Who Disappears into the deity?

Respected Swamiji and all Vaisnavas,

          Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! Please accept my respectful obeisances!

          I have heard of many incidents where some devotee has disappeared from the world by entering into the deity of the Lord. What I cannot grasp is the fact that this would be equivalent to isvara sayujya, where one's individual consciousness is extinguished by entering into that of Brahman.

          How can a pure devotee (or considered as pure) ever find any happiness in a static existence in unconsciousness, where there is no chance for devotion or love (which is the basis of all devotion), only santa (peace because of absence of material miseries)? Please tell me whether these are actually devotees, or whether they actually are filled with the desire for mere liberation without the service attitude?

          In Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, only those who are visnu-tattva or higher, like Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, and only those who are incarnations of the Supreme Lord actually disappear by entering into the deities, which is obvious because they are the Lord..., they don't have anything like material bodies; the Lord is His forms, names, attributes, etc. Our sampradaya stress the absolute purity of devotional service completely uncontaminated by even the slightest tinge of selfish deisre.

         I have heard that Sri Rasikananda Deva disappeared into the Gopala deity. Please clarify whether he was a partial incarnation or an empowered incarnation as per what remarkable facts are stated in Rasika Mangala.

         Jaya and Vijaya attained isvara sayujya with Krishna when he killed Sisupala and Dantavakra. But still it is stated that they went back to their posts as doormen of Vaikuntha. Others say that Jaya and Vijaya eternally continue to serve the Lord at all times. Is such a thing even possible? I thought sayujya was irreversible. Then their descent to the world was not actually a falldown? Did they come on purpose?

         In all my little knowledge I have not heard of any acarya or Vaisnava in jiva-tattva entering into the Lord. I don't know, but I feel very much aggrieved at heart when I hear about someone who is spoken as a great devotee of the Lord at the level of relationships with him and then merges into the deity. Everyone says this to indicate that devotion ultimately culminates in oneness and this is causing me very deep pain. It reeks of Mayawada.........

        I beg you to please clear my ignorance as I am unable to understand the devotional meaning in things like these. Please tell me about pure, unalloyed bhakti.

Distressed and in ignorance,

Srinath

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