Sayujya-mukti

Expressions researched:
"Sayujya liberation" |"Sayujya mukti" |"Sayujya" |"Sayujya-mukti"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.9.40, Purport:

The Lord is satisfied more when His pure devotees are glorified, and therefore Bhīṣmadeva has not only glorified the acts of Arjuna, his immediate object of attraction, but has also remembered the gopīs, who were endowed with unrivalled opportunities for rendering loving service to the Lord. The gopīs' equality with the Lord should never be misunderstood to be like the sāyujya liberation of the impersonalist. The equality is one of perfect ecstasy where the differential conception is completely eradicated, for the interests of the lover and the beloved become identical.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.6.35, Purport:

Bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord, means to become free from material entanglement and then to enter into the kingdom of God, becoming one like Him. Losing one's individuality is not the aim of bhakti-yoga or of the devotees of the Lord. There are five types of liberation, one of which is called sāyujya-mukti, or being merged into the existence or body of the Lord. The other forms of liberation maintain the individuality of the particle soul and involve being always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The word viśate, used in the verses of the Bhagavad-gītā, is thus meant for the devotees who are not at all anxious for any kind of liberation. The devotees are satisfied simply in being engaged in the service of the Lord, regardless of the situation.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.4.15, Purport:

Those who are associated with the Lord in the Vaikuṇṭha planets achieve all the bodily features of the Lord and appear to be the same as Lord Viṣṇu. Such liberation is called sārūpya-mukti, which is one of the five kinds of liberation. The devotees engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord never accept the sāyujya-mukti, or merging in the rays of the Lord called the brahma-jyotir. The devotees can achieve not only liberation but any success in the realm of religiosity, economic development or sense gratification up to the standard of the demigods in the heavenly planets. But such a pure devotee as Uddhava refuses to accept all such facilities. A pure devotee wants simply to engage in the service of the Lord and does not consider his own personal benefit.

SB 3.5.47, Purport:

The union of the impersonalists and the union of the devotees are not on a par. The impersonalists try to fully stop their individuality by attaining sāyujya-mukti, or unification by merging into oneness, whereas the devotees keep their individuality to exchange feelings in relationship with the supreme individual Lord. Such reciprocation of feelings takes place in the transcendental Vaikuṇṭha planets, and therefore the liberation sought by the impersonalists is already achieved in devotional service. The devotees attain mukti automatically, while continuing the transcendental pleasure of maintaining individuality. As explained in the previous verse, the destination of the devotees is Vaikuṇṭha, or akuṇṭha-dhiṣṇya, the place where anxieties are completely eradicated.

SB 3.15.48, Purport:

When, by that process, they become confused or frustrated in fulfilling the maximum amount of sense enjoyment, they try to become one with the Supreme, which is, according to their conception, mukti, or liberation. There are five kinds of liberation, the least important of which is called sāyujya, to become one with the Supreme. Devotees don't care for such liberation because they are actually intelligent. Nor are they inclined to accept any of the other four kinds of liberation, namely to live on the same planet as the Lord, to live with Him side by side as an associate, to have the same opulence, and to attain the same bodily features. They are concerned only with glorifying the Supreme Lord and His auspicious activities. Pure devotional service is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Pure devotees, who take transcendental pleasure in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, do not care for any kind of liberation; even if they are offered the five liberations, they refuse to accept them, as stated in the Bhāgavatam in the Third Canto.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.9.29, Purport:

Here in this verse the Lord is described as mukti-pati, which means "one under whose lotus feet there are all kinds of mukti." There are five kinds of mukti-sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi. Out of these five muktis, which can be achieved by any person engaged in devotional service to the Lord, the one which is known as sāyujya is generally demanded by Māyāvādī philosophers; they demand to become one with the impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Lord. In the opinion of many scholars, this sāyujya-mukti, although counted among the five kinds of mukti, is not actually mukti because from sāyujya-mukti one may again fall down to this material world. This information we have from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32), wherein it is said, patanty adhaḥ, which means "they again fall down."

SB 4.9.29, Purport:

There are many instances of such falldowns, even for great sannyāsīs in the Māyāvāda school.

Therefore Vaiṣṇava philosophers do not accept sāyujya-mukti to be within the category of mukti. According to them, mukti means transferal to the loving service of the Lord from one's position of serving māyā. Lord Caitanya also says in this connection that the constitutional position of a living entity is to render service to the Lord. That is real mukti. When one is situated in his original position, giving up artificial positions, he is called mukta, or liberated. In the Bhagavad-gītā this is confirmed: anyone who engages in rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord is considered to be mukta, or brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20).

SB 4.23.28, Purport:

The word labdhvāpavargyam is significant in this verse, because according to Jīva Gosvāmī, āpavargyam, or the path of liberation, does not refer to merging into the impersonal Brahman but to sālokyādi-siddhi, which means attaining the very planet where the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides. There are five kinds of liberation, and one is called sāyujya-mukti, or merging into the existence of the Supreme, or the impersonal Brahman effulgence. However, since there is a chance of one's falling down again into the material sky from the Brahman effulgence, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī advises that in this human form of life one's only aim should be to go back home, back to Godhead. The words sa vañcitaḥ indicate that once a person has obtained the human form of life, he is actually cheated if he does not make preparations to go back home, back to Godhead. The position of all nondevotees, who are not interested in going back to Godhead, is very much lamentable, for the human form of life is meant for executing devotional service and nothing else.

SB Canto 6

SB 6.9.45, Purport:

As expressed in the prayers offered by Queen Kuntī, the Lord is akiñcana-vitta, the property of such a devotee. Those who are liberated from the bondage of conditioned life are elevated to the spiritual world, where they achieve five kinds of liberation—sāyujya, sālokya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi and sāmīpya (CC Madhya 6.266). They personally associate with the Lord in five mellows—śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. These rasas are all emanations from Kṛṣṇa. As described by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the original mellow, ādi-rasa, is conjugal love. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of pure and spiritual conjugal love.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.1.16, Translation:

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired: It is very wonderful that the demon Śiśupāla merged into the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead even though extremely envious. This sāyujya-mukti is impossible to attain even for great transcendentalists. How then did the enemy of the Lord attain it?

SB 7.1.20, Purport:

Śiśupāla and Dantavakra were formerly Jaya and Vijaya, the doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha. Merging into the body of Kṛṣṇa was not their final destination. For some time they remained merged, and later they received the liberations of sārūpya and sālokya, living on the same planet as the Lord in the same bodily form. The śāstras give evidence that if one blasphemes the Supreme Lord, his punishment is to remain in hellish life for many millions of years more than one suffers by killing many brāhmaṇas. Śiśupāla, however, instead of entering hellish life, immediately and very easily received sāyujya-mukti. That such a privilege had been offered to Śiśupāla was not merely a story. Everyone saw it happen; there was no scarcity of evidence. How did it happen? Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was very much surprised.

SB 7.1.31, Purport:

Different persons achieve different types of mukti-sāyujya, sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi—according to their own intense desire, which is called bhāva. Thus it is described here that the gopīs, by their lusty desires, which were based upon their intense love for Kṛṣṇa, became the most beloved devotees of the Lord. Although the gopīs at Vṛndāvana expressed their lusty desires in relationship with a paramour (parakīya-rasa), they actually had no lusty desires. This is significant of spiritual advancement. Their desires appeared lusty, but actually they were not the lusty desires of the material world. Caitanya-caritāmṛta compares the desires of the spiritual and material world to gold and iron. Both gold and iron are metal, but there is a vast difference in their value. The lusty desires of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa are compared to gold, and material lusty desires are compared to iron.

SB 7.1.35, Purport:

Any pastime conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is an arrangement by yogamāyā, not mahāmāyā. Therefore it is to be understood that when Jaya and Vijaya descended to this material world, they came because there was something to be done for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise it is a fact that no one falls from Vaikuṇṭha.

Of course, a living entity who desires sāyujya-mukti remains in Kṛṣṇa's Brahman effulgence, which is dependent on Kṛṣṇa's body (brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham (BG 14.27)). Such an impersonalist who takes shelter of the Brahman effulgence must surely fall down. This is stated in the śāstra (SB 10.2.32):

SB 7.1.35, Purport:

Even though they rise to the highest point of liberation by dint of severe penances and austerities, they are sure to fall down again into material existence, for they do not take shelter at Your lotus feet." The impersonalists cannot reach the Vaikuṇṭha planets to become associates of the Lord, and therefore, according to their desires, Kṛṣṇa gives them sāyujya-mukti. However, since sāyujya-mukti is partial mukti, they must fall again to this material world. When it is said that the individual soul falls from Brahmaloka, this applies to the impersonalist.

