The Gates of Vaikuntha

Batman and Joker. Coke and Pepsi. Cato and Caesar. Oklahoma and Texas. These are some of the classic rivalries seen in the present, in the past, fiction or reality. Another of these rivalries is seen in Rama and Ravana, from the Sanskrit epic the Ramayana. Even though the rivalry between Rama and Ravana regarding the lovely Sita is the center of the Ramayana’s plot, those two are not the center of our rivalry.

Reincarnation is a common, central theme among the major religions of India. The idea that one soul can live in multiple lives without knowledge of their past lives is powerful. Rama and Ravana are just examples of this theme in action; they are incarnations, or avatars, of celestial beings. Their specific celestials are the focus of the stories to come. My name is Jack and I will be leading you through the Gates of Vaikuntha to each instance when our avatars encountered each other, and maybe a peek into the future.

As I have mentioned and from the title of the introduction, you may have guessed that we will be starting in Vaikuntha. To understand what Vaikuntha is, knowing more about Vishnu will be important. Vishnu is the preserver, one of the Hindu Trimurti of gods along with Brahma and Shiva. These three gods have their own celestial abodes of which Vishnu’s is Vaikuntha. To enter and see Vishnu, you must pass through the gates which are watched closely by the dvarapalas. Jaya and Vijaya are two of these dvarapalas, a celestial gatekeepers, who are important for our purposes.

Brahma created the four Kumaras who traveled to Vaikuntha to speak with Vishnu. The Kumaras are sages with the physical form of children who were made to teach Vedas all across the universe. However, Jaya and Vijaya stopped them at the gates because of their youthful appearance. While they insisted to be let in, the gatekeepers continued to ignore them. For this, the Kumaras cursed Jaya and Vijaya to live their lives as mortals on Earth. The gatekeepers pleaded with Vishnu to take back the curse and the preserver gave them a choice: either live seven incarnations on Earth as regular humans or three incarnations as his enemy. At the end of their chosen sentence (through their death at the hands of Vishnu's avatar) they could return to Vaikuntha.

Jaya and Vijaya desperately wanted to be with Vishnu so they decided on the shorter option for the three incarnations. Both gatekeepers had their own three avatars who would oppose those of Vishnu. Vijaya was incarnated as Hiranyaksha, Kumbhakarna and Dantavakra, all incarnations in separate yugas, or periods of time. For Jaya there was Hiranyakashipu, Ravana and Shishupala in the same yugas as Jaya's avatars. Even though both gatekeepers had avatars, we will focus on Jaya’s incarnations as his second incarnation is the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. With their choice, both were reborn.

Above picture is from Wikimedia Commons and represents Jaya and Vijaya at the gates of Vaikuntha.