Answer
They are also connected to the Lord, but they are more absorbed in one specific form of the Lord — the Paramātmā feature. Accordingly, they go to that particular Vaikuṇṭha where that Paramātmā aspect predominates. However, this is not the complete experience of happiness. Direct reciprocation with the Lord’s personal form provides a higher and richer experience of joy compared to realization of the Paramātmā feature.
Even in Brahman there is happiness. The Lord describes Brahman as eternal, full of nectar, and a shelter within His own existence. One who realizes Brahman experiences unlimited happiness, especially when compared to the material happiness we usually aspire for. Yet the happiness of Vaikuṇṭha — and especially Goloka — is many times greater than Brahman realization. The happiness of Brahman is vast compared to material pleasure, but in comparison to personal reciprocation with the Lord, it is like a drop compared to an ocean.
Similarly, the Paramātmā feature is also not the complete aspect of the Lord. It represents the Lord in a limited manifestation. When one approaches the Supreme Lord in His full personal form, one experiences complete reciprocation. Therefore, realization at the Paramātmā level is limited in understanding. The knowledge of the Lord remains incomplete, and the attributes one experiences are also incomplete.