From authoritative sources it is learned that Jaya and Vijaya were sent to this material world to fulfill the Lord's desire to fight. The Lord also sometimes wants to fight, but who can fight with the Lord but a very confidential devotee of the Lord?

SB 7.1.47, Purport:

Therefore at the end of the mausala-līlā, these two associates of the Lord returned to Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's body and Nārāyaṇa's body. Therefore although they visibly entered the body of Kṛṣṇa, they actually reentered Vaikuṇṭhaloka as the doorkeepers of Lord Viṣṇu. Through Lord Kṛṣṇa's body, they returned to Vaikuṇṭha, although they seemed to have attained sāyujya-mukti in Kṛṣṇa's body.

SB 7.2.6, Purport:

Actually it is not possible for the Lord to be partial. Nonetheless, since the demigods, the devotees, always strictly follow the Supreme Lord's orders, because of sincerity they are victorious over the demons, who know that the Supreme Lord is Viṣṇu but do not follow His instructions. Because of constantly remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, the demons generally attain sāyujya-mukti after death. The demon Hiraṇyakaśipu accused the Lord of being partial because the demigods worshiped Him, but in fact the Lord, like the government, is not partial at all. The government is not partial to any citizen, but if a citizen is law-abiding he receives abundant opportunities from the state laws to live peacefully and fulfill his real interests.

SB 7.2.7-8, Purport:

Demons always think that Viṣṇu can be killed. Therefore, being absorbed in thoughts of Viṣṇu's form to kill Him, at least they have the opportunity to think of Viṣṇu unfavorably. Although they are not devotees, their thinking of Viṣṇu is effective, and thus they generally attain sāyujya-mukti. Because the demons consider the Supreme Lord an ordinary living being, they think that they can kill Lord Viṣṇu as one might kill an ordinary person. Another fact disclosed herein is that demons are very much fond of sucking blood. Indeed, all of them are meat-eaters and bloodsuckers.

Hiraṇyakaśipu accused the Supreme Lord of having a restless mind like that of a small child who can be induced to do anything if simply offered some cakes and lāḍḍus. Indirectly, this indicates the true position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.26):

SB 7.2.7-8, Purport:

As for rudhira, or the blood of Lord Viṣṇu, since there is no possibility of severing Lord Viṣṇu's head from His body, there is no question of blood. But the garland that decorates Viṣṇu's body is as red as blood. When the demons achieve sāyujya-mukti and leave behind their sinful activities, they are blessed by Viṣṇu's garland, which is red like blood. After attaining sāyujya-mukti, the demons are sometimes promoted to the Vaikuṇṭha world, where they receive the reward of the Lord's garland prasāda.

SB 7.3.1, Purport:

Similarly, another demon received a benediction from Lord Śiva but later wanted to kill Lord Śiva through that same benediction. Thus self-interested persons, by demoniac austerity, want to kill even their benedictors, whereas the Vaiṣṇava wants to remain an ever-existing servant of the Lord and never to occupy the post of the Lord. Through sāyujya-mukti, which is generally demanded by asuras, one merges into the existence of the Lord, but although one sometimes thus achieves the goal of the theory of monism, one falls down again to struggle in material existence.

SB 7.5.35, Purport:

In other words, Prahlāda Mahārāja would be elevated to sārūpya liberation, and in that sense he resembled Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore Prahlāda was to be killed by Hiraṇyakaśipu. Devotees, Vaiṣṇavas, attain the liberations of sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi and sāmīpya, whereas the Māyāvādīs are supposed to attain the liberation known as sāyujya. Sāyujya-mukti, however, is not very secure, whereas sārūpya-mukti, sālokya-mukti, sārṣṭi-mukti and sāmīpya-mukti are most certain. Although the servants of Lord Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets are equally situated with the Lord, the devotees there know very well that the Lord is the master whereas they are servants.

SB 7.10 Summary:

Thus Nārada Muni described the character of Prahlāda Mahārāja for Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, and he further described the killing of Rāvaṇa by Lord Rāmacandra and the killing of Śiśupāla and Dantavakra in Dvāpara-yuga. Śiśupāla, of course, had merged into the existence of the Lord and thus achieved sāyujya-mukti. Nārada Muni praised Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja because the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, was the greatest well-wisher and friend of the Pāṇḍavas and almost always stayed in their house. Thus the fortune of the Pāṇḍavas was greater than that of Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Later, Nārada Muni described how the demon Maya Dānava constructed Tripura for the demons, who became very powerful and defeated the demigods. Because of this defeat, Lord Rudra, Śiva, dismantled Tripura; thus he became famous as Tripurāri. For this, Rudra is very much appreciated and worshiped by the demigods. This narration occurs at the end of the chapter.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.9.20, Purport:

The word vimuktidāt is also significant. There are different types of liberation, such as sāyujya, sālokya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi and sāmīpya (CC Madhya 6.266), but vimukti means "special mukti." When after liberation one is situated on the platform of prema-bhakti, one is said to have achieved vimukti, "special mukti." Therefore the word na is mentioned. That exalted platform of premā is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as premā pum-artho mahān, and mother Yaśodā naturally acts in such an exalted position in loving affairs. She is therefore a nitya-siddha devotee, an expansion of Kṛṣṇa's hlādinī potency, His potency to enjoy transcendental bliss through expansions who are special devotees (ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37)). Such devotees are not sādhana-siddha.

SB 10.10.20-22, Purport:

By karma-miśra-bhakti one is elevated to the celestial kingdom, by jñāna-miśra-bhakti one is able to merge in the Brahman effulgence, and by yoga-miśra-bhakti one is able to realize the omnipotency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But pure bhakti does not depend on karma, jñāna or yoga, for it simply consists of loving affairs. The liberation of the bhakta, therefore, which is called not just mukti but vimukti, surpasses the five other kinds of liberation-sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi and sāmīpya. A pure devotee always engages in pure service (ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167)). Taking birth in the upper planetary system as a demigod is a chance to become a further purified devotee and go back home, back to Godhead. Nārada Muni indirectly gave Maṇigrīva and Nalakūvara the greatest opportunity by his so-called curse.

SB 10.12 Summary:

He expanded His body to such an extent that the asura suffocated and died. After this, Kṛṣṇa, by casting His nectarean glance upon His friends, brought them back to life, and with pleasure they all came out unhurt. Thus Kṛṣṇa encouraged all the demigods, and they expressed their pleasure and happiness. For a crooked, sinful person there is no scope for sāyujya-mukti, or becoming one with the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa, but because the Supreme Personality of Godhead entered the body of Aghāsura, by His touch this demon got the opportunity to merge into the existence of the Brahman effulgence and thus attain sāyujya-mukti.

SB 10.12.33, Purport:

Apparently the serpent named Aghāsura, because of having received association with Kṛṣṇa, attained mukti by entering Kṛṣṇa's body. Entering the body of Kṛṣṇa is called sāyujya-mukti, but later verses prove that Aghāsura, like Dantavakra and others, received sārūpya-mukti. This has been broadly described by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura with references from the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Aghāsura attained sārūpya-mukti, being promoted to the Vaikuṇṭha planets to live with the same four-armed bodily features as Viṣṇu. The explanation of how this is so may be summarized as follows.

SB 10.12.33, Purport:

The effulgence came out from the python's body and became purified, attaining spiritual śuddha-sattva, freedom from material contamination, because Kṛṣṇa had stayed within the serpent's body, even after the serpent's death. One may doubt that such a demon, full of mischievous activities, could attain the liberation of sārūpya or sāyujya, and one may be astonished about this. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that in order to drive away such doubts, He had the effulgence, the individual life of the python, wait for some time in its individuality, in the presence of all the demigods.

Kṛṣṇa is the full effulgence, and every living being is part and parcel of that effulgence. As proved here, the effulgence in every living being is individual. For some time, the effulgence remained outside the demon's body, individually, and did not mix with the whole effulgence, the brahma-jyotir.

SB 10.12.33, Purport:

Then Kṛṣṇa proved that anyone killed by Him attains liberation, whether sāyujya, sārūpya, sāmīpya or whatever.

But the liberation of those who are on the transcendental platform of love and affection is vimukti, special liberation. Thus the serpent first entered the body of Kṛṣṇa personally and mixed with the Brahman effulgence. This merging is called sāyujya-mukti. But from later verses we find that Aghāsura attained sārūpya-mukti. Text 38 explains that Aghāsura attained a body exactly like that of Viṣṇu, and the verse after that also clearly states that he attained a completely spiritual body like that of Nārāyaṇa. Therefore in two or three places the Bhāgavatam has confirmed that Aghāsura attained sārūpya-mukti. One may then argue, How is it that he mixed with the Brahman effulgence? The answer is that as Jaya and Vijaya, after three births, again attained sārūpya-mukti and association with the Lord, Aghāsura received a similar liberation.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 3.18, Translation:

“These liberations are sārṣṭi (achieving opulences equal to those of the Lord), sārūpya (having a form the same as the Lord's), sāmīpya (living as a personal associate of the Lord) and sālokya (living on a Vaikuṇṭha planet). Devotees never accept sāyujya, however, since that is oneness with Brahman.

