Chapter 37 offers a strong critique of desiring heaven merely as a reward for good deeds. The text questions the value of a heavenly abode, even one attained through difficult penance and charity, if it "lacks the remembrance of Lord Narayana." It dismisses such a heaven as "merely a place for sensual enjoyment." As chapter 37 argues, if a place lacks the chanting of Govinda's name, it is of little spiritual use. The text goes so far as to say that regarding sensual pleasure, there is no real difference between heaven and hell, thereby urging the devotee to seek a higher state of consciousness and constant divine remembrance rather than a celestial realm of fleeting pleasures.
Why does Chapter 37 seem to discourage the traditional pursuit of heaven as a place of enjoyment?
π Chapter 37