Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 8, Verse 16
Verse 16
The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman
From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.
Context & Meaning
Even the highest heavens — even Brahmaloka, the abode of the creator — are impermanent. All cosmic planes within material existence are subject to dissolution and return. Only the Supreme abode is truly eternal. This is a radical statement: no worldly achievement, however exalted, equals liberation.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainRamanujacharya
VishishtadvaitaThe contrast is absolute: all material planes (even the highest) involve return; the Lord's abode alone is permanent. This is why bhakti — which leads to the Lord Himself — is superior to all paths that lead only to temporary heavens.