CC Adi 3.18, Purport:

Those engaged in devotional service according to the ritualistic principles mentioned in the scriptures attain these different kinds of liberation. But although such devotees can attain sārṣṭi, sārūpya, sāmīpya and sālokya, they are not concerned with these liberations, for such devotees are satisfied only in rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord. The fifth kind of liberation, sāyujya, is never accepted even by devotees who perform only ritualistic worship. To attain sāyujya, or merging into the Brahman effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the aspiration of the impersonalists. A devotee never cares for sāyujya liberation.

CC Adi 5.31, Translation:

Those who attain brahma-sāyujya liberation cannot gain entrance into Vaikuṇṭha; their residence is outside the Vaikuṇṭha planets.

CC Adi 5.36, Purport:

Nṛsiṁha-deva an ordinary living entity, not understanding His form. Nevertheless, because Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed by the hands of Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, in his next life he became Rāvaṇa and had proprietorship of unlimited opulence. As Rāvaṇa, with unlimited material enjoyment, he could not accept Lord Rāma as the Personality of Godhead. Therefore even though he was killed by Rāma, he did not attain sāyujya, or oneness with the body of the Lord. In his Rāvaṇa body he was too much attracted to Rāma's wife, Jānakī, and because of that attraction he was able to see Lord Rāma. But instead of accepting Lord Rāma as an incarnation of Viṣṇu, Rāvaṇa thought Him an ordinary living being. When killed by the hands of Rāma, therefore, he got the privilege of taking birth as Śiśupāla, who had such immense opulence that he could think himself a competitor to Kṛṣṇa.

CC Adi 5.38, Translation:

That impersonal Brahman effulgence consists only of the effulgent rays of the Lord. Those fit for sāyujya liberation merge into that effulgence.

CC Adi 8.19, Purport:

While executing devotional service, one must be naturally inclined to serve Kṛṣṇa in one of these transcendental relationships. That is the actual success of life. For a devotee, to get liberation is not very difficult. Even one who is unable to establish a relationship with Kṛṣṇa can achieve liberation by merging into the Brahman effulgence. This is called sāyujya-mukti. Vaiṣṇavas never accept sāyujya-mukti, although sometimes they accept the other forms of liberation, namely sārūpya, sālokya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi. A pure devotee, however, does not accept any kind of mukti. He wants only to serve Kṛṣṇa in a transcendental relationship. This is the perfectional stage of spiritual life. Māyāvādī philosophers desire to merge into the existence of the Brahman effulgence, although this aspect of liberation is always neglected by devotees. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, describing this kind of mukti, which is called kaivalya, or becoming one with the Supreme, has said, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate: "Becoming one with the Supreme is as good as going to hell."

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 6.169, Purport:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore warns us to avoid these commentaries. If one indulges in hearing the Śaṅkarite Śārīraka-bhāṣya, he will certainly be bereft of all real knowledge.

The ambitious Māyāvādī philosophers desire to merge into the existence of the Lord, and this may be accepted as sāyujya-mukti. However, this form of mukti means denying one's individual existence. In other words, it is a kind of spiritual suicide. This is absolutely opposed to the philosophy of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga offers immortality to the individual conditioned soul. If one follows the Māyāvādī philosophy, he misses his opportunity to become immortal after giving up the material body. The immortality of the individual person is the highest perfectional stage a living entity can attain.

CC Madhya 6.266, Translation:

“There are five kinds of liberation: sālokya, sāmīpya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi and sāyujya.

CC Madhya 6.266, Purport:

Sālokya means that after material liberation one is promoted to the planet where the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides, sāmīpya means remaining an associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sārūpya means attaining a four-handed form exactly like that of the Lord., sārṣṭi means attaining opulences like those of the Supreme Lord, and sāyujya means merging into the Brahman effulgence of the Lord. These are the five types of liberation.

CC Madhya 6.267, Translation:

“If there is a chance to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a pure devotee sometimes accepts the sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya or sārṣṭi forms of liberation, but never sāyujya.

CC Madhya 6.268, Translation:

"A pure devotee does not like even to hear about sāyujya-mukti, which inspires him with fear and hatred. Indeed, the pure devotee would rather go to hell than merge into the effulgence of the Lord."

CC Madhya 6.268, Purport:

Nonetheless, a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa rejects even these types of liberation; he aspires only to serve Kṛṣṇa birth after birth. He is not very interested in stopping the repetition of birth, for he simply desires to serve the Lord, even in hellish circumstances. Consequently the pure devotee hates and fears sāyujya-mukti, merging into the effulgence of the Lord. This merging is due to an offense committed against the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and therefore it is not at all desirable for a pure devotee.

CC Madhya 6.269, Translation:

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya continued, “There are two kinds of sāyujya-mukti: merging into the Brahman effulgence and merging into the personal body of the Lord. Merging into the Lord's body is even more abominable than merging into His effulgence.”

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 4:

There are five stages of liberation, already explained as being (1) to become one with the Lord, (2) to live on the same planet as the Lord, (3) to obtain the same bodily features as the Lord, (4) to have the same opulences as the Lord and (5) to have constant association with the Lord. Out of these five liberated stages, the one which is known as sāyujya, or to merge into the existence of the Lord, is the last to be accepted by a devotee. The other four liberations, although not desired by devotees, still are not against the devotional ideals. Some of the liberated persons who have achieved these four stages of liberation may also develop affection for Kṛṣṇa and be promoted to the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet in the spiritual sky. In other words, those who are already promoted to the Vaikuṇṭha planets and who possess the four kinds of liberation may also sometimes develop affection for Kṛṣṇa and become promoted to Kṛṣṇaloka.

Nectar of Devotion 4:

So those who are in the four liberated states may still be going through different stages of existence. In the beginning they may want the opulences of Kṛṣṇa, but at the mature stage the dormant love for Kṛṣṇa exhibited in Vṛndāvana becomes prominent in their hearts. As such, the pure devotees never accept the liberation of sāyujya, to become one with the Supreme, though sometimes they may accept as favorable the other four liberated states.

Out of many kinds of devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the one who is attracted to the original form of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, is considered to be the foremost, first-class devotee. Such a devotee is never attracted by the opulences of Vaikuṇṭha, or even of Dvārakā, the royal city where Kṛṣṇa ruled. The conclusion of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī is that the devotees who are attracted by the pastimes of the Lord in Gokula, or Vṛndāvana, are the topmost devotees.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 44:

Even an enemy killed by Kṛṣṇa gets liberation and is placed in the impersonal brahma-jyotir. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-good, anyone thinking of Him, either as an enemy or as a friend, gets liberation. But the liberation of the devotee and the liberation of the enemy are not the same. The enemy generally gets the liberation of sāyujya, and sometimes he gets sārūpya liberation.

Kaṁsa had eight brothers, headed by Kaṅka, all of them younger than he, and when they learned that their elder brother had been killed, they combined together and rushed toward Kṛṣṇa in great anger to kill Him. Kaṁsa and his brothers were all Kṛṣṇa's maternal uncles, brothers of Kṛṣṇa's mother, Devakī. When Kṛṣṇa killed Kaṁsa He killed His maternal uncle, which is against the regulations of Vedic injunctions.

Krsna Book 74:

Although Śiśupāla acted as the enemy of Kṛṣṇa, he was not for a single moment out of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was always absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa, and thus he first got the salvation of sāyujya-mukti, merging into the existence of the Supreme, and was finally reinstated in his original position of personal service. The Bhagavad-gītā corroborates the fact that one who is absorbed in the thought of the Supreme Lord at the time of death immediately enters the kingdom of God after quitting his material body.

Krsna Book 83:

We do not want to enjoy such material opulences, nor do we desire to achieve the yogic perfections, nor the exalted post of Lord Brahmā. Nor do we want any of the different kinds of liberation—sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya or sāyujya. We are not at all attracted by any of these opulences. Our only ambition is to bear on our heads life after life the dust particles attached to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The goddess of fortune also desires to keep that dust on her breasts, along with fragrant saffron. We simply desire this dust, which accumulates underneath the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa as He travels on the land of Vṛndāvana as a cowherd boy. The gopīs especially, and also the cowherd men and the aborigine tribeswomen, always desire to become the grass and straw on the streets of Vṛndāvana, to be trampled on by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. My dear Queen, we wish to remain as such life after life, without any other desire.”

