigods continued: Just see how this chaste lady, Arci, by dint of her inconceivable pious activities, is still following her husband upward, as far as we can see.”
What the purport teaches
- Pṛthu Mahārāja and Arci passed beyond the realms of the demigods toward Vaikuṇṭhaloka. The Vaikuṇṭha planets lie beyond the material planets in the spiritual sky.
- They received spiritual bodies and traveled in separate spiritual airplanes. The purport emphasizes that they remained individual persons and did not lose their identities.
- Pṛthu Mahārāja was a pure devotee, and Arci followed her devotee husband. Their inconceivable activities are described as beyond the capacity of ordinary people.
Try this today
Write down this teaching for reflection: “Liberation does not mean losing one’s individual identity.”
Ask yourself
How does retaining personal identity in the spiritual world deepen your understanding of liberation?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.