Do you know who were Jaya and Vijaya in Vaikunth Dham of Lord Vishnu? Let’s explore this today.
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Introduction
Hinduism is versatile a way of living based on virtues, righteousness, duty and faithfulness. According to Dharma, we are all bound by our Karma, which defines our next steps in life. In this blog, I will shed light on path of Hinduism in our life, its phases, and overcoming our own shortcomings, just as Jaya and Vijaya did.
For many of you, these names may be unfamiliar. Jaya and Vijaya were great devotees of Lord Vishnu. They performed intense penance to please Shri Hari Vishnu, the Hindu God. As a result, they were blessed by him to become the dwarpal (gatekeepers) of seventh gate of Vaikunth Dham.
Who were Jaya and Vijaya?
As per Brahmanda Purana, Jaya and Vijaya were the sons of Kali. Kali was the son of lord Varuna and his wife Stuta. However, because of their great devotion and immense penance they were blessed by Lord Vishnu to be gate keepers of Vaikunth Dham.
What is Vaikunth Dham?
Vaikunth Dham is the heavenly abode of Shri Vishnu, where he resides alongside his consort, Goddess Lakshmi. Do you knwo the spiritual meaning of Vaikunth Dham?
Let me.tell you, it teaches us to detach from worldly attachments and live in transcendental bliss.
However, Vaikunth Dham tells us about how to stay untouched by Maya (the material world). As per Vedanta Sutra, Maya has five distinct aspects of existence are defined for humans:
- anna-maya : consciousness of food
- prana-maya : consciousness of being alive
- mano-maya : consciousness of one’s existence
- vijana-maya : consciousness of mental platform
- Ananada maya : blissful life
When a devotee or a Hindu or humans being transcends the four afore mentioned Mayas and seeks the liberation of the soul aka Moksha. He delves into Ananda Maya, or transcendental bliss, thus finally reach the stage of entering Vaikunth Dham.
According to ancient texts, it is said to have 96 crores of Parshads (divine attendants) in Vaikunth Dham.
As told earlier, Jaya and Vijaya were great devotees of Shri Vishnu, performed intense penance. Thus, Jaya and Vijaya reached the stage of transcendental bliss and were reinstated as the guardians of the seventh door of Vaikunth Dham.
What happened to Jaya And Vijaya?
Once, Jaya and Vijaya were diligently and sincerely guarding Vaikunth Dham. Lord Vishnu approached them and said that he and Maa Lakshmi will be having a discussion and instructed them not to let anyone in.
As ordered, Jaya and Vijaya stood guard with their four arms, unwavering in their duty. Suddenly, the four Kumaras of Lord Brahma arrived at Vaikunth Dham, seeking an audience with Shri Vishnu.
Who were four Kumars?
According to the Bhagavata Purana, the four Kumaras were, Sanananda, Sanaka, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara. Besides, they were the Manasputras of lord Brahma (sons born from the power of Lord Brahma’s mind).
As per religious text, because of their great penance, the four Kumaras appeared as small children. Although, their true age was far greater. These sages used to roam the universe freely once decided to visit Shri Vishnu.
When Jaya and Vijaya saw them before Vaikunth Dham, they mistakenly assumed them to be mere children. Thus, stopped them from entering.
Upon this, the Kumaras angered and yelled on them that Lord Vishnu is always available to his devotees. They declared that it was beyond the power of Jaya and Vijaya to prevent a devotee from reaching his Lord and expressing his devotion.
Jaya and Vijaya, in their role as the gate keepers of Lord Vishnu, allowed ego to cloud their judgment, leading them to make this mistake. This is akin to the moment when we reach our goals and begin to award ourselves medals for our achievements.
Subsequently, here Jaya means praise and Vijaya means victory. As a human, we submerged in ego which grows with being victorious and praised.
Remaining devoted and humble, even at the peak of success, is one of the hardest virtues to maintain. However, it is a general tendency of humans to inflate ego to a level where it refuses to accept new lessons or growth. This same happened with Jaya and Vijaya at that moment.
