Introduction

There are innumerable Vaikuntha planets, and in each planetthere is a predominating deity who is an expansion of Visnu. He hasthree expansions, and then there are the quadruple expansions, andthen there are servants and devotees. In this way the Vaikunthaplanets are full of activity. The top of Vaikuntha, before onereaches Goloka, the gateway to Goloka is Ayodhya. In Ayodhya is LordSri Ramacandra, and Laksmana, Bharata, Satrughna, Sumantra, Dasaratha,Kausalya, all these characters we find in Ramayana are eternalcitizens of this Ayodhya. And from this planet Lord Ramacandraexpands into His Rama-avatar, through milk ocean Visnu, KsirodakasayiVisnu. In every Treta-yuga there is Rama-avatar. One may think, "Ohthat must be boring. Every time the same activity." But it is neverboring. How many times have we heard these Ramayana stories, butstill when someone is reading Ramayana, everyone comes. To hear isnot boring, so to experience it can't be boring at all. That is theproof. Ramayana has been heard generations and generations. In allcountries. In Indonesia they have their Ramayana. In Malaysia theyhave their Ramayana. In Thailand, even in Jamaica and Africa. Justa little bit different for every culture. Indonesian Ravana is a bigcrocodile, and they carry him on sticks. In Bangkok, Thailand allthe roads are names Rama 1, Rama 2, Rama 5 etc. So the purpose ofthe avatar is described in Brahma-samhita: lilayatena bhuvananijayaty ajasram / govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. The livingentities have forgotten their relation with Krsna. And they havebeen conquered by maya, illusory energy. Krsna bahirmukha haya bhogavancha kori / nikata stha maya tare japatiya dhare. The conditioned soul has been caught by maya. The Lord comes to reconquer them. That is the mission of the avatar incarnation of the Lord.