The Eternal Abode of Bliss: A Devotee's Life in Golok
All living beings relentlessly pursue happiness, striving to attain an unsurpassed, everlasting bliss. Despite our tireless efforts, this true happiness remains elusive. Why? Because we are fundamentally ignorant of what true happiness is and how to attain it.
The Vedas provide a profound definition:
यो वै भूमा तत्सुखम् ।
yo vai bhūmā tatsukham ।
“That which is eternal and unlimited is called bliss”.
True bliss can never be overpowered by sorrow or discontentment.
The Upanishads also declare:
आनंदो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात् ।
ānaṁdo brahmeti vyajānāt ।
“God is bliss”.
This isn't to say there is bliss in God; rather, God is the very bliss we seek. To understand this, consider that the phrase “a large quantity of water” is synonymous with “ocean.” Similarly, our incessant search for happiness is, in its truest form, a quest for God.
Our senses can perceive the material world. Due to ignorance that "only what we can perceive is real", we continue to search for happiness in material objects (living and non-living). The Sankhya school of philosophy says:
त्रिविध दुःखात्यन्तनिवृत्तिरत्यन्त पुरुषार्थः ।
नकुत्रापि कोऽपि सुखी तदपि दुःखशबलामिति दुःखपक्षे निःक्षिपन्ते विवेचकाः ॥
trividha duḥkhātyantanivr̥ttiratyanta puruṣārthaḥ ।
nakutrāpi ko'pi sukhī tadapi duḥkhaśabalāmiti duḥkhapakṣe niḥkṣipante vivecakāḥ ॥
“There is no happiness in the material world. Any joy experienced in this world is fleeting and eventually results in misery.”
Since God is divine and beyond our material senses, we fail to pursue Him. Instead we chase countless objects in anticipation of bliss. We may experience a temporary high upon obtaining something new, but this joy quickly diminishes, forcing us into a continuous, unsatisfying cycle of desire. Furthermore, these objects are perishable, and there is always something better and more desirable to pursue.
As the desire for lasting bliss is universal, Saint Tulsidas Ji proclaims,
अस को जीव जन्तु जग माहीं, जेहि रघुनाथ प्राण प्रिय नाहीं ॥
asa ko jīva jantu jaga māhīṁ, jehi raghunātha prāṇa priya nāhīṁ ॥
“For every living being Lord Ram is dearer than life”. To read more about this please visit Even Atheists Believe in God.
What Awaits Us After God-Realization?
Many people innocently ask, "What will we do after attaining unlimited bliss?" They worry that a life with no unfulfilled desires will become monotonous. But this concern is rooted in a material mindset, as our scriptures explain. The mind, intellect, and senses are all products of Maya, which is in turn controlled by God. A material mind cannot grasp the divine realm any more than a light bulb can comprehend its source of energy.
Scriptures say that a God-realized soul forever remains in the ecstasy of divine love-bliss. Yet, inspired by God and equipped with the divine power of Yogmaya, a saint can control this ecstatic state to perform actions that serve others. They may appear to lead normal human lives while simultaneously enjoying a divine connection and participating in God's pastimes in Golok. Saints like Dhruv, Prahlad, and Ambareesh are perfect examples of this.
After ascending to Golok, sometimes, by the inspiration of God these saints descend back to Earth, with the sole aim of leading material beings toward the path of everlasting bliss. Even while interacting with material beings, they remain forever absorbed in the divine bliss in Golok. God-realized souls enjoy the ever-new nectar of the divine names, forms, pastimes, attributes, and abodes of the divine couple, Shri Radha Krishna, eternally and never have a moment to spare to get bored. Their joy also keeps on increasing every moment.
God-realization happens only when the soul completely surrenders its body, mind, and intellect to God's will. When the entire apparatus of thinking and decision-making is surrendered, the individual soul no longer acts on its own accord. Instead, it becomes a tool in the hands of God, its every action a divine expression. Free from the yoke of Maya, the soul's only desire is to please God.
Upon God-realization, the individual soul attains a divine body, divine senses, and a divine mind. Tulsidas Ji explains this beautifully:
जानत तुमहिं तुमहिं ह्वै जाई ।
jānata tumahiṁ tumahiṁ hvai jāī ।
“One who knows God becomes equivalent to God”.
With these divine faculties, the soul can perceive God's original divine form, hear His words, and experience His bliss endlessly. In Golok, where Maya and material things cannot enter, the soul's new divine body is free from all afflictions like old age, disease, and suffering (see panchklesh, panchkosh).
In this divine abode, the soul becomes satya-sankalp—what it resolves, happens without effort. Moreover, the most intimate divine power of God, Yogmaya, takes care of the saint's every need. As Shri Krishna says in the Gita:
ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम्। ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁstathaiva bhajāmyaham
"I reciprocate the feelings and intensity of love of My devotees."
Shri Radha and Krishna constantly play ever-new divine pastimes, and the blessed souls in Golok are given the opportunity to participate in them. This immense, ever-increasing joy is unfathomable. As Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says,
जीवेर स्वरूप होय कृष्णेर नित्य दास
jīvera svarūpa hoya kr̥ṣṇera nitya dāsa
"Every soul is an eternal servant of God."
Like a part serving the whole, a soul finds its highest bliss in serving God. The life of a devotee in Golok is a continuous, ever-increasing flow of divine ecstasy, with no pain, suffering, or a single moment to be bored.
Conclusion
In Golok, the life of a devotee is one of unending divine ecstasy, completely free from all pain and suffering. While the nature of this bliss is beyond our material imagination, we must trust the word of the scriptures and the saints who have experienced it.
As Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj reminds us:
It is through inspiration from God, that the senses, mind and intellect perform their respective functions. Thus the inspired senses, mind and intellect are incapable of grasping their Inspirer, God.
- Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj
The divine realm can't be understood through logic alone; it must be pursued with faith and devotion. Ultimately, we must accept this truth and strive for that divine bliss, trusting that the eternal happiness we seek is found not in the material world, but in the divine love of Shri Radha Krishna.
LEARN MORE