Verse 2.3.22

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.3.22:

स्व-कार्यात् पूर्व-पूर्वस्मात् कारणं चोत्तरोत्तरम् ।
पूज्य-पूजक-भोग-श्री-महत्त्वेनाधिकाधिकम् ॥ २२ ॥

sva-kāryāt pūrva-pūrvasmāt kāraṇaṃ cottarottaram |
pūjya-pūjaka-bhoga-śrī-mahattvenādhikādhikam || 22 ||

sva-kāryāt–its effect; pūrva-pūrvasmāt–than the preceding one; kāraṇam–cause; ca–and; uttara-uttaram–progressively; pūjya–objects of worship; pūjaka–worshipers; bhoga–enjoyment; śrīmahattvena–with great opulence; adhika-adhikam–greater and greater.

Every layer is the cause of the one before it. For instance, the layer of water is the cause (kāraṇa) of the earth layer, which represents the effect (kārya). Each successive layer possesses progressively more magnificent objects of worship, worshipers, enjoyment, opulence, and glories.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

The brāhmaṇa might ask, “What is the nature of all those layers, their respective presiding demigods, such as water personified, and their worshipable forms of the Lord, such as Śrī Matsya?”

Śrī Gopa-kumāra describes this briefly, rather than elaborately as he did in the past. He says, “A different manifestation of Bhagavān is worshiped in each layer by the presiding demigod of that realm. For example, Śrī Matsya is worshiped by the personification of water. One should understand that every successive layer is more glorious in terms of happiness derived from the sense enjoyment, majesty, power, and riches that are obtained there. That is, each causal layer is superior to the preceding layer for which it is the cause.”