Page 7 - THE FOURTH DIMENSION

“Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of
obligations, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods,
sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.” Such obligations are automatically
fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (SB 11.5.41)

The recipients of the demigods’ benefits who worship them for material blessings are elevated to the higher
material planets where the duration of life is very long and sense pleasures are vastly amplified. Unless they are
purified of the material conception of life, they will return again to the lower planets. Lord Krishna explains:

te taṁ bhuktvā svarga-lokaṁ viśālaṁ / kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti
evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā / gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante

“When they have thus enjoyed vast heavenly sense pleasure and the results of their pious activities are
exhausted, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus those who seek sense enjoyment by adhering to the
principles of the three Vedas (Rig, Sama and Yajur Vedas) achieve only repeated birth and death.” (Bg 9.21)
By the allurement of material sense gratification, which is offered in the karma-kanda section of the Vedas,
many pious people are duped to think that these heavenly pleasures are the end-all of spiritual life. There is a
vast difference between material heavenly pleasures and spiritual joy experienced by love of Lord Krishna and
engagement in His eternal pastimes. Lord Krishna explains:

yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ / pravadanty avipaścitaḥ
veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha / nānyad astīti vādinaḥ

kāmātmānaḥ svarga-parā / janma-karma-phala-pradām
kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁ / bhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ prati

“Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various
fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of
sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.” (Bg 42-43)

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada elaborates:

“People in general are not very intelligent, and due to their ignorance they are most attached to the fruitive
activities recommended in the karma-kāṇḍa portions of the Vedas. They do not want anything more than sense
gratificatory proposals for enjoying life in heaven, where wine and women are available and material opulence
is very common. In the Vedas many sacrifices are recommended for elevation to the heavenly planets, especially
the Jyotiṣṭoma sacrifices. In fact, it is stated that anyone desiring elevation to heavenly planets must perform
these sacrifices, and men with a poor fund of knowledge think that this is the whole purpose of Vedic wisdom. It
is very difficult for such inexperienced persons to be situated in the determined action of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As
fools are attached to the flowers of poisonous trees without knowing the results of such attractions,
unenlightened men are similarly attracted by such heavenly opulence and the sense enjoyment thereof.”

“In the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas it is said, apāma somam amṛtā abhūma and akṣayyaṁ ha vai
cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṁ bhavati. In other words, those who perform the four-month penances become
eligible to drink the soma-rasa beverages to become immortal and happy forever. Even on this earth some are
very eager to have soma-rasa to become strong and fit to enjoy sense gratifications. Such persons have no faith
in liberation from material bondage, and they are very much attached to the pompous ceremonies of Vedic

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