Revatīnandana: Is it possible that if he was not... This is a question that sometimes a devotee has asked me. If a yogī does attain a Vaikuṇṭha planet, but by his constitutional nature he is meant to be associated with Kṛṣṇa in Goloka...
Prabhupāda: No, why not with Viṣṇu?
Revatīnandana: But some... No.
Prabhupāda: Vaikuṇṭha is Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa. That is also... But there Nārāyaṇa is worshiped with awe and veneration. He is God. No friendship, as in Vṛndāvana. That is not possible.
Revatīnandana: The question is like...
Prabhupāda: Vipralambha-sakhya. Aiśvarya, aiśvarya, opulence. There the Supreme Lord is taken in aiśvarya, opulences. Not aiśvarya-sthiti. In Vṛndāvana the devotees, they practically do not know that Kṛṣṇa is God. "He is our very beloved friend." That's all. They doesn't care to know whether He is God or not. Here the conception of God. Vaikuṇṭha, "Oh, here is God," with awe and veneration, respect.
Revatīnandana: That I understand. The question is supposing this yogī, he has not got full knowledge, he does not know of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore he is meditating on Paramātmā, and he attains Vaikuṇṭha. Is it possible that because he hadn't got full knowledge...
Prabhupāda: No, he has to go... Simply by Paramātmā conception he cannot go to Vaikuṇṭha.
Revatīnandana: Can he later go on from Vaikuṇṭha to Goloka? Can that happen also?
Prabhupāda: Yes, there is such instances, can go.
Revatīnandana: But if a devotee knows Kṛṣṇa, if he knows of Kṛṣṇa, then wherever he is destined, he will go perfectly to his perfect position. Just like Bhīṣma knew Kṛṣṇa...
Prabhupāda: Mad-yājino yānti mām (BG 9.25). Kṛṣṇa devotees, they go directly, especially those who are worshiping Kṛṣṇa through Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They directly go to Kṛṣṇaloka.
Revatīnandana: What about like the case of Bhīṣmadeva, where he knew about Kṛṣṇa in Goloka, and he went to Kṛṣṇa as Pārtha-sārathi?
Prabhupāda: No, Kṛṣṇa... He understood Kṛṣṇa as Nārāyaṇa. He will go to Vaikuṇṭha, Bhīṣmadeva.
Revatīnandana: But he had full knowledge of everything as a mahājana. He knew also...
Prabhupāda: But he loved Nārāyaṇa, catur-bhuja.