The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal Secret

Krishna reveals the limitation of seeking heavenly rewards: 'Te tam bhuktvā svarga-lokam viśālam kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokam viśanti'—they (te), having enjoyed (bhuktvā) that vast (viśālam) heavenly world (svarga-lokam), when their merit is exhausted (kṣīṇe puṇye), return (viśanti) to the mortal world (martya-lokam). 'Evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgatam kāmakāmā labhante'—thus (evam), those who follow (anuprapannāḥ) the path of the three Vedas (trayī-dharmam), desiring pleasures (kāmakāmāḥ), obtain (labhante) coming and going (gatāgatam). This is the cycle of material worship: enjoy heavenly pleasures, exhaust merit, return to mortal world. The cycle repeats—coming and going, never ending. This is the limitation of seeking temporary rewards: you get what you seek, but it's temporary. You return to the cycle, never free. This is why devotion is superior: it leads to liberation, not temporary pleasures.