By pious activities you can be elevated to the higher planetary system in the heavenly planet, but that does not mean completion of your suffering of the material world.
Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Nellore, January 7, 1976:
It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
- madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
- jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
- adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ
- [Bg. 14.18]
So by pious activities you can be elevated to the higher planetary system in the heavenly planet, but that does not mean
completion of your suffering of the material world. Kṛṣṇa has said, therefore, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna. Even you are promoted to the Brahmaloka, where the standard of living, duration of life, is very, very big, still, you cannot avoid there these material pains and pleasure, because after finishing your resultant action of pious activities you'll come..., you'll have to come back again in this lower planetary system. Kṣīṇe puṇye puṇar martya-lokaṁ viśanti. After the resultant action of pious activity is finished, you are again dragged within this lower planetary system. Therefore, unless you take to the devotional path, bhakti, because Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg. 18.55], if you want to understand God, Kṛṣṇa, then you have to take the only path, bhaktyā, bhakti, or devotional service.
