Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Now after describing this Krishna describes the different kinds of death that people goes through

So 6,7,8 are different kinds of modes, then 11,12,13 within the competition among the modes different people are influenced differently when one particular mode becomes predominant this is the characteristic now Krishna will describe when a person is in such a characteristics and he dies what happens? Why because they are in battle field and death is most probable there. So Krishna will talk about post death destination.

So in previous section we understood modes can be understood by the characteristics which they manifest when one mode predominates over other modes. 

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Chp14 Overview

1-13: How the soul is conditioned by the modes

1-2: Glorification of the knowledge

3-4: How the soul contacts matter

5-9: How the modes bind the soul

10-13: Identifying the modes dominating us by their principal characteristics

14-18: Effect of conditioning by the modes

14-15: Long-term effect (Post-death destination)

16: Medium-term effect

17: Immediate effect

18: Direction of post-death journey

19-27: Transcending the modes

Bg 14.14

yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu
pralayaṁ yāti deha-bhṛt
tadottama-vidāṁ lokān
amalān pratipadyate

Synonyms: 

yadā — when; sattve — the mode of goodness; pravṛddhe — developed; tu — but; pralayam — dissolution; yāti— goes; deha–bhṛt — the embodied; tadā — at that time; uttama–vidām — of the great sages; lokān — the planets; amalān — pure; pratipadyate — attains.

Translation: 

When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets of the great sages.

yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu

yadā, at the time, whenever

sattve pravṛddhe tu, when Sattva is stronger 

pralayaṁ yāti deha-bhṛt

pralayaṁ, destruction, death (pralaya means death is also used in 16.11 and 12)

deha-bhṛt, embodied soul 

if the embodied soul die when the goodness is prominent then 

tadottama-vidāṁ lokān

amalān pratipadyate

they will attain, pratipadyate, what they will attain? Amal planets of uttama-vidāṁ, means those who are the knowers, vida is to know uttama means one which is above tamma, that which is higher state of knowledge, so those planets where the knowers of higher knowledge live, those lokas will be attained.

Earlier Krishna used the word Prakash, so those who will live in knowledge in this world will gain further knowledge. So this refers to Svarga or higher lokas also, this doesn’t refer to liberation which will be described after these three modes.

Svarga is comparatively in mode of goodness with respect to earth planet. Their acceptance to spiritual authority indicates their mode of goodness. Higher loka are more in goodness as their enjoying mentality is even less. 

In goodness also there are levels there are goodness which are much more towards passion and then there is goodness which is much more closer to transcendence and there is intermediate goodness also. 

So if people live in goodness then they attain these uttam Vidam lokan

End of transcription.