Verse 2.1.10-11

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.1.10-11:

श्रीमद्-उत्तरोवाच—
कामिनां पुण्य-कर्तॄणां त्रैलोक्यं गृहिनां पदम् ।
अगृहाणं च तस्योर्ध्वं स्थितं लोक-चतुष्टयम् ॥ १.१० ॥
भोगान्ते मुहुर् आवृत्तिम् एते सर्वे प्रयान्ति हि ।
महर्-आदि-गतं केचिन् मुच्यन्ते ब्रह्मणा सह ॥ १.११ ॥

śrīmad-uttarovāca—
kāmināṃ puṇya-kartṝṇāṃ trailokyaṃ gṛhināṃ padam |
agṛhāṇaṃ ca tasyordhvaṃ sthitaṃ loka-catuṣṭayam || 1.10 ||
bhogānte muhur āvṛttim ete sarve prayānti hi |
mahar-ādi-gataṃ kecin mucyante brahmaṇā saha || 1.11 ||

śrīmad-uttarā uvāca–Śrī Uttarā-devī said; kāminām–for those who have desire; puṇya-kartṛṇām–who perform pious deeds; trai-lokyam–the three worlds; gṛhiṇām–for householders; padam–the abode; agṛhāṇām–for the non-householders; ca–also; tasya–that; ūrdhvam–above; sthitam–situated; loka-catuṣṭayam–four planetary systems; bhoga-ante–at the end of enjoyment; muhuḥ–again; āvṛttim–return; ete–they; sarve–all; prayānti–they attain; hi–certainly; mahaḥ-ādi–the higher planets such as Maharloka; gatāḥ–having attained; kecit–some; mucyante–are liberated; brahmaṇā–Śrī Brahmā; saha–along with.

Śrī Uttarā-devī said: The three planetary systems: Bhū, Bhuvar, and Svar, are the abodes of enjoyment of householders who engage in pious activities with a desire to enjoy material results. Above these realms are the four planetary systems: Mahar, Janas, Tapas, and Satya, which are the abodes obtained by non-householders, namely brahmacārīs, or celibate students; vānaprasthis, or those who have left household life for spiritual advancement; and yatis, or renunciants.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Śrī Uttarā-devī says, “Surely there must be a super-excellent abode for those who possess topmost love for the lotus feet of Śrī Gopīnātha. This abode must be superior to and more wonderful than all other destinations, including the realms obtained by all those who are devoted to fruitive activities (karma).” Desiring to inquire about this abode, Śrī Uttarā mentions many other destinations attainable by other types of practitioners (sādhakas).

In the first two-and-half verses, she describes the destinations reached by persons attached to fruitive activities, depending on whether the practitioners are renounced or not renounced. The word puṇyakarma means ‘auspicious activities such as regular, obligatory duties (nitya) and occasional duties (naimittika).’ Householders who engage in these fruitive activities, or kāmya-karma, reach the three planetary systems–Bhūloka, Bhuvarloka, and Svargaloka–the places for their enjoyment. What type of fruitive workers (karmīs) obtain these three abodes?

Śrī Uttarā explains, “Those three realms are obtained by persons who resolve to engage in pious activities in order to achieve various results and by those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work. Those householders who are not motivated by desires for fruitive results, and who are absorbed only in executing their particular occupational duties, or sva-dharma, reach realms such as Maharloka, which are situated above these three planetary systems. There, they are progressively liberated through the purification of their consciousness (citta).”

This is corroborated by Śrī Rudra in the Fourth Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (4.24.29):

स्व-धर्म-निष्ठः शत-जन्मभिः पुमान् विरिञ्चताम् एति ततः परं हि माम्
अव्याकृतं भागवतो’थ वैष्णवं पदं यथाहं विबुधाः कलात्यये

sva-dharma-niṣṭhaḥ śata-janmabhiḥ pumān viriñcatām eti tataḥ paraṃ hi mām
avyākṛtaṃ bhāgavato’tha vaiṣṇavaṃ padaṃ yathāhaṃ vibudhāḥ kalātyaye

A person obtains the position of Brahmā after performing his occupational duties for one hundred births. Then after the great cosmic dissolution (mahā-pralaya), Brahmā and all of us are liberated upon reaching Vaikuṇṭha, the eternal, unchanging abode.