To relieve them from their pride and ego and to uplift their spirtual being, they were cursed.
Likewise, in our day to day life, our soul is often taught a lesson to be humble and embrace new knowledge.
What was the curse?
Moreover, the four children of Lord Brahma signify the new discoveries of the four Vedas of knowledge. As they were prevented from meeting Lord Vishnu, it lead to darkness for Jaya and Vijaya. Likewise, the four children are considered as new pearls of wisdom relating to Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. The angry Kumaras cursed gatekeepers that their divinity would end.
As a result, they were cursed to be separated from Lord Vishnu. After much pleading and apologies, the Kumaras offered them a choice: either take seven rebirths on the Earth as devotees or be born as enemies of Lord Vishnu in three rebirths.
However, both of them chose the second option, eager to return to their Ishta devata’s abode as soon as possible. Thus were born as different asuras (demons) or evil-minded humans in three different lives.
As a result, their punishment involved living as human beings. Going through a journey designed to bring their souls through a process of pacification and evolution.
We need to understand this viewpoint, as this transformation took place within a single lifetime. This experience was intended to humble them, deepen their understanding, and draw them closer to Lord Vishnu. Indeed, it made them enable their continued spiritual growth.
Thus, Jaya and Vijaya accepted their fate to be reborn as enemies of Lord Vishnu in their next three lives. Symbolically, this curse meant they would take on the roles of villains to represent lust, anger and greed in their earthly incarnations.
How Jaya and Vijaya got free from the curse?
Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu
According to the Bhagavata Purana, the two gatekeepers were born as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu in Satya yuga. Although, Hiranyaksha was an asura who took the Earth to the bottom of the Cosmic Ocean. Lord Vishnu as Varaha awatar slew him.
Moreover, Hiranyakashipu, the demon king, was against Lord Vishnu and tried to stop his son Prahlad from worshipping the deity. Prahlad was a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu, but Hiranyakashipu disapproved of his faith. He gave the task of turning Prahlad away from his devotion to his sister, Holika.
Holika had a boon that made her immune to fire, so she sat in the fire with Prahlad on her lap, hoping to kill him. However, Prahlad’s strong devotion and the grace of Lord Vishnu protected him. While Holika was consumed by the flames. Prahlad remained unharmed. This is the reason we celebrate Holi.
In response to this, Lord Vishnu took the form of Lord Narasimha to kill the demon Hiranyakashipu.
Ravana and Kumbhakarana
In the Treta Yuga, cursed gatekeeprs were born as the demon brothers Ravana and Kumbhakarna. Ravana kidnapped Goddess Sita and fought against Lord Rama, with his brother Kumbhakarna by his side. Both were ultimately defeated and killed by Lord Rama, the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Shishupala and Dantavakra
In Dwapara Yuga, in their last rebirth, they were born as Dantavakra and Shishupala, enemies of Lord Krishna. Eventually, they were also killed by Lord Krishna.
It is worth noting that the power of Jaya and Vijaya was decreasing with every birth. Lord Vishnu had to incarnate again and again to kill them.
Jaya and Vijaya’s return to heaven
Following Lord Vishnu’s decree, Jaya and Vijaya embarked on a transformative journey through three earthly lives. From their beginnings as fearsome demons to their roles as formidable devils, and finally as humble humans, each life brought them closer to divinity.
Eventually, their journey took them to wisely return to Vaikuntha Dham.
Conclusion
At the end, I would conclude by saying that, even a curse carries hidden blessings for the soul’s evolution, as illustrated by the story of Jaya and Vijaya. Although cursed to face trials as demons and adversaries of Lord Vishnu, their journey through three earthly lives ultimately led them back to divine grace.
This teaches us that the day to day challenges we face, may look harsh, are part of a larger plan designed by God for us. Thus, each trial is a planed step in God’s divine plan, guiding us toward growth and enlightenment.
Keep growing with us. Do comment your feedback.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author. Readers are advised to use their own discretion.
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