Are there demons in the spiritual world?? Description of demons in Vaikuṇṭha

Interesting as it may seem, it is described that there are demigods in the Vaikuṇṭha Lokas: Vayu, Surya, Indra, and so on are all present there, as well as demons. How can it be?

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In SB 2.9.10, we find an interesting verse:

“In that personal abode of the Lord, the material modes of ignorance and passion do not prevail, nor is there any of their influence in goodness. There is no predominance of the influence of time, so what to speak of the illusory, external energy; it cannot enter that region. Without discrimination, both the demigods and the demons worship the Lord as devotees.”

This is an interesting idea. Are there demons in Vaikuṇṭha? Certainly, they are not demons like the ones we find here in the material world. In the purport of the same verse, Prabhupāda makes it clear that in Vaikuṇṭha-Loka, there is no influence of the three modes of nature; there is only unalloyed goodness:

“In that sky the material qualities, especially the modes of ignorance and passion, are completely absent. The mode of ignorance influences a living entity to the habit of lust and hankering, and this means that in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas the living entities are free from these two things. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the brahma-bhūta stage of life one becomes free from hankering and lamentation. Therefore the conclusion is that the inhabitants of the Vaikuṇṭha planets are all brahma-bhūta living entities, as distinguished from the mundane creatures who are all compact in hankering and lamentation. When one is not in the modes of ignorance and passion, one is supposed to be situated in the mode of goodness in the material world. Goodness in the material world also at times becomes contaminated by touches of the modes of passion and ignorance. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, it is unalloyed goodness only.” (SB 2.9.10p)

From this description, we can understand that there are no demigods or demons in the spiritual world, at least not in the same sense we see in the material world. Demons are influenced by passion and ignorance, and demigods are influenced by material goodness. Since the spiritual world is free from all three modes, neither of the two factions can enter there.

However, interesting as it may seem, it is described that there are demigods in the Vaikuṇṭha Lokas: Vayu, Surya, Indra, and so on are all present there. How can it be?

The answer is that these are not the same mortal demigods we have in our universe. The Vayu, Surya, Indra, etc., who live in Vaikuṇṭha are primeval demigods: eternal associates of the Lord who have their own Vaikuṇṭha planets, just like Dhruva Maharaja.

The demigods we see in the material world, on the other hand, are conditioned souls who, although elevated devotees, still have material desires and are thus engaged in managing the material universe. Names like “Indra”, “Surya”, “Candra”, and so on are actually the names of the posts they occupy, and not personal names. The current Indra, for example, is Purandhara, and the next will be Bali. Because Lord Viṣnu loves His associates, he names the posts of the demigods over them.

In this way, we can understand that there are demigods on the spiritual planets, although fundamentally different from the demigods we have here. What about demons?

Somehow or other, there are associates of the Lord who are classified as “demons” in the description of SB 2.9.10, although they are actually devotees of the Lord. However, they are not the same as the sinful demons we find in this material world.

They are simply souls who were demons in their previous lives in the material world, but were promoted to Vaikuṇṭha. In other words, they are demons who became devotees and now worship the Lord in the spiritual world.

Once, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda asked him about this passage. He asked how it could be possible that demons would become devotees of the Lord. Surely the demigods could become devotees, but the demons? The answer of Śrīla Prabhupāda was very witty. He said:

“And you are counting yourself amongst the demigods?”

We ourselves are proof that demons can become devotees. Most of us took birth in sinful families and performed less than ideal activities in our early lives. However, somehow or other, we came in contact with devotees and were touched by the power of the holy names and decided to change our lives.

Similarly, sometimes great devotees take birth amongst the demons, like Prahlāda Maharaja and Bali Maharaja, and it’s not difficult to imagine that many of their family members and associates become devotees due to their association. Eventually, such “demons” go back to Godhead, just as demigods and other types of devotees go, and there they all worship the Lord.

As explained in the purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda, the main meaning of the verse is that in the spiritual world, there is no influence of the material modes, and all the pure souls who live there worship the Lord as devotees, regardless of what their position was in the material world before becoming liberated. As he says, “The whole Vaikuṇṭha existence proclaims that everyone there is a follower of the Lord. The Lord is the chief leader there, without any competition for leadership, and the people in general are all followers of the Lord. It is confirmed in the Vedas, therefore, that the Lord is the chief leader and all other living entities are subordinate to Him, for only the Lord satisfies all the needs of all other living entities.”

However, when we speak about our current situation, we should not think we are off the hook just yet. We are still in the material world. The demoniac mentality of our early days is still very much present, and although we are doing our best to change our lives, components of it can come back at any moment. The question thus is that we should be careful not identify with these demoniac values and ideas we bring from our previous way of life, and especially not try to propagate them inside our own movement. At the same time, we should remain humble and appreciate the transforming power of the holy names and the association of devotees. We should also appreciate the effort of others in changing their lives despite any shortcomings.

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