Verse 2.1.12

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.1.12:

केचित् क्रमेण मुच्यन्ते भोगान् भुक्त्वार्चिर्-आदिषु ।
लभन्ते यतयः सद्यो मुक्तिं ज्ञान-परा हि ये ॥ १२ ॥

kecit krameṇa mucyante bhogān bhuktvārcir-ādiṣu |
labhante yatayaḥ sadyo muktiṃ jñāna-parā hi ye || 12 ||

kecit–some; krameṇa–gradually; mucyante–become liberated; bhogān–sense pleasures; bhuktvā–having enjoyed; arciḥ-ādiṣu–in planets on the path to the sun; labhante–attain; yatayaḥ–renounced ascetics; sadyaḥ–at once; muktim–liberation; jñāna-parāḥ–devoted to the pursuit of knowledge; hi–indeed; ye–who.

Those yogīs who adhere to specific disciplines mentioned in the Vedas, are guided to pathways such as arcir-mārga, the line of the sun, by the presiding demigods of those paths. After enjoying all the pleasures of those places, they progressively become liberated. Fully renounced ascetics, devoted to the pursuit of spiritual knowledge, attain liberation instantaneously at the time of death.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

The word kecit in this verse refers to yogīs who engage in activities mentioned in Vedas. Arci refers to the demigod who is the presiding Deity of fire, agni-abhimānī-devatā. The word ādi refers to planets in the Śiśumāra circle, or the solar system.

In the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.2.23–31), Śrī Śukadeva states:

योगेश्वराणां गतिम् आहुर् अन्तर् बहिस्-त्रि-लोक्याः पवनान्तर्-आत्मनाम्
न कर्मभिस् तां गतिम् आप्नुवन्ति विद्या-तपो-योग-समाधि-भाजाम्
वैश्वानरं याति विहायसा गतः सुषुम्णया ब्रह्म-पथेन शोचिषा
विधूत-कल्को’थ हरेर् उदस्तात् प्रयाति चक्रं नृप शैशुमारम्
तद् विश्व-नाभिं त्व् अतिवर्त्य विष्णोर् अणीयसा विरजेनात्मनैकः
नमस्कृतं ब्रह्म-विदाम् उपैति कल्पायुषो यद् विबुधा रमन्ते
अथो अनन्तस्य मुखानलेन दन्दह्यमानं स निरीक्ष्य विश्वम्
निर्याति सिद्धेश्वर-जुष्ट-धिष्ण्यं यद् द्वै-परार्ध्यं तद् उ पारमेष्ठ्यम्
न यत्र शोको न जरा न मृत्युर् नार्त्तिर् न चोद्वेग ऋते कुतश्चित् यच् चित्
ततो’दः कृपयानिदं-विदां दुरन्त-दुःख-प्रभवानुदर्शनात्
ततो विशेषं प्रतिपद्य निर्भयस् तेनात्मनापो’नल-मूर्तिर् अत्वरन्
ज्योतिर्मयो वायुम् उपेत्य काले वाय्व्-आत्मना खं बृहद् आत्म-लिङ्गम्
घ्राणेन गन्धं रसनेन वै रसं रूपं च दृष्ट्या श्वसनं त्वचैव
श्रोत्रेण चोपेत्य नभो-गुणत्वं प्राणेन चाकूतिम् उपैति योगी
स भूत-सूक्ष्मेन्द्रिय-सन्निकर्षं मनोमयं देवमयं विकार्यम्
संसाद्य गत्या सह तेन याति विज्ञान-तत्त्वं गुण-सन्निरोधम्
तेनात्मनात्मानम् उपैति शान्तम् आनन्दम् आनन्दमयो’वसाने
एतां गतिं भागवतीं गतो यः स वै पुनर् नेह विषज्जते’ङ्ग

yogeśvarāṇāṃ gatim āhur antar bahis-tri-lokyāḥ pavanāntar-ātmanām
na karmabhis tāṃ gatim āpnuvanti vidyā-tapo-yoga-samādhi-bhājām
vaiśvānaraṃ yāti vihāyasā gataḥ suṣumṇayā brahma-pathena śociṣā
vidhūta-kalko’tha harer udastāt prayāti cakraṃ nṛpa śaiśumāram
tad viśva-nābhiṃ tv ativartya viṣṇor aṇīyasā virajenātmanaikaḥ
namaskṛtaṃ brahma-vidām upaiti kalpāyuṣo yad vibudhā ramante
atho anantasya mukhānalena dandahyamānaṃ sa nirīkṣya viśvam
niryāti siddheśvara-juṣṭa-dhiṣṇyaṃ yad dvai-parārdhyaṃ tad u pārameṣṭhyam
na yatra śoko na jarā na mṛtyur nārttir na codvega ṛte kutaścit yac cit
tato’daḥ kṛpayānidaṃ-vidāṃ duranta-duḥkha-prabhavānudarśanāt
tato viśeṣaṃ pratipadya nirbhayas tenātmanāpo’nala-mūrtir atvaran
jyotirmayo vāyum upetya kāle vāyv-ātmanā khaṃ bṛhad ātma-liṅgam
ghrāṇena gandhaṃ rasanena vai rasaṃ rūpaṃ ca dṛṣṭyā śvasanaṃ tvacaiva
śrotreṇa copetya nabho-guṇatvaṃ prāṇena cākūtim upaiti yogī
sa bhūta-sūkṣmendriya-sannikarṣaṃ manomayaṃ devamayaṃ vikāryam
saṃsādya gatyā saha tena yāti vijñāna-tattvaṃ guṇa-sannirodham
tenātmanātmānam upaiti śāntam ānandam ānandamayo’vasāne
etāṃ gatiṃ bhāgavatīṃ gato yaḥ sa vai punar neha viṣajjate’ṅga

