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Chapter 8
Appendix:—Here a man may raise a doubt that when all worlds, from the abode of Brahma downwards, are manifestations of God—`Vasudevah sarvam', then why are the people who go to those worlds, being reborn? The clarification is that the people, who go to those worlds, don't consider the worlds the manifestation of God but regard them as material for pleasure (Gita 9/21). They go to the abode of Brahma to enjoy pleasures. As the fruit of their virtuous deeds, they attain the worlds upto the abode of Brahma and (when they exhaust their merit), they are reborn in the world of mortals.
Attachment to pleasure is the root of rebirth. Here the Lord by the expression 'abrahmabhuvanallokah' means that a man has to return to the mortal world even after reaching the abode of Brahma, the last limit of the mundane pleasures. All the pleasures of infinite universes cannot make a man happy and cannot free him from the pangs of birth and death, therefore he who hopes to derive pleasure from the world, is under illusion.
Two types of people go to the abode of Brahma—those who go to the abode of Brahma in order to enjoy pleasures and then return to this mortal world; and the others are those who along the bright path go to the abode of Brahma and then with Brahma they are liberated (Gita 8/24). They don't return to this mortal world, this is because of the glory of their aim, it is not the glory of Brahmaloka (abode of Brahma). One has certainly to return from the abode of Brahma because neither an enjoyer nor a Yogi can live there forever. All upto the abode of Brahma is the fruit of action. When every action has a beginning and an end, then how can its fruit be imperishable?
The term 'mam' in 'mamupetya' denotes entire-God (God in full), Who is the master of both para and apara. Having attained Him, there is no birth in this sorrowful world. But such God-realized souls also by God's will, can descend to this mortal world either as the representatives of God (Karaka purusa) or as His incarnation. But such a birth does not depend on the performance of actions but it depends on God's will.
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