Krsna Book 90:

The next excellence of Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance was that although He apparently gave protection to the devotees and annihilated the demons, both the devotees and the demons achieved the same result. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the bestower of five kinds of liberation, of which sāyujya-mukti, or the liberation of becoming one with the Supreme, was given to demons like Kaṁsa, whereas the gopīs were given the chance to associate with Him personally. The gopīs kept their individuality to enjoy the company of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but Kaṁsa was accepted into His impersonal brahma-jyotir. In other words, both the demons and the gopīs were spiritually liberated, but because the demons were enemies and the gopīs were friends, the demons were killed and the gopīs protected.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.13:

Lord Viṣṇu's impersonal aspect is known as Brahman. So when the jīva soul, a product of Lord Viṣṇu's superior, spiritual energy, attains sāyujya-mukti, or liberation by merging with Brahman, it is not at all surprising. The energetic principle always enjoys the prerogative of enfolding within itself His own energy, but that does not destroy the energy's eternal individuality. The impersonalists, desiring to merge with Brahman and knowing that it is feasible, still experience intense suffering in their effort to reach brahmānanda, "the bliss of Brahman." The Lord's devotees consider the pleasures of such liberation worse than hell. The impersonalists, in trying to destroy the illusion inherent in material forms, do away with even the eternal spiritual forms. That is indeed very foolish.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 4.5:

The scriptures have clearly indicated that the ecstasy of devotional service to the Supreme Lord is far superior to the bliss of impersonal liberation, brahmānanda. Indeed, the happiness of merging into the Lord's existence (sāyujya-mukti) is like a puddle of water in a calf's hoofprint compared with the ocean of bliss derived from devotional service. The devotee never prays for the jñānī's sāyujya-mukti, for it is an impossible proposition. By sāyujya-mukti the impersonalists mean relinquishing one's identity, or individuality. This is nothing less than spiritual suicide. In this regard, I reproduce Dr. Radhakrishnan's comment on the Bible:

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972:

To become one with Kṛṣṇa, it may be a very great position. But to become the, I mean to say, command, commander of Kṛṣṇa, that is another thing. That position is greater than to become one with Kṛṣṇa.

So there are five kinds of liberation. Sāyujya, the first liberation is supposed to be sāyujya, means, to become one with the Supreme. The Māyāvāda philosophers, monists, they aspire after sāyujya-mukti. But the devotees, Vaiṣṇavas, they do not aspire after sāyujya-mukti. Their, for them, there are other, four kinds of mukti: sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya. And those who are still further advanced, they do not want any kind of mukti, neither of these five kinds of muktis. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He prays, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). This is pure devotional prayer.

Lecture on BG 2.3 -- London, August 4, 1973:

These transcendental activities of Kṛṣṇa, if anyone can understand, simply if anyone can understand, then he becomes liberated immediately. Liberated. Not liberated ordinary liberation, but for going back to home, back to Godhead. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). The greatest liberation. There are different types of liberation also. Sāyujya sārūpya sārṣṭi sālokya sāyujya... (CC Madhya 6.266). Five kinds of liberation. So sāyujya means to merge into the existence, Brahman, brahma-laya (merging in the impersonal). That is also liberation. The Māyāvādīs or the jnani sampradāya, they want to merge into the existence, Brahman existence. That is also mukti. That is called sāyujya-mukti. But for a devotee, this sāyujya-mukti is just like hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. So for Vaiṣṇava, kaivalyam, to, monism, to merge into the existence of the Supreme, is compared with hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5).

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

And what is given, that is perfect. So we have to believe that in future, even after liberation... Now, one thing we must also explain—the liberation, the conception of liberation. So there are different, five kinds of liberation. One of them, liberation, is to become one with the Lord, one with the Supreme. That is called sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence of, of the Supreme. That is also another. That is one of the five liberations. That is not the only liberation. That means we all individual beings, we are individual constitutionally. God is the father or creator or whatever, or the source of all life, or source of our existence. Whatever you like, you can say. So we have, we have been created in that way. Eko bahu syāma. God has become many. This is also version of the Vedas that many, all these many, we are also god. Just like the fire diffuses its sparks. The sparks coming out of the fire, it is the..., they are also part and parcel of the fire. Similarly we, we are all parts and parcels of the Supreme.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

God has no objection. Now, from God we have become many. Now, suppose I or you want that I don't want to keep myself as one of the many. I want to become one with Him. If you like that, that is called sāyujya-mukti. So God does not deny you. "All right, you merge into Me." But that does not mean all other manies also merge into Him. That does... Because, individually, I want to merge into the existence of God, that does not mean all other manies... Because many means not only myself. There are millions and billions and trillions of many. So if out of that trillion, billion, one wants to merge into the existence of God, God is all-powerful; why he should be denied? "All right, you merge into Me. If you don't want to keep your individuality, if you want to merge into Myself, all right, you are welcome."

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

Now, the drop of the water merges into the water and loses his existence—that does not mean—there are other living entities within the water, millions and billions—they also lose their identity. They keep their identity.

So some of the living beings may merge into the existence of the God. That is called sāyujya-mukti. But there are many millions and millions and billions of... Ananta. They want to keep their existence and enjoy the association of God. That is the difference between jñānī and bhakta. The jñānī's ultimate aim is nirveda-brahmānusandhānam(?). They want to become one with the Supreme. He does not, a jñānī does not want to keep himself separately from the Supreme. He wants into the merging.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

We have got this material body. Similarly, you see?

Now, this point, that to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord is, if it is proposed by some individual soul or individual living entity, that can be accepted by the Lord, sāyujya-mukti... That is not very difficult. But the thing is whether we should think like that, whether it is good for us. That is my choice. If want to merge into... You follow me, what I say? If I want to merge into the existence of God... Just like if your son wants again to merge into your existence, because you are human being, it is not possible for you, but it is not impossible for God. God can accept: "All right, you want to merge into Me. All right, come on. I accept it." So that not impossible. So that merging into the existence of God. There is a liberation like that. But that is not the ultimate. You want to speak something?

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. I'll give.

Woman: One is with the Lord, we merge, we merge...

Prabhupāda: Mergence means... The merging into the existence, this is called sāyujya-mukti. Sāyujya-mukti.

Woman: No, but in English.

Prabhupāda: English, there is... Sāyujya, to become one.

Woman: Yes, to become one.

Prabhupāda: Sāyujya-mukti means liberation by becoming one with the Lord.

Woman: Yes. Okay. What is number two?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I'll explain. Yes.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

Now, this liberation is divided into five. There are five kinds of liberation. One of the liberation is to merge into the existence. We, we, we... Our birth was from the Supreme Absolute. Now, after liberation, we merge into the existence of the Supreme. That is called sāyujya-mukti. Now, besides this sāyujya-mukti, there are other five muktis which, we, the Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, or the devotees, the Lord's devotees, they accept. They, they, practically, those who are pure devotees, they do not want any kind of mukti. They do not, even they are offered. They are simply after the service of the Lord. They are prepared to suffer any kind of suffering. They are not affected by all those sufferings. What they want? Pure devotees? They want that "I must serve the Supreme Lord." That is their mission. So anyway, these bhaktas, or the devotees of the Lord, for them there are other four kinds of mukti. And what is that? This is sāyujya-mukti, to become one with the...

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

And three... The two I have explained, sāyujya and sārūpya. Then sālokya. Sālokya. Sālokya means you can, one can, get habitation, residence, in the same planet where God is there. That is sālokya. And then the next is sārṣṭi. Sārṣṭi. S, A, R, S, T, I, sārṣṭi. Sārṣṭi means to get the same opulence. As I have already explained, opulence, he, he gets all the opulences as the Lord has got. He becomes so..., as good as Lord, becomes so powerful. This is called sārṣṭi. And, and the last is sāmīpya. Sāmīpya means he is always in the company of the Lord. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is always... Whenever Lord takes His incarnation, Arjuna is there. Arjuna is there. Sāmīpya. They are never separated. Just like a husband and wife, never separated. You see. Or the father and the son. Of course, nowadays the question is different, but generally, the family members, they all remain together. Sāmīpya. And the father and the boys and wife and..., they remain together.

Lecture on BG 2.23 -- Hyderabad, November 27, 1972:

So that pleasure of life cannot be had in the spiritual effulgence. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we get this information that āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32). Kṛcchreṇa, after undergoing severe austerity and penance, one may merge into the Brahman effulgence... Sāyujya-mukti. It is called sāyujya-mukti. Sāyujya, to merge. So āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam. Even one goes up to that point, to merge into the Brahman existence after severe austerity and penances, still, they fall down. Patanty adhaḥ. Adhaḥ means again comes into this material world. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Why they fall down? Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. They'll never agree God is person. They'll never agree. Their teeny brain cannot accommodate that God, the Supreme, can be a person. Because he has experience of the person of himself, or others. If God is a person like me and you, then how He can create universe, innumerable universes?

