- māyātīte vyāpi-vaikuṇṭha-loke
- pūrṇaiśvarye śrī-catur-vyūha-madhye
- rūpaṁ yasya udbhāti saṅkarṣaṇākhyaṁ
- taṁ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaṁ prapadye
- (CC Adi 1.8)
So identification of Nityānanda Prabhu. So He is the second Saṅkarṣaṇa also. The first Saṅkarṣaṇa. . . From Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, four, quadruple expansions of Balarāma. . . Then, from Saṅkarṣaṇa, first Saṅkarsana, the Nārāyaṇa, four-handed Nārāyaṇa, that is the next expansion, and again, from Nārāyaṇa, there is another quadruple expansion, second Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna. So the second Saṅkarṣaṇa also is expansion of Nityānanda Rāma, Balarāma.
So where is this Vaikuṇṭhaloka? It is rather impudent to inquire, because we cannot calculate even this material world, what is the length and breadth of this universe. This is only one universe. This is called māyika brahmānanda. Māyika means shadow. Shadow. . . Shadow is existing on account of the real. So therefore it is called māyā. Just like the example is, in your country, in the window there are many nice model, beautiful women standing or a man standing, nicely dressed, but that is not real man or woman. That is shadow. That is called māyā. This is the example of māyā. Māyā means it is not fact, but it appears like fact. That is called māyā. Another example is. . . Just like the mirage, water in the desert. Actually there is no water, but it appears that there is water. The foolish animals, they run after this water, but there is no water. Simply running after will o' the wisp, phantasmagoria. So every one of us in this material world—hankering after happiness. Everyone is trying to be happy. But it is like the same, that there is no water in the desert, and still, the foolish animal running after it.
So this whole material creation is like that. The creator of this universe, Kṛṣṇa, He says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15): "This is the place for suffering." And you are seeking after happiness. Just like in the prison house: it is the place for suffering, and if you want to be comfortable, this is called māyā. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). The whole world is running after happiness what is not possible. Therefore they have been described as vimūḍhān, rascal. We sometimes use this word very frequently, "rascals," and they become angry. But actually that is the description, "rascals." All these so-called civilized men, so-called civilized men, they are not men even. They're all animals. But in the śāstra, they have been described as dvi-pada-paśu. They are animals, but they have got two legs. That's all. That is the difference. Animals, generally, they have four legs, catus-pada, but these animals are two-legged. That is the difference. They're animals because. . . The same example: In the desert there is no water, and the animal is running after it. Why he's called animal? Because he does not understand that "In the desert, how there can be water?"
So Vidyāpati has sung a song, tātala saikate, vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mitra-ramaṇī-samāje. We are trying to be happy here in this material world—how? Suta-mitra-ramaṇī-samāje. Suta means children. Mitra means friends. Society, friendship and love, wife, children. . . Tāta. . . So one may say, "Unless there is no happiness, how they are struggling for this suta-mitra-ramaṇī-samāja?" So Vidyāpati says, "Yes, there is happiness. Certainly there is happiness." Otherwise why these vimūḍhān, foolish people, running after it? So he says that the value of their happiness is a proportion of a drop of water in the desert. Tātala saikate. Tātala means very hot, and saikate means sand. Those who have seen desert, they have got experience how it is intolerable during sunshine, vast, I mean to say, tract of land with sand. So naturally they require water. So if somebody says, "Yes, I'll give you water," and a drop of water. What is called? Proportionate, token. It is called token. "Yes, you want water. Take this water, drop." "What this water will do? This is desert. I want ocean of water, and you are giving me drop of water? What is the value?" So still, we are seeking water there. Therefore it is rightly said, tātala saikate, vari-bindu-sama. Vari-bindu. Suta-mitra-ramaṇī-samāje.