FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.35

तत्रापि मोक्ष एवार्थ आत्यन्तिकतयेष्यते । त्रैवर्ग्योऽर्थो यतो नित्यं कृतान्तभयसंयुत: ॥ ३५ ॥
tatrāpi mokṣa evārtha
[tatraapi moksha evaartha]
ātyantikatayeṣyate
[aatyantikatayeshyate]
traivargyo ’rtho yato nityaṁ
[traivargyo ’rtho yato nityam]
kṛtānta-bhaya-saṁyutaḥ
[kritaanta-bhaya-samyutah]
tatra — there api — also mokṣaḥ — liberation eva — certainly arthe — for the matter of ātyantikatayā — most important iṣyate — taken in that way trai-vargyaḥ — the three others, namely religion, economic development and sense gratification arthaḥ — interest yataḥ — wherefrom nityam — regularly kṛta-anta — death bhaya — fear saṁyutaḥ — attached.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tatrāpi mokṣa evārtha
tatra
there
api
also
mokṣaḥ
liberation
eva
certainly
arthe
for the matter of
ātyantikatayeṣyate
ātyantikatayā
most important
iṣyate
taken in that way
traivargyo ’rtho yato nityaṁ
trai-vargyaḥ
the three others, namely religion, economic development and sense gratification
arthaḥ
interest
yataḥ
wherefrom
nityam
regularly
kṛtānta-bhaya-saṁyutaḥ
kṛta-anta
death
bhaya
fear
saṁyutaḥ
attached.
Out of the four principles — namely religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation — liberation has to be taken very seriously. The other three are subject to destruction by the stringent law of nature — death.

Mokṣa, or liberation, has to be taken very seriously, even at the sacrifice of the other three items. As advised by Sūta Gosvāmī in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, religious principles are not based on success in economic development. Because we are very attached to sense gratification, we go to God, to the temple or churches, for some economic reasons. Then again, economic development does not mean sense gratification. Everything should be adjusted in such a way that we attain liberation. Therefore in this verse, liberation, mokṣa, is stressed. The other three items are material and therefore subject to destruction. Even if somehow we accumulate a great bank balance in this life and possess many material things, everything will be finished with death. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that death is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who ultimately takes away everything acquired by the materialistic person. Foolishly we do not care for this. Foolishly we are not afraid of death, nor do we consider that death will take away everything acquired by the process of dharma, artha and kāma. By dharma, or pious activities, we may be elevated to the heavenly planets, but this does not mean freedom from the clutches of birth, death, old age and disease. The purport is that we can sacrifice our interests in traivargya — religious principles, economic development and sense gratification — but we cannot sacrifice the cause of liberation. Regarding liberation, it is stated in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) , tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: liberation means that after giving up this body one does not have to accept another material body. To the impersonalists liberation means merging into the existence of impersonal Brahman. But factually this is not mokṣa because one has to again fall down into this material world from that impersonal position. One should therefore seek the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in His devotional service. That is real liberation. The conclusion is that we should not stress pious activities, economic development and sense gratification, but should concern ourselves with approaching Lord Viṣṇu in His spiritual planets, of which the topmost is Goloka Vṛndāvana, where Lord Kṛṣṇa lives. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest gift for persons who are actually desiring liberation.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Among them, liberation alone is recommended as the goal because of its excellence, because the objects attained from the other three are always linked with fear of destruction. Among them (tatra) liberation is preferred. Traivargyaḥ means “arising from artha, dharma and kāma.”
Of dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa — mokṣa must be taken seriously; the other three perish by death. Plan for the one that survives the body's expiration, not the three that die with you.
Reflection Questions
  • How much of my long-term planning is for the three that die with me?
  • Where would shifting investment toward mokṣa look concretely?
📝 My note

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