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

So even in this material world there is one personality, Brahmā, he has got four hands. So we can get also the same body, the same features, the same opulence. Sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya, sālokya, there are different kinds of liberation. Or sāyujya. (break)

...he is saying that Kṛṣṇa has no change of body. He is giving the example just like a diamond or a valuable stone, you'll find a different colors. Sometimes you'll find red, sometimes you'll find green, sometimes you'll find some other color, the same stone. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa when appears, that is explained in the Bhāgavatam, He appears in different colors. Sometimes in blackish color, sometimes in reddish color. These are explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And in this age Kṛṣṇa appears in the yellow color, Lord Caitanya. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974:

These Māyāvādīs, they undergo severe penances for becoming merged into the supreme effulgence, Brahman effulgence, sāyujya-mukti. It is also not easily obtained. It also requires... So therefore, āruhya kṛcchreṇa, by undergoing... Āruhya kṛcchreṇa, by severe penances and exercises... Just like the yogis, they also exercise. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa. Kṛcchreṇa means severe practices. So they reach, they realize Brahman, but after realization also, they fall down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Because there is no shelter.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

One who becomes merged into the Brahman effulgence, because paraṁ padam, so they are also not siddha. Suppose if you merge into the Brahman effulgence, the jñānīs' ultimate goal, to become one with the Brahman effulgence, sāyujya-mukti... That is also a siddhi. That is also partial siddhi. That is not perfect siddhi. Because we are spiritual sparks, small, very small. That magnitude has been described in the śāstras. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). As spiritual spark, our magnitude is one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. We are such a small. And this... Just like the sunshine is combination of bright molecules, shining molecules. They are not one. They are also small, atomic, molecular parts. Similarly, brahma-jyotir means combination of all the living entities, the spiritual sparks. To become one with the brahma-jyotir means...

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

So when the bird enters the tree, it appears that the bird is now mixed up. But that is not the fact. The bird keeps his individuality, and at any time, when he wants, he can come out of the tree and fly anywhere. That independence is there, although apparently it seems that he has become one with the tree. Similarly, the sāyujya-mukti means apparently he is in Brahman, but factually it is not. Because each individual soul is different.

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, kṣetra-kṣetra-jña. Kṛṣṇa has described that this body is kṣetra, and the spiritual spark, or the soul, is the kṣetra-jña. And He says also, kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṛṣṇa is also kṣetra-jña as Supersoul. So Kṛṣṇa is, as Supersoul, separate from the individual soul. Not that the Supersoul and... These are very clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Anumantā upadraṣṭā. One puruṣa is anumantā upadraṣṭā, and another puruṣa is bhoktā.

Lecture on BG 8.22-27 -- New York, November 20, 1966:

And the living entities, they are also of the same feature. The inhabitants or citizens, they are also of the four hands. And one cannot distinguish who is God and who is not God. This is called sārūpya-mukti, liberation of the same feature.

There are five kinds of liberation: sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya, five kinds of liberation. So sāyujya-mukti is to merge into the impersonal effulgence of God. That is called sāyujya-mukti. If you like, you can merge your identity with the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord, which is called Brahman, brahma-jyotir. That you can do. But that is not very palatable. That we have discussed many times. But others... There are two schools of philosophers. One likes to merge into the existence of the Supreme and close his identity, individual identity—no more individuality. That you can do. You close your identity. But that sort of merging is risky also. That we have several times discussed.

Lecture on BG 8.22-27 -- New York, November 20, 1966:

And sāmīpya. Sāmīpya means you can always remain with God as one of the associates. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa as friend. This is called sāmīpya.

So there are different kinds of liberation. Now, any one, any of these five kinds of liberations you can have. But out of the five, the sāyujya-mukti, or the liberation by becoming merged into the existence of the Supreme, is not accepted by the Vaiṣṇava philosophers. We belong to the Vaiṣṇava philosophical school, Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means we want to worship God as He is, and we keep our separate identity eternally to serve Him. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. And the Māyāvāda philosophy and impersonalist philosophy is that they want to close their individual identity and merge into the existence of the Supreme.

Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Bombay, October 28, 1973:

That is aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ, uncleansed intelligence. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Simply understanding ahaṁ brahmāsmi will not help us because it is stated in the śāstra that āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32), even by severe austerities and penances one comes to the stage of merging into Brahman, sāyujya mukti, still, there is chance of falling down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Why? Now anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. One who has not realized the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, he falls down.

We have seen many big, big sannyāsīs in India, very learned scholar, and very nicely they can describe śāstra also, but they are entangled in politics. Why? If this world is mithyā, jagan mithyā, you have rejected it, then why you are again coming to politics? Why you are coming in the mithyā world?

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

Daivī sampad vimokṣāya (BG 16.5). Vimokṣa. Vimokṣa means liberation. This word vimokṣa is very significant. Mokṣa means liberation. And why this word vi? Vi means viśeṣa, specifically. Specifically mokṣa. There are two kinds of mokṣas. Actually, there are five kinds of mokṣa, but five kinds can be divided into two kinds. Liberation... Sāyujya, sāmīpya, sālokya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi (CC Madhya 6.266). Then again, these five kinds of liberation can be divided into two. One is sāyujya-mukti and another: sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya—these four into one division. Sāyujya-mukti means to merge into the existence of the Supreme. And sārūpya-mukti means to acquire exactly the bodily feature of Viṣṇu, four hands. Just like in the Vaikuṇṭha the inhabitants are exactly of the same feature as Nārāyaṇa. They have got also four hands. You cannot distinguish who is Nārāyaṇa and who is not Nārāyaṇa. So that is called sārūpya-mukti. Just like when vaikuṇṭha-dūtas were sent to reclaim Ajāmila, they were four-handed, exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

They have become associates. So that is possible. Anyone can become direct associate of Kṛṣṇa. That is called sāmīpya-mukti, always with Kṛṣṇa. Whenever Kṛṣṇa appears, they also appear.

So there are two kinds of muktis. So far sāyujya-mukti is concerned, that is not very sure. What is this sound? (thumping sound like drum or machine in background) Sāyujya-mukti, one who takes liberation of merging into the existence of the Supreme Absolute Truth, that is not very secure position because they may fall down again to the material world. That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). These impersonalists, after undergoing severe austerities... To come to the Brahman platform, impersonal Brahman platform, that is also not very easy. One has to undergo severe austerities. Tapasya. Nothing can be achieved with(out) tapasya.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

It is not a sentimental. It is most scientific, authorized movement, how to make people happy in this world and in the next. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. Because ultimately, he must have liberation. This is the chance.

Now, this liberation, there are different types of liberation, five kinds of liberation: sāyujya-mukti, sārūpya-mukti, sālokya-mukti, sārṣṭi-mukti...hmm...sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya. Mukti, liberation. There are different kinds of liberation. The first liberation, as the jñānīs or the speculators want, it is another side of voidism, to merge into the existence of the Absolute. They don't want varieties. Because they have got a very bad experience of the varieties in the material world, they, as soon as there is question of varieties, they become shuddered, "Oh, again varieties?" They do not know that there is blissful varieties in association with Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

They can not accommodate in their brain on account of poor fund of knowledge. Therefore they want sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence of the..., to become one with the Supreme. That is possible. You can have it. But it you lose your individuality then you can get eternity, but you cannot get blissful life of knowledge, because you lose your individuality. So that is suicidal. But a living entity being individual soul, he cannot remain in that impersonal state of life. Because the other two factors, namely acquire knowledge and acquire blissful life, is wanting there. It is simply negation of these material varieties. Or eternity only—sat. But there are two other parts, cit and ānanda. That is absent there.

So because it is not fully realized, therefore such living entities who take sāyujya-mukti, they again fall down in due course of time. Because he doesn't get in the sāyujya-mukti the other two parts, component parts of his life, blissfulness and knowledge, full knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

The impersonalist Māyāvādīs, they undergo severe austerities, penances, and rise up to the Brahman effulgence, becomes merged into it, but again falls down. Just like the spark: it enters the flame of the fire, but there is again chance of falling down.

