अथ त्रयो वाव लोकाः मनुष्यलोकः पितृलोकः देवलोकः इति सः अयम् मनुष्यलोकः पुत्रेण एव जय्यः न अन्येन कर्मणा कर्मणा पितृलोकः विद्यया देवलोकः देवलोकः वै लोकानाम् श्रेष्ठः तस्मात् विद्याम् प्रशंसन्ति
atha trayo vāva lokāḥ manuṣyalokaḥ pitṛlokaḥ devalokaḥ iti saḥ ayam manuṣyalokaḥ putreṇa eva jayyaḥ na anyena karmaṇā karmaṇā pitṛlokaḥ vidyayā devalokaḥ devalokaḥ vai lokānām śreṣṭhaḥ tasmāt vidyām praśaṃsanti
And there are three worlds: the world of men, the world of the fathers, the world of the gods. The world of men is to be won by a son alone, not by any other work; the world of the fathers by work; the world of the gods by knowledge. The world of the gods is the best of worlds; therefore men praise knowledge.
9a3342b3ec4f · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:48:21 AM UTC
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Three worlds — three ways of winning them, and the distribution is exact. The world of men is won "by a son alone": the continuation of this world is achieved by the continuation of the line and by nothing else; a man's earthly future is his children. The world of the fathers is won by work: by rite, by merit, by commemoration. The world of the gods by knowledge, and it is "the best": therefore "men praise knowledge" (vidyāṁ praśaṁsanti).
The hierarchy does not abolish the lower steps — a son and work remain sacred obligations — but the summit belongs to vidyā: the highest of all acquisitions is the one made by understanding. The next verse will show a wonderful joining of the first step to the last: a father handing on to his son — knowledge.