“Unlike the movements of the karmīs, or those who work for material results, the movements of mystics, or yogīs, are unrestricted. Because their bodies are subtler than air, these yogīs can enter and leave any abode within the three planetary systems at will. When they give up their material bodies at death, by the power of the eightfold path called aṣṭāṅga-yoga, they reach the presiding demigod of fire, through the medium of the luminous suṣumnā-nāḍī, or the Milky Way, the aerial path of Brahman (brahma-patha). Thereafter, cleansed of all contamination, they attain Śrī Hari’s luminous Śiśumāra circle of planets, or the zodiac.

“Aided by their purified subtle bodies, they cross over that circle of Viṣṇu, which is like the navel of the universe, and reach the planet of Maharloka, which is worshipable even by those who have realized Brahman. This place is the residence of divine sages such as Bhṛgu, whose lifespan equals a day of Brahmā (one kalpa).

“Sometimes, out of wonder or inquisitiveness, the yogīs desire to continue residing there until the end of the kalpa. However, at the end of a kalpa, the three worlds are consumed by flames emanating from the mouth of Ananta-deva, and Maharloka also becomes hot. The transcendentalists then go to Satyaloka, which is situated beyond Maharloka and which remains intact for two parārdhas, the duration of Brahmā’s life. Airplanes are waiting there, ready to serve those great perfected souls. With the exception of mental distress, this place is free from all suffering, including sorrow, old age, death, disease, and anxiety.”

It may be asked what type of mental distress they experience. In reply, it is said, “‘Alas! How the residents of the three worlds suffer due to their ignorance of bhāgavata-dharma, the path of devotional service to Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’ Although this sorrow of the perfected souls stems from compassion, still it torments their conscience.

“After the yogīs reach Satyaloka, they fearlessly dissolve their subtle body in the element earth and then steadily penetrate the seven layers of the universe. From the layer made of earth, they reach the layer of water. From there, they reach the layer of fire. Then acquiring a fiery body made of light, they reach the layer of air. From there, in due time, they reach the layer of ether (ākāśa, or sky), which enables one to perceive the unlimited nature of Brahman.

“While penetrating the gross layers, the yogis’ knowledge acquiring senses (jñāna-indriya) also merge into their subtle, causal source. The sense of smell merges into the causality of smell (gandha-tanmātra); the sense of taste merges into the causality of taste (rasa-tanmātra); the sense of vision merges into the causality of form (rūpa-tanmātra); the sense of touch merges into the causality of touch (sparśa-tanmātra), and the sense of hearing merges into the causality of sound (śabda-tanmātra). Furthermore, the five working senses (karma-indriya) merge into their respective active potencies, or kriyā-śakti, which is their subtle source. Thus each sense attains its respective subtle form.

“In this manner, the yogīs penetrate the coverings of five gross and five subtle elements and enter into the layer of ego (ahaṅkāra). There, they merge their elements, which are in their subtle state, into the layer of ego in the mode of ignorance; their senses into the layer of ego in the mode of passion; and their minds and the presiding deities of the mind and senses into the layer of ego in the mode of goodness. After this, the yogīs enter into mahat-tattva, the total material energy layer, by merging their ego into that. Finally, from mahat-tattva, they reach the layer of material nature, or prakṛti, where all the modes of material nature are in a state of equilibrium. Parīkṣit! At the time of the great cosmic dissolution, even the layer of prakṛti, or material nature, is dissolved. The yogīs then acquire blissful forms free of all coverings, and in that condition they attain the Supreme Lord, the embodiment of peaceful neutrality and bliss. Anyone reaching this spiritual destination never again returns to this material existence.”

Those who attain Satyaloka, or Brahmaloka, achieve three different destinations, relative to the three varieties of spiritual practices they adopted to attain it:

Those reaching Satyaloka by performing pious activities obtain various destinations in accordance with the gradation of their puṇya, or pious merit. The practitioners who reach there by worshiping Hiraṇyagarbha, the plenary expansion of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, become liberated when Brahmā attains liberation.

Fortunate souls who reach there by worshiping Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, cross the coverings of the material creation and at will enter Vaikuṇṭha. Various types of sense enjoyment are also available while penetrating the coverings of the material cosmos. They relish bhoga-samaṣṭi, the aggragate of sensual pleasures; in other words, they receive those pleasures that on earth are experienced through taste, smell, touch, sound, and so on. Having enjoyed this happiness, they finally go to Vaiṣṇava-loka, the abode of devotees, which is none other than Vaikuṇṭha.

The paramahaṃsas who are devoted to the pursuit of knowledge achieve liberation, or mukti, at the time of death.