So sāyujya-mukti... Sārūpya-mukti, to have the... For Vaiṣṇavas, they don't accept this sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence of the Lord. They accept sārūpya-mukti. Sārūpya-mukti means to have the same features of the body like Viṣṇu. In Vaikuṇṭhalokas all the living entities, devotees, they have got four hands. And only in Kṛṣṇaloka, Kṛṣṇa has got two hands and His devotees also have two hands. In other lokas, Vaikuṇṭhalokas... There are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, Nārāyaṇa is the predominating Deity, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. And those who enter such planets, they get the same bodily feature, exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa. You have seen the picture of the Viṣṇudūtas who came to deliver Ajāmila.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

Just like your president or queen, if you are also dressed, you'll also look like queen. Or if you are dressed, you'll look like the president. But that does not mean you are president or you are queen, simply by dressing. Similarly, although the devotees and the living entities, they get the same feature of the body just like Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu, they're not viṣṇu-tattva. That is called sāyujya, sārūpya. Similarly, sālokya, to live in the same planet. Sāmīpya, to live nearby, near exactly with Nārāyaṇa. Just like we are living together, similarly, you can live with Nārāyaṇa, sāmīpya, side by side. These are the different kinds of liberation.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971:

Otherwise you have to come back. Similarly, those who are taking shelter of the effulgence, which is the bodily rays of Kṛṣṇa, they will have to come back. Many, many big, big sannyāsīs, they have come back again to these material activities.

So mokṣa... Sāyujya. It is called sāyujya-mokṣa. Merging. Sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya. Five kinds of liberation. So for the Vaiṣṇavas, this merging liberation is rejected. They accept the other four kinds of..., sārūpya, sālokya, sāmīpya, sārṣṭi. Means to possess equal opulence with God. As Kṛṣṇa is full in six kinds of opulences, one can become almost as opulent as Kṛṣṇa. Not as Kṛṣṇa, as Viṣṇu. That is called sārṣṭi. One can have equal, exactly the same bodily features as Viṣṇu, four hands. That is called sārūpya. Sālokya, you can live in the same planet where Viṣṇu is living, Nārāyaṇa is living, or Kṛṣṇa is living. Sālokya. So... But a pure devotee does not accept even all these liberations. They don't ask for liberation.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

Itthaṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā: "the source of brahma-sukha." Itthaṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. And dāsyaṁ gatānām: "Those who have accepted the principle of to become servant of God," means the devotees. The devotees, they never want to become one with Brahman effulgence, sāyujya-mukti. They will never accept this. They want to keep their individuality and enjoy with Kṛṣṇa. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Itthaṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. Para-daivata: "the Supreme Lord." And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa: "And those who are under the influence of māyā, they are thinking Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human child," nara-dārakeṇa. But after all, these boys who are playing, sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ: (SB 10.12.11) "After accumulating many lives' pious activities, now they are promoted here at Vṛndāvana to play with Kṛṣṇa."

So to play with Kṛṣṇa, to become associate of Kṛṣṇa, to dance with Kṛṣṇa, it is not ordinary thing. We want to do that. We want to do that here.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973:

That is also want. And jñānī, he is also wanting mokṣa, to merge into the existence. Because after becoming big, big man within this material, when he is frustrated, he wants to become God. That is another illusion. And how you can become God, sir? But the jñānīs they want, merge into the existence. Sāyujya-mukti. It is called sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence. That is Brahman. That is brahma-jñāna. And yogis, they want some magic power, mystic power. They can walk on the water, they can fly in the air, and so many things—aṇimā, laghimā, siddhi. There are eight kinds of siddhis. Prakāmya, īśitā, vaśitā. So a yogi can attain such perfection. But they are wants also. The jñānīs also want, and the karmīs, what to speak, they are simply in want. Therefore, kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śānta (CC Madhya 19.149).

Lecture on SB 1.5.32 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

Now, in the last verse Nārada Muni says, yena gacchanti tat-padam: "by which one can go back to home, back to Godhead, tat-padam." Padam means abode or position. Position. That is, after liberation, one can get the spiritual position.

Sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya. There are different types of position, although they are all spiritual. The one is the sāyujya-mukti, or to become one with the Supreme, merge into the Supreme. This is one position. Another position: sārūpya, the same feature of the body. Just like Nārāyaṇa, four-handed. In the Vaikuṇṭha planets, the inhabitants, the citizens, they have got four hands. When Ajāmila was delivered by the Viṣṇudūtas, they appeared exactly looking like Viṣṇu. That is described. That is called sārūpya. Sārūpya, sārṣṭi (CC Madhya 6.266), same opulence. Or sāmīpya, always near, associate. There are five kinds of... Gacchanti tat-padam.

Lecture on SB 1.5.32 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

That is called sārūpya. Sārūpya, sārṣṭi (CC Madhya 6.266), same opulence. Or sāmīpya, always near, associate. There are five kinds of... Gacchanti tat-padam. But out of the five, the first one, namely to merge into the existence of the Supreme, that is very dangerous, not safe.

Therefore Vaiṣṇava never accepts sāyujya-mukti, to become one with the Supreme. Because Vaiṣṇava knows that impersonal advancement is risky. They know it perfectly. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava never... Vaiṣṇava is not anxious for any kind of mukti. Dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṇanti. They don't want... Especially Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, they don't want mukti. They are happy wherever they are existing. If they get the chance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that is perfection of life. They don't want anything more. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. We should not imitate, but the position is like that. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was not at all afraid of this material world. He was very cautious.

Lecture on SB 1.9.40 -- New York, May 22, 1973:

The Lord is satisfied more when His pure devotees are glorified, and therefore Bhīṣmadeva has not only glorified the acts of Arjuna, his immediate object of attraction, but has also remembered the gopīs, who were endowed with unrivalled opportunities by rendering loving service to the Lord. The gopīs' equality with the Lord should never be misunderstood to be like the sāyujya liberation of the impersonalist. The equality is one of perfect ecstasy where the differential conception is completely eradicated, for the interests of the lover and the beloved become identical.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

If you want to merge in His existence—the Māyāvādīs—all right, you can get it. But that it not real profit. Real profit is here described, in Vaikuṇṭha, how they are face to face seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having the same body, and same ornaments, same opulence, everything same. Sārūpya, sālokya, sāyujya. Sāyujya is damn rascals. Sāyujya-mukti, never, merging, never, no Vaiṣṇava will take. But sārūpya, so far our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava is concerned, they do not want even this sārūpya, same bodily feature. They don't want anything. They simply want how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That's all. That is Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava vicāra.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

So why they should aspire even going to Vaikuṇṭha? Why they aspire? Therefore it is said... What is said? Śriyaṁ bhāgavatīṁ vāspṛhayanti. Because Vaikuṇṭha, if you go to the spiritual world or Vaikuṇṭha, you get equal opulence like Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa. Sāyujya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi (CC Madhya 6.266). There are five kinds of mukti. So one of the mukti is sārṣṭi. Sārṣṭi means equally opulent with the Supreme Lord, equally. In the Vaikuṇṭha the devotees or the inhabitants, they are equally opulent. Everyone is like Nārāyaṇa, four-handed, equally opulent. Just like in Vṛndāvana also, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa and the cowherds boy, they are equally opulent. The cowherds boys in Vṛndāvana, they do not know that Kṛṣṇa is God, Kṛṣṇa is greater than him. No. They think, "As Kṛṣṇa is, I am also." They are so opulent.

Lecture on SB 3.26.8 -- Bombay, December 20, 1974:

So liberation is achievable even by the nondevotees because these demons... They are nondevotees. They are getting also liberation because thinking of Kṛṣṇa always. So why the devotees also get the same type of liberation? No, for them, better type of liberation. Sāyujya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi... (CC Madhya 6.266). There are five kinds of liberations, and the sāyujya-mukti, to become one with the Supreme, that is obtainable even by the enemies, demons. The devotees, they do not want that kind of liberation. They want to keep their identity eternally and serve Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect. So ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Therefore bhakti is described, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Anuśīlanam means cultivating the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. The demons are also cultivating, but that is not ānukūlyena. That is prātikūlyena, how to kill Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

Mukti means liberation, and, adding the word, vi... Vi means specifically liberation. There are five kinds of liberation. One liberation is to merge into the Supreme. Another liberation is to live with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the same planet. Another liberation is to achieve the status quo of life as good as God. Sārūpya, sāyujya, sālokya, sāmīpya. You can associate yourself with God. That is another liberation. In this way, there are five kinds of liberation. Generally the Māyāvādī philosophers, they want to merge into the existence of God. That also, one of the recommended process of liberation. But so far we are concerned, we don't want even to merge into the existence of God, but we want to become associated with God in friendship, in love, in servitude, in so many ways. We want to keep our existence, individual existence, and associate with God. That is the Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

They are called karmīs, either in this world or the next world or heavenly planet, there are different types of karmīs. So the bhukti... Bhukti means bhoga, sense enjoyment. They are called karmīs. So bhukti or mukti. Mukti means liberation to get out of this material contamination. That is called mukti, sva-rūpena vyavasthitiḥ. But just like the jñānīs, they want mukti, sāyujya mukti, to become one with the Supreme. So mukti, bhukti, mukti and siddhi. Siddhi means yogic perfection. Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, eight kinds of yoga-siddhi. So the yogis, the jñānīs, and the karmis, they want something. They want something. Therefore they are not praśāntā. As soon as, so long you'll want, you... There cannot be peacefulness. There is no question of peacefulness. Caitanya-caritam... Bhukti mukti siddhi kāmi-sakali aśānta, they are not praśāntā. Kṛṣṇa-bhakta-niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta' (CC Madhya 19.149). Kṛṣṇa bhakta, he does not want anything. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching that.

