Text 27] Maharaja Prthu’s Going Back Home 1009

head.” Thus the destination of the devotees is the abode of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.

In this verse the word naiskarmyam, which means transcendental
knowledge, is also significant. Unless one comes to the platform of
transcendental knowledge and offers devotional service to the Lord, he is
not perfect. Generally the processes of jfiana, yoga and karma are
executed life after life before one gets a chance to render pure devotional
service to the Lord. This chance is given by the grace of a pure devotee,
and it is in this way only that one can actually attain liberation. In the
context of this narration, the wives of the demigods repented because
although they had the opportunity of a birth in a higher planetary
system, a lifetime spanning many millions of years and all material
comforts, they were not as fortunate as Prthu Maharaja and his wife, who
were actually surpassing them. In other words, Prthu Maharaja and his
wife scorned promotion to the higher planetary systems and even to
Brahmaloka because the position which they were attaining was incom-
parable. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord affirms, dbrahma-bhuvandl lokah punar
avartino ’rjuna: “From the highest planet in the material world to the
lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take
place.” (Bg. 8.16) In other words, even if one goes to the highest planet,
Brahmaloka, he has to return to the miseries of birth and death. In the
Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gitd, Lord Krsna also asserts:

te tam bhuktvd svarga-lokam visdlam
ksine punye martya-lokam visanti

“When they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they return to
this mortal planet again.” (Bg. 9.21) Thus after exhausting the results of
pious activities, one has to come again to the lower planetary systems and
begin a new chapter of pious activities. It is therefore said in Srimad-
Bhagavatam, naiskarmyam apy acyuta-bhdva-varjitam: “The path of
liberation is not at all secure unless one attains the devotional service of
the Lord.” (Bhdg. 1.5.12) Even if one is promoted to the impersonal
brahmajyoti, he runs every chance of falling down into this material
world. If it is possible to fall down from the brahmajyoti, which is beyond
the higher planetary systems in this material world, then what can be said
of the ordinary yogis and karmis who can only be elevated to the higher
material planets? Thus the wives of the denizens of the higher planetary
systems did not very much appreciate the results of karma, jiiana and

yoga.
