Verse 9.20

Verse 9.20: “Knowers of the Three Lores, Soma-drinkers, of sin purified, worship Me with Sacrifices and aspire for Heaven (as) the goal. They reach the holy Region of (Indra), the Lord of the Gods, and partake in Heaven of the Heavenly enjoyments, meat for Gods. (307)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

Oh Kiriti, behold! these Vedic Pandits learned in Sacrificial Lore, living in the path prescribed by the religion of castes,—they themselves furnish the very touch-stone for religious duties. The Vedas nod their admiration for the perfection of their sacrificial art, so that their works fructifying in merit stand by them ever and anon. Such sacrificers drinking the Soma drink become themselves the very incarnate image of Sacrifice. And yet verily have they earned only Sin under cover of merit, since with all the Lore of the three Vedas and the performance of hundreds of Sacrifices they choose a life of enjoyment in heavenly paradise, and thus lose Me, who am the goal of all Sacrifices. An unlucky wretch sits under the very shade of a Kalpataru (desire-fulfilling tree) knots a cloth into an alms-bowl and goes out to beg. Oh Kiriti! such indeed is the worshipping of Me by performing hundreds of Sacrifices, and wishing for enjoyment in Heaven. How can this be any thing but sinful greed of demerit? Attainment of heavenly enjoyment without Me, is a path of meritorious action for the ignorant; indeed the wise man looks upon it as the way of misery and distress. Albeit enjoyment in paradise is reckoned happiness when set off against the misery of hell, pure everlasting bliss is what My divine Essence brings.

Along the pathway to the supreme divine happiness of my abode, there branch off these two misleading tracks of Paradise and Hell used by the robbers. One goes to Heavenly paradise by virtue of misdeeds in the guise of virtue, while evil actions that are sins as such, lead only to hell. But the purest way of spotless good life is that which brings the soul to Me. Better be a wretch, with the tongue tom away, than speak words that praise as meritorious action any way of life that leads men astray from My divine being in which they are rooted. Enough now of this: let us return to our theme. Behold, these sacrificers, in this way, worship Me by sacrifices and yet yearn for heavenly enjoyment. They come by Heavenly enjoyment, in virtue of rituals, which leads them away from My divine Bliss and therefore are sinful in a way.

In Heaven’s paradise, they are indeed enthroned on a state of being that is free from death, with the elephant Airavata to ride upon, and Amaravati, the city of Gods to dwell. Here they have at their service treasures of the eightfold occult-powers and cellars of nectars and herds of Kamadhenus. The roads there are paved with jewels while there abound pleasure-gardens with rows of Kalpataru Trees. There the Gandharvas sing songs and the Rambhas (dancers in the court of Indra) dance, while on their pleasure attend celestial women of beauty headed by Urvashi. The God of love ministers to their needs in bedchamber; and the Moon sprinkles water on the courtyards; while messengers as swift as wind are at their beck and call. There abide learned Brahmins with Brihaspati as the chief and they chant holy blessings and multitudes of Gods (suragaṇa) sing as bards. Noble horse soldiers as protectors with the (high-mettle) horse ‘Ucchaisshravas’ (ucaiśrava [uccaiḥśravas?]—Indra’s horse said to be churned out of the ocean) dance attendance on them leading the front. The sacrificers in this way enjoy the highest pleasures which are the birthright of Indra; this enjoyment however lasts as long as they have at their credit, any (balance of) merit (puṇyaleśa).