Upary means

Expressions researched:
"Upary means"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Upary means up, and adhaḥ means down.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So actually, to approach God does not mean that we shall ask him for our bread. Bread He is supplying. You ask or do not ask, the arrangement is there. Therefore the Bhāgavata says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ: "Anyone who is expert, he should try to achieve that thing..." Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). We have, or we are wandering, upary adhaḥ. Upary means up, and adhaḥ means down. There are higher planetary system; there are lower planetary system; there are middle planetary system. Therefore it is called tri-loka, three worlds. So we living entities, according to our different desires and different activities, we are being promoted to the higher, to the lower, or keeping ourself in the middle. This is going on perpetually. But we are not getting information what is the aim of life. Therefore śāstra says that we have traveled so many times—not only once—life after life, in so many forms of life, in so many different planets. But still, we haven't got the information what is the aim of life. We are simply changing one body to another and searching after something, happiness. But we have not received it. Simply we are wandering. So in this human form of life we should try to achieve that thing which we did not get, wandering so many times throughout the whole universe. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18).

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Upary means sometimes we are going in the higher planetary systems, Brahmaloka, Janaloka, Satyaloka, sometimes going downward, Tala, Atala, Vitala, Pātāla, Rasātala.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

Duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ labhyate. Just like nobody tries to become distressed. Everyone tries to become happy. So why distress comes? I try for happiness. Suppose happiness comes. But I do not try for distress. Why distress comes? We cannot explain why distress comes. You take care of all possibilities. Still, there is distress. Why? Now, this is the destiny. If you have to suffer some distress, you must suffer. That is called distress. So Bhāgavata says therefore that as you don't try for distress and it overcomes you, similarly if you don't try for happiness, if you have got some happiness, it will overcome you. It will come automatically. Therefore we should not try either for happiness or for distress. We should simply try to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our business. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. A learned man should try for that only. That means this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ. We are wandering upary-adaḥ. Upary-adhaḥ. Upary means sometimes we are going in the higher planetary systems, Brahmaloka, Janaloka, Satyaloka, sometimes going downward, Tala, Atala, Vitala, Pātāla, Rasātala. Or sometimes higher species of life, sometimes lower species of life. In this way, we are wandering according to our karma. This is material existence. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says,

ei rūpe bhramāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

(CC Madhya 19.151)

A living entity is wandering in this way, sometimes on the higher level, sometimes on the lower level, but he's changing one chapter, another, one chapter, another. That is not very good, to repetition of birth and death. So a living entity if he's very fortunately, fortunately he meets some good association, good devotees, then his life changes.