किं दुष्करैर्नः क्रतुभिस्तपोव्रतै
र्दानादिभिर्वा द्युजयेन फल्गुना ।
न यत्र नारायणपादपङ्कज
स्मृतिः प्रमुष्टातिशयेन्द्रियोत्सवात् ॥२२॥

kiṠduṣkarair naḥ kratubhis tapo-vratair
dÄnÄdibhir vÄ dyujayena phalgunÄ
na yatra nÄrÄyaṇa-pÄda-paá¹…kaja-
smá¹›tiḥ pramuṣṭÄtiÅ›ayendriyotsavÄt

 kim - what is the value; duá¹£karaiḥ - very difficult to perform; naḥ - our; kratubhiḥ - with performances of sacrifice; tapaḥ - with austerities; vrataiḥ - vows; dÄna-Ädibhiḥ - with executing charitable activities and so on;  - or; dyujayena - with achieving the heavenly kingdom; phalgunÄ - which is insignificant; na - no; yatra - where; nÄrÄyaṇa-pÄda-paá¹…kaja - of the lotus feet of Lord NÄrÄyaṇa; smá¹›tiḥ - the remembrance; pramuṣṭa - lost; atiÅ›aya - excessive; indriya-utsavÄt - due to material sense gratification.


Text

The demigods continue: After performing the very difficult tasks of executing Vedic ritualistic sacrifices, undergoing austerities, observing vows and giving charity, we have achieved this position as inhabitants of the heavenly planets. But what is the value of this achievement? Here we are certainly very engaged in material sense gratification, and therefore we can hardly remember the lotus feet of Lord NÄrÄyaṇa. Indeed, because of our excessive sense gratification, we have almost forgotten His lotus feet.

Purport

The land of BhÄrata-vará¹£a is so exalted that by taking birth there one can not only attain the heavenly planets but also go directly back home, back to Godhead. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (9.25):

yÄnti deva-vratÄ devÄn
 pitá¹n yÄnti pitá¹›-vratÄḥ
bhÅ«tÄni yÄnti bhÅ«tejyÄ
 yÄnti mad-yÄjino ’pi mÄm

“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.†People in the land of BhÄrata-vará¹£a generally follow the Vedic principles and consequently perform great sacrifices by which they can be elevated to the heavenly planets. However, what is the use of such great attainments? As stated in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (9.21), kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaá¹ viÅ›anti: after the results of one’s sacrifices, charity and other pious activities expire, one must return to the lower planetary systems and again feel the pangs of birth and death. However, one who becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious can go back to Kṛṣṇa (yÄnti-mad-yÄjino ’pi mÄm). Therefore the demigods even regret having been elevated to the higher planetary systems. The denizens of the heavenly planets regret that they could not take full advantage of being born in the land of BhÄrata-vará¹£a. Instead, they became captivated by a higher standard of sense gratification, and therefore they forgot the lotus feet of Lord NÄrÄyaṇa at the time of death. The conclusion is that one who has taken birth in the land of BhÄrata-vará¹£a must follow the instructions given personally by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yad gatvÄ na nivartante tad dhÄma paramaá¹ mama. One should try to return home, back to Godhead, to the Vaikuṇṭha planets — or to the topmost Vaikuṇṭha planet, Goloka Vá¹›ndÄvana — to live eternally in full, blissful knowledge in the company of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.