1 · Learn3 of 6 · 5 min
Study a Verse
Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 15.6
न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावक: ।
यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥ ६ ॥
na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Kṛṣṇa’s supreme abode needs no sun, moon, fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.
Prabhupāda explains that its planets shine by themselves. There, one becomes the Lord’s associate, enjoying eternal life, bliss and full knowledge.
Seek the company of devotees and learn devotional service to loosen material attachment. Kṛṣṇa’s abode is reached only by surrender.
What are the characteristics of that Supreme Abode, which a detached surrendered soul will attain; and if he goes there, does he ever come back?
That abode is not illuminated by sun, moon, fire or electricity
Once attained, one never returns to the material world
Why there is no need of any light source
Because all planets are self-illuminous and their shining effulgence is called brahmajyoti
All effulgence comes from planet of Krishna – Goloka Vrindavana
One fourth of the spiritual sky is covered by mahat-tattva which constitutes the material world
Material world has only one self luminous planet – The Sun
Two stages of living entities
Conditional stage – Living entity in dark material world
Considers himself to be the Lord of material world
Liberated stage
Reaches spiritual sky by cutting through the false perverted tree of material world and thus becomes liberated
Becomes an associate of the Lord – enjoy eternal life of full bliss and full knowledge
Never comes back
Why this information of the Supreme abode is given to conditioned souls
One should be captivated by this information
Desire to transfer to the spiritual world and extricate from perverted reflection
If too much attached to material world – difficult to cut off this tree
How Krishna consciousness helps
Helps by gradual detachment
Only way to get detached from attraction to material world
Not by wearing saffron cloth
Must become attached to devotional service of the Lord
What kind of devotional service
Serious practice of devotional service as explained in Chapter 12
How to work in Krishna consciousness – Associate with Krishna conscious devotees, search out such a society and learn devotional service
The only transcendental method is devotional service
Chapter 14 describes the contamination of all kinds of processes by material nature
Only devotional service is purely transcendental (14.26)
Importance of “Paramam mama” — Refers to spiritual world
Every nook and corner is the Lord’s property
But spiritual world is ”Paramam mama” – full of six opulences
Ref. on spiritual world: Katha Upanisad
The whole spiritual sky is illuminated by internal potency
No need of sun, moon, stars
Only way to achieve that abode — Surrender and no other means
Texts 15.6 & 15.7
QUESTION — Why a living entity will not be satisfied until he has reached that Supreme abode. ANSWER: Because it is his constitutional position to be related with Krishna as explained in Text 15.7
Goal should be to leave material world and return to spiritual world
All living entities are eternally part and parcel of Krishna, yet they struggle from body to body in search of pleasure
Transcendentalists can see this clearly, but the blind materialists cannot see this
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: mokṣa, dhāma.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 15.6 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to liberation & destiny?
Reflect on what you want to remember at life's end.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.