FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.12.36

యద్భ్రాజమానం స్వరుచైవ సర్వతో లోకాస్త్రయో హ్యను విభ్రాజన్త ఏతే । యన్నావ్రజఞ్జన్తుషు యేఽననుగ్రహా వ్రజన్తి భద్రాణి చరన్తి యేఽనిశమ్ ॥ ౩౬ ॥
yad bhrājamānaṁ sva-rucaiva sarvato
[yad bhraajamaanam sva-ruchaiva sarvato]
lokās trayo hy anu vibhrājanta ete
[lokaas trayo hy anu vibhraajanta ete]
yan nāvrajaṣ jantuṣu ye ’nanugrahā
[yan naavrajash jantushu ye ’nanugrahaa]
vrajanti bhadrāṇi caranti ye ’niśam
[vrajanti bhadraani charanti ye ’nisham]
yat — which planet bhrājamānam — illuminating sva-rucā — by self-effulgence eva — only sarvataḥ — everywhere lokāḥ — planetary systems trayaḥ — three hi — certainly anu — thereupon vibhrājante — give off light ete — these yat — which planet na — not avrajan — have reached jantuṣu — to living entities ye — those who ananugrahāḥ — not merciful vrajanti — reach bhadrāṇi — welfare activities caranti — engage in ye — those who aniśam — constantly.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yad bhrājamānaṁ sva-rucaiva sarvato
yat
which planet
bhrājamānam
illuminating
sva-rucā
by self-effulgence
eva
only
sarvataḥ
everywhere
lokās trayo hy anu vibhrājanta ete
lokāḥ
planetary systems
trayaḥ
three
hi
certainly
anu
thereupon
vibhrājante
give off light
ete
these
yan nāvrajaṣ jantuṣu ye ’nanugrahā
yat
which planet
na
not
avrajan
have reached
jantuṣu
to living entities
ye
those who
ananugrahāḥ
not merciful
vrajanti bhadrāṇi caranti ye ’niśam
vrajanti
reach
bhadrāṇi
welfare activities
caranti
engage in
ye
those who
aniśam
constantly.
The self-effulgent Vaikuṇṭha planets, by whose illumination alone all the illuminating planets within this material world give off reflected light, cannot be reached by those who are not merciful to other living entities. Only persons who constantly engage in welfare activities for other living entities can reach the Vaikuṇṭha planets.

Here is a description of two aspects of the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The first is that in the Vaikuṇṭha sky there is no need of the sun and moon. This is confirmed by the Upaniṣads as well as Bhagavad-gītā ( na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ ). In the spiritual world the Vaikuṇṭhalokas are themselves illuminated; there is therefore no need of sun, moon or electric light. It is in fact the illumination of the Vaikuṇṭhalokas which is reflected in the material sky. Only by this reflection are the suns in the material universes illuminated; after the illumination of the sun, all the stars and moons are illuminated. In other words, all the luminaries in the material sky borrow illumination from Vaikuṇṭhaloka. From this material world, however, people can be transferred to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, if they incessantly engage in welfare activities for all other living entities. Such incessant welfare activities can really be performed only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no philanthropic work within this material world but Kṛṣṇa consciousness that can engage a person twenty-four hours a day.

A Kṛṣṇa conscious being is always engaged in planning how to take all of suffering humanity back home, back to Godhead. Even if one is not successful in reclaiming all the fallen souls back to Godhead, still, because he is Kṛṣṇa conscious, his path to Vaikuṇṭhaloka is open. He personally becomes qualified to enter the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, and if anyone follows such a devotee, he also enters into Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Others, who engage in envious activities, are known as karmīs. Karmīs are envious of one another. Simply for sense gratification, they can kill thousands of innocent animals. Jṣānīs are not as sinful as karmīs, but they do not try to reclaim others back to Godhead. They perform austerities for their own liberation. Yogīs are also engaged in self-aggrandizement by trying to attain mystic powers. But devotees, Vaiṣṇavas, who are servants of the Lord, come forward in the actual field of work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to reclaim fallen souls. Only Kṛṣṇa conscious persons are eligible to enter into the spiritual world. That is clearly stated in this verse and is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, wherein the Lord says that there is no one dearer to Him than those who preach the gospel of Bhagavad-gītā to the world.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
He reached that shining planet, by whose effulgence the three worlds shine, which those who are not merciful do not reach but which those who constantly engage in good actions reach. By the shining of that planet other planets subsequently (anu) shine.
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 12