The Supreme Shelter Beyond Heaven and Hell
Building on Vritrasura's example, the Sixth Canto turns to a philosophical teaching: true shelter lies beyond the dualities of heaven and hell. Heavenly enjoyment, though refined, is temporary; hellish suffering, though intense, is also temporary. Both arise from karma and end with time. The sages stress that the wise seek the Supreme Lord, whose abode and association transcend all material outcomes.
The text explains that fixation on heavenly rewards binds one to the cycle of action and reaction, while fear of hell alone cannot produce love of God. Devotion (bhakti) transcends both by reorienting motive from self-centered gain or avoidance to sincere service. When consciousness rests in the Lord, material oscillations lose their power to disturb.
This chapter encourages practitioners to evaluate their aims: are they seeking relief and pleasure within the material frame, or pursuing the eternal relationship that lies beyond? By realigning goals toward the Supreme shelter, seekers find stability unattainable in the shifting realms of karmic consequence.