Lecture on SB 6.1.27-34 -- Surat, December 17, 1970:

All right. Now have... (break) There are five kinds of devotees, liberation. Any one. There are varieties in the spiritual kingdom also, the five kinds of liberation, any one of them. Māyāvādī philosophers, they know only one kind of liberation, sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence of brahma-jyotir. That much they know. Or they know... They prefer this kind of liberation, to become with the Supreme. That is taste. But devotees, they do not like. They want to keep their individuality.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- San Francisco, July 18, 1975:

So they are also... The inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha on the spiritual planet, they are also exactly of the same feature. You everything get exactly like God. This is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. The opulence is also like that. Sārṣṭi. There are five kinds of mukti, liberation. One is sāyujya, to merge into the existence. That is also mukti. But Vaiṣṇava does not like such kind of mukti. They think to merge, to become one with the Supreme and lost our individuality, that is, Vaiṣṇava thinks, as hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Why? We shall keep ourself, our individuality, the body exactly like Kṛṣṇa. In the Goloka Vṛndāvana they keep exactly like two-handed Kṛṣṇa. In the Vaikuṇṭha they also keep themselves four-handed as Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa. So the Vaiṣṇavas are very intelligent. They want to keep themself in as good as God. Sometimes more than God, Vaiṣṇava. That is very intelligent. What is the use of becoming one?

Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:

That means everyone in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, they are exactly like the bodily feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. This is called sārūpya-mukti. There are five kinds of liberation. This liberation, to have the same bodily feature like Nārāyaṇa, is called sārūpya, "the form exactly like Viṣṇu." Sārūpya-mukti. There are five kinds of liberations: sāyujya, sālokya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya (CC Madhya 6.266).

So the Māyāvādī philosophers, they prefer sāyujya, to merge into the existence of impersonal existence. A living entity can live, can remain in the Brahman effulgence as a particle of shining. Just like there are many molecular particles in the sunshine, similarly, the living entities also can cluster together and live as a small particle of spiritual shining, and that is called brahma-sāyujya-mukti. But that kind of existence is subjected to fall down again.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 28, 1972:

Bhakti-rasa is better than liberation, mukti. Because generally the Māyāvādī philosophers, jñāni-sampradāya, they consider mukti means to merge into the spiritual existence, Brahman. Brahma-sayujya-mukti, to, to merge into the impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Absolute. They consider it, that is the highest. And the Buddha philosophers, they think to make all these activities zero, śūnyavādī. Dismantle. Because on account of this combination of matter, earth, water, fire, air, ether, this body's made, and the body is subjected to pains and pleasure on account of this mixture. So Buddha philosophy is that you dismantle this mixture. Let earth go to the earth portion and water portion to the water portion. Then there is no existence of the body, and there is no pains and pleasure. Make it zero. This is called śūnyavādī.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). These things are there in the Bhagavad-gītā. You take it, practice it, and see how your life becomes successful and how you become happy. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much. (break) ...There are five kinds of mukti: sāyujya-mukti, sārūpya-mukti, sālokya-mukti, sāmīpya-mukti. So sāyujya-mukti, the jñānīs, the nirbheda brahmaṇusandhana, they want to become one with the Supreme. You know this. Monism. That is called sāyujya-mukti. So the enemies of Kṛṣṇa, they get sāyujya-mukti. Or, in other words, the sāyujya-mukti is given to the enemies, not to the friends. But the, there are other muktis. Just like this, take example: darkness. Mukti means you come out from darkness to the light. That is real mukti. Now we are in the material world. This is darkness, tama. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ. This is the Vedic interest. "Don't remain in the darkness."

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

So this is also light. And the sun globe, that is also light. And the sun-god, that is also light. But this light, sunshine light, or sunshine temperature, is not as good as the temperature in the sun globe. Similarly, if you make progress...

So sāyujya-mukti is also liberation. Sāyujya-mukti, to become one, Brahman, brahma-jyotir. Brahmajyoti means assembly of small spiritual sparks. Just like the sun, sunshine, a combination of shining molecular parts; similarly, brahma-jyotir, sāyujya-mukti means you become... Because you are spiritual spark. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). So you are also spark, part and parcel of God; therefore you assemble with the other sparks, brahma-jyotir. Those who have no information of the other spiritual planets, Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana, they think to become one with the spiritual sparks, that is ultimate. For them, this is the place, sāyujya-mukti. But this sāyujya-mukti, you cannot stay here.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

Either by further progress you have to go to the spiritual planets, otherwise you'll fall down. Just like the same example. Suppose you have got some aeroplane and you go very high in the sunshine. So what is the benefit? If you do not get shelter in the moon planet or in another planet, then you have to come back again. Similarly, sāyujya-mukti means you become one of the spiritual sparks, but, because you're part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, you are sat-cid-ānanda, sat, cit... There are..., you have got three things within you. This mukti, sāyujya-mukti, is the sat only, eternity. You can eternally remain, but you have got other two things to fulfill: that cit and ānanda.

So, so if you want to fulfill all the pleasures of life, sat-cit-ānanda, then you have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. The śāstra says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛtaḥ-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32).

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

So, so if you want to fulfill all the pleasures of life, sat-cit-ānanda, then you have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. The śāstra says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛtaḥ-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). One who has no information of Kṛṣṇa, one who does not take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he may take the sāyujya-mukti after severe penances and austerities, but again he'll fall down, because he wants ānanda. Simply impersonal, without any varieties, he cannot have ānanda. That spiritual variety is available in the Kṛṣṇaloka, in the Vaikuṇṭha. So for want of spiritual variety, you'll again like to come into the material variety. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. Ye 'nye ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas (SB 10.2.32). So this kind of mukti is not first-class mukti. Therefore Vaiṣṇavas, they do not want it.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

So this kind of mukti is not first-class mukti. Therefore Vaiṣṇavas, they do not want it. Vaiṣṇava does not want any kind of mukti. This Vaiṣṇava wants simply to remain in the service of the Lord. They don't aspire for any kind of mukti. Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). So this mukti the sāyujya-mukti, means to become one with the Supreme, it not very safe, because there is, there is want of ānanda and knowledge. Simply to become one, that will not help. Therefore he is actually, constitutionally, a small particle of sac-cid-ānanda. So for want of ānanda, he comes again. Thus we have seen many sannyāsīs, they give up this world as brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, but they do not get any benefit out of it. Therefore they come down again to open hospitals and schools and philanthropic work. They fall down. Now, if it is brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, if jagat is mithyā, then why you are coming again to open hospitals? It is mithyā. But brahma satya. If you have realized Brahman, you are truth.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:

Bhavānanda: " 'And not to speak of becoming one with Me, if they are offered a post like Mine in My abode, or opulence like Mine, or even personal association with Me with similar bodily features, they refuse to accept because they are satisfied simply by being engaged in My devotional service.' "

Prabhupāda: Yes. All kinds of mukti, sarūpya-mukti, sa, sa... Sāyujya-mukti, no devotee desires, kicked out. There is no question of sāyujya-mukti. But other four kinds of muktis, sārūpya-mukti, sālokya-mukti, these muktis are desired by the inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭheśvara. Especially in South India, they worship the Vaiṣṇava, Veṅkateṣa. Veṅkateṣa means Vaikuṇṭheṣa, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. So the, the associates, the devotees of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha, they desire sārūpya-mukti, to have similar feature of the body, four-handed. Viṣṇudūta. And sālokya, the same as Nārāyaṇa is living in Vaikuṇṭha, they also live in Vaikuṇṭha.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:

Surpasses all kind of liberation. There are five kinds of liberation: sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sāmīpya. But a pure devotee does not want any of such liberations. Dhiyamānāṁ na ghṛnanti (?). Even liberation is offered. Kṛṣṇa offers liberation very easily. But Kṛṣṇa's personal touch is so sublime that Kṛṣṇa is carrying order of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is sending letter, handed over to Kṛṣṇa, and He's carrying to Duryodhana. So Nārada was very much surprised that this stage of dependent on devotee is very, very difficult to achieve. To achieve liberation is not very difficult, but when Kṛṣṇa becomes dependent on the order of a devotee, that is very difficult to achieve. So therefore pure devotional service surpasses all kinds of liberation. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also teaches, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. Liberation means no more birth. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, mama janmani janmani. Birth after birth.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.119 -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

So which one is the chief? That we have to consider. The sun-god or the sun globe or the sunshine? Everything is light. Sunshine is also light, sun globe also light, and the original source of this light, the sun-god, is also light. So sunshine is impersonal, sun globe is localized, and the sun-god is personal. If you be satisfied that "I am in the sunshine," be satisfied. That is called sāyujya-mukti. The sunshine means combination of different molecular shining parts. Any scientist knows it that what is the sunshine. The sunshine appears to be a homogeneous thing, but actually, in minute analysis it will be found that there are innumerable shining sparks, molecular sparks only—their combination. (baby making noise) (aside:) They're disturbing. (speaks to some men in Hindi)

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.154 -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

Prabhupāda: No. Servant of Bhagavān.

