What is an unforgettable place? A place you will remember for the rest of your life, certainly, but to mean unforgettable place is more than that. It is the sort of place that is so special that as soon as you discover it exists you just know you have to go there. So says a popular author of travel books. He has even titled his book –
Unforgettable places to see before you die.
His book con sists of beautiful pictures of about hundred of the world's exotic locations – beaches, canyons, rain forests, mountains and a host of man made creations too like some cities.
Of course, it is very much likely that people living in those exact locations mayor may not agree whether their particular place is actually an "unforgettable" place or not. It is something like people staying in rural a reas think that life there is too dull and the only excitement is available in the cities. And conversely, city inhabitants find living in the city too stressful and artificial, and look forward to spending some time in a quiet , rural setting.
What about a place which we must visit after we die. Could that be an "unforgettable" place? Yes. Such a place does exist. A Vedic instruction tells us – Tamasi majyotir gamaya – Do not stay in darkness – go to the place which is full of illumination .
Lord Sri Krsna gives a hint of such a place in the Bhagavad-gita. He says –
"That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world ."
This is a description of the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. It also is known as Krsnaloka or Goloka Vrndavana. That realm is so bright that there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, fire or electricity. All planets are self-luminous.
In our experience we have only one planet which can be termed as self-luminous, the sun, but in the spiritual sky all the planets are self-luminous. The shining effulgence of all those planets constitutes the shining sky known as the brahmajyoti. Actually, the effulgence is emanating from the planet of Krsna, Goloka Vrndavana. Part of that shining effulgence is covered by the mahat-tattva, the material world. Other than this, the major portion of that shining sky is full of spiritual planets, which are call ed Vaikunthas, chief of which is Goloka Vrndavana.
As long as a living entity is in this dark material world, he is in conditional life, bur as soon as he reaches the spiritual sky by cutting through the false, perverted tree of this material world, he becomes liberated. Then there is no chance of his coming back here. In his conditional life, the living entity considers himself to be the lord of this material world , but in his liberated state he enters into the spiritual kingdom and becomes an associate of the Supreme Lord. There he enjoys eternal bliss, eternal life, and full knowledge.
One should be captivated by this information . He should desire to transfer himself to that eternal world and extricate himself from this false reflection of reality. For one who is too much attached to this material world, it is very difficult to cut that attachment, but if he takes to Krsna consciousness there is a chance of gradually becoming detached. One has to associate himself with devotees, those who are in Krsna consciousness. One should search out a society dedicated to Krsna consciousness and learn how to discharge devotional service.
(Syamananda Dasa)