Non-householders, namely, lifelong celibates known as naiṣṭhika brahmacārīs; those in the retired order of life, or vānaprasthīs; and renunciants, or sannyāsīs, attain the abodes named Mahar, Janas, Tapas, and Satya, which are located above the three planetary systems, Bhū, Bhuvar, and Svarga.

In the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.6.20), Śrī Śukadeva states:

पादास् त्रयो बहिश् चासन्न् अप्रजानां य आश्रमाः
अन्तस् त्रि-लोक्यास् त्व् अपरो गृह-मेधो’बृहद्-व्रतः

pādās trayo bahiś cāsann aprajānāṃ ya āśramāḥ
antas tri-lokyās tv aparo gṛha-medho’bṛhad-vrataḥ

Naiṣṭhika brahmacārīs, vānaprasthīs, and sannyāsīs do not produce any progeny. The destination, or abode of enjoyment, attained by them is situated above these three worlds. Abṛhad-vrata, means ‘devoid of the great vow of celibacy.’ So these abṛhad-vrata householders, who are absorbed in sex life, stay within the three planetary systems.

Among such persons, those who are materially motivated take repeated birth. Those who are desireless, or niṣkāma, and devoted to their occupational duties, achieve liberation after enjoying sense pleasures. Among them, some yogīs, whose renunciation is not complete and who are attached to fruitive activities, experience enjoyment in Maharloka and beyond. They are then liberated along with Brahmā at the time of the cosmic dissolution (mahā-pralaya). Others, by their own desire, progressively, in stages, become liberated as they pass through the sun line, known as the arcir-mārga. The two-and-a-half verses beginning with bhogānte explain this fact.

Those who engage in fruitive pious activities enjoy in the heavenly planets and then repeatedly take birth in Bhārata-varṣa. This is stated in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā (9.20–21):

त्रै-विद्या मां सोम-पाः पूत-पापा यज्ञैर् इष्ट्वा स्वर्-गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते
ते पुण्यम् आसाद्य सुरेन्द्र-लोकम् अश्नन्ति दिव्यान् दिवि देव-भोगान्
ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्ग-लोकं विशालं क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्य-लोकं विशन्ति
एवं त्रयी-धर्मम् अनुप्रपन्ना गतागतं काम-कामा लभन्ते

trai-vidyā māṃ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpā yajñair iṣṭvā svar-gatiṃ prārthayante
te puṇyam āsādya surendra-lokam aśnanti divyān divi deva-bhogān
te taṃ bhuktvā svarga-lokaṃ viśālaṃ kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṃ viśanti
evaṃ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṃ kāma-kāmā labhante

Those who are engaged in fruitive activities as described in the three Vedas worship Me by performing sacrifice (yajña). After drinking the remnant of the sacrifice, soma-rasa, they become free from sins and pray for entry into heaven (Svarga). Then, when their pious merit has become depleted after enjoying the heavenly pleasures of Svarga, they fall to earth. In this way, people engaged in the fruitive activities described in the three Vedas repeatedly transmigrate in this material world.

Śrī Bhagavān also states in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā (8.16):

आ-ब्रह्म-भुवनाल् लोकाः पुनर् आवर्तिनो’र्जुन

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino’rjuna

O Arjuna, one is compelled to repeatedly return from all the planets in this universe, even up to Brahmaloka (Satyaloka).

In the phrase mahar-(loka)-ādi, the word ādi indicates the Janas, Tapas, and Satya planetary systems. Kecit, meaning ‘some of them,’ refers to those persons who are desireless, who are engaged in their occupational duties, and who are qualified for the position of Brahmā. If they maintain such qualification until Brahmā is liberated, then they are liberated along with him.

Therefore, it has been said:

ब्रह्मणा सह ते सर्वे सम्प्राप्ते प्रतिसञ्चरे
परस्यान्ते कृतात्मानः प्रविशन्ति परं पदम्

brahmaṇā saha te sarve samprāpte pratisañcare
parasyānte kṛtātmānaḥ praviśanti paraṃ padam

When their consciousness is cleansed, all of them obtain the topmost abode along with Brahmā at the time of the great annihilation at the end of Brahmā’s lifespan.