Guest (1): Different from Bhagavān.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): Sāyujya-mukti...

Prabhupāda: Sāyujya-mukti there is, but a devotee does not accept sāyujya-mukti. Sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sāmīpya. There are five kinds of mukti, but sāyujya-mukti is not accepted by the devotees. But if anyone likes sāyujya-mukti, that is not difficult for Kṛṣṇa to offer him sāyujya-mukti.

Guest (1): So a man can can never become Bhagavān.

Prabhupāda: No. How he can be Bhagavān?

Guest (1): And never become Brahman also?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.112 -- Bombay, November 24, 1975:

That is more dangerous expectation. So that is jñānī. So they also cannot get peace, because there is demand. Karmīs, they want something material, and the jñānīs, they tries to become one with the Supreme. Ekatvam. Ekatvam meaning we make differently, but the jñānīs-sāyujya-mukti, to become one with God. So they cannot be happy also, because there is want. The karmīs, they have got want. They want something. And here also there is want, a different type of want. Karmī wants some material result, immediate sense gratification, and here is also sense gratification. He is expecting something impossible—"I want to become one with God." So they cannot also get peace. That is not possible. And yogi, they also wanting to be something, siddhi, aṣṭa-siddhi. Aṇimā, laghimā, garimā, prāpti, siddhi, īśitva, vaśitva. There are eight kinds of siddhis. The yogis want to get these siddhis and declare that he has become God, the same, like the jñānī.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.13-49 -- New York, January 4, 1967:

And full of ornaments. Just like Kṛṣṇa is dressed, similarly, His friends, cowherd boys, they are also dressed. In the spiritual world, when you go, you'll not be able to understand who is Kṛṣṇa and who is not Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is like Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets everyone is like Viṣṇu. That is called sayujya-mukti. The living entities, when they enter into the spiritual planets, they become as good as Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu—there is no difference—because it is absolute world. Here the difference is there. The impersonalists, they cannot understand that even in individuality there is no difference. As soon as they think of individuality, oh, they think that there is a difference. Then what is liberation? Yes. And actually there is no difference. The difference is only that Kṛṣṇa's personality and others' personalities, they are conscious that "Kṛṣṇa is our object of love." That's it. The center is Kṛṣṇa. In this way the individual boys and girls and Kṛṣṇa, everyone is enjoying spiritual bliss.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

"Nobody is equal to God, and nobody is greater than God." Asama urdha.

So this disease, this is called material disease. I want to lord it over the material nature, and when I fail to lord it over, then I want to become one with God. Of course, there are five kinds of liberation: sāyujya sārūpya sāmīpya sālokya. By liberation you can become one with God. That is not very difficult. If you want to become, merge into the existence of God, that is not very difficult job. God is all-powerful. You are emanation from God. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So if you want to... Sāyujya mukti. If you want to finish your individuality and merge into the existence of God, that is not very difficult job. Even the enemies of Kṛṣṇa—Kaṁsa, Jarāsandha, Dantavakra, Śiśupāla, and many demons—they also merged into the existence of Kṛṣṇa. The enemies also given the liberation to merge into the existence of Kṛṣṇa. That is not very difficult job.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Without person how there can be love? There is no question of love. You cannot love air or sky; you must find out a man or woman in the, under the sky. So therefore if you want to love God then you must accept God is a person; otherwise there is no question of love. Therefore for the Māyāvādī philosopher there is no question of love. They merge. They want sāyujya-mukti, to become one. They have no other conception, because they cannot conceive personal God. So there is no love. Therefore they manufacture an idea that in the material condition of life, you just imagine any form of God and love Him, and ultimately you become one. That is their philosophy. Ultimately you throw away this... The example is given that you want to rise on some top floor you take a ladder and go to the top and throw away the ladder: there is no need of this ladder, now you have come to the position. So their theory is that because you cannot love or worship something impersonal, because it is difficult, it is troublesome...

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 11, 1969, New York:

Prabhupāda: There are some special marks on the chest of Viṣṇu by which in Vaikuṇṭha He is known that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise, in Vaikuṇṭha, everyone has got the same feature like Viṣṇu. Just like if President Johnson comes here as a gentleman, you'll not, nobody will recognize him whether he's president or not unless he shows his special mark. Is it not? All government officers, big officers, they have got within the coat one, some mark. So far I know. So similarly, in Vaikuṇṭha the inhabitants, they got svarūpa. Their form is exactly like Viṣṇu. There is no difference. When the Viṣṇudūta came to take Ajamila from the hands of Yamadūta. They were four-handed with śankha-cakra-gadā-padma as Viṣṇu, the lotus flower, this disc, and the club, and the conchshell. There is no difference in the body. Simply by that special mark, some special hair on the chest and there is Bhṛgu, I mean to say, sole, sole, a mark of the feet of Bhṛgu Muni. So by some special marks one can recognize He is Viṣṇu. Otherwise, from bodily features and from dress and from ornaments, there is no distinction between Viṣṇu and His devotees in Vaikuṇṭha. They're all four-handed. Svarūpa sāyujya sālokya sārṣṭi.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Monsieur Roost, Hatha-yogi -- May 31, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: As the karmīs, they are in the bodily concept of life. They are working day and night trying to improve the material condition of life, not only in this life, but also in the next life. They are performing different ritualistic ceremonies for being promoted to the heavenly planet, like that. So they are all karmīs. Either in this world or in the next world, they are called karmīs. So karmī means they want comfort of this body. And the yogis, they are also on the concept of this body. They are identifying this body as designated Brahman, upādhi-brahma, "Brahman with designation." But their central point is this body. That... This bodily concept of life, so long it continues in the form of karma-yogī or dhyāna-yogī, it can give him relief from the cycle of birth and death and merge into the Brahman effulgence. Brahma-sāyujya-mukti, this is called, technically. The jñānīs also. But that is not final. There is still farther. Even there is brahma-sārūpya-mukti, brahma-sālokya-mukti, brahma-sarṣṭi-mukti. So generally, the yogis and the jñānīs, they aim at brahma-sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the Brahman effulgence. But that is not final. Final is bhakti-yoga.

Room Conversations -- September 11, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa says that "You and Me and all these soldiers, we existed before, we are existing now, and we shall exist in this way in the future." Where does He say that "We shall be mixed up"? He never says. And these rascals, they have got so many parties, the same thing. Where do you get this idea? There is sayujya-mukti, but Kṛṣṇa never says that "You take it." All this Ramakrishna Mission, all these, this (indistinct), he gives the example that rivers come from different sources, but when it comes to the ocean it is mixed up. Why don't you see within the water? Within the water there are big, big fishes, they do not mix up with the water. They see superficially the water. This is going on. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās (SB 7.5.31). Our philosophy is "Come. Come here, play with Kṛṣṇa as cowherd boy. Come here, dance with Kṛṣṇa as gopī. Come here, accept Kṛṣṇa as your son, Kṛṣṇa will accept you as His mother." There will be always two, and enjoy, any way.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhavānanda: Purport: "Factually the devotional service of the Lord is described in Vedānta-sūtra, but the Māyāvādī philosophers, the Śaṅkarites, prepared a commentary known as Śārīraka-bhāṣya, in which the transcendental form of the Lord is denied. The Māyāvādī philosophers think that the living entity is identical with the Supreme Soul, Brahman. Their commentaries on Vedānta-sūtra are completely opposed to the principle of devotional service. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore warns us to avoid these commentaries. If one indulges in hearing the Śaṅkarite Śārīraka-bhāṣya, he will certainly be bereft of all real knowledge. The ambitious Māyāvādī philosophers desire to merge into the existence of the Lord, and this may be accepted as sāyujya-mukti. However, this form of mukti means denying one's individual existence. In other words, it is a kind of spiritual suicide. This is absolutely opposed to the philosophy of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga offers immortality to the individual conditioned soul. If one follows the Māyāvādī philosophy, he misses his opportunity to become immortal after giving up the material body. The immortality of the individual person is the highest perfectional stage a living entity can attain."

Prabhupāda: Who were..., was present all through in the meeting?