|| 9.20 ||

त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते। ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोक मश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान्।।

trai-vidyā māṁ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpā yajñair iṣṭvā svar-gatiṁ prārthayante te puṇyam āsādya surendra-lokam aśnanti divyān divi deva-bhogān

trai-vidyāḥ (knowers of the three Vedas) mām (Me) soma-pāḥ (drinkers of soma juice) pūta (purified) pāpāḥ (of sins) yajñaiḥ (by sacrifices) iṣṭvā (worshiping) svaḥ-gatim (passage to heaven) prārthayante (pray for) te (they) puṇyam (pious) āsādya (attaining) surendra-lokam (the world of Indra) aśnanti (enjoy) divyān (celestial) divi (in heaven) deva-bhogān (the pleasures of the gods)

Those who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly planets, worship Me indirectly. Purified of sinful reactions, they take birth on the pious, heavenly planet of Indr, where they enjoy godly delights.

Kṛṣṇa describes the path of those who follow the Vedas for material advancement. These people are ‘Pūta-pāpā’, purified of their grosser sins by following religious rules. They drink the ‘Soma’ juice and perform sacrifices with one goal in mind: reaching the heavenly planets to enjoy the delights of the gods. They reach ‘Surendra-lokam’, the world of Indra, and there they enjoy celestial pleasures that are far superior to anything on earth. Their life is long, their bodies are beautiful, and their environment is perfect. From a worldly perspective, they are very successful and religious people. However, Kṛṣṇa is showing the limitation of this ‘heavenly’ ambition. These people are using the Divine as a travel agent to book a luxury vacation. They are pious, but they are still ‘transactional’ in their faith. They want God’s gifts, but they don’t yet want God Himself. Their success is a temporary diversion on the path to true liberation.
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