Acts of virtue lead us to be reborn into a family of high lineage, to become wealthy, learned, and physically attractive. Conversely, impious acts lead to being born into lowly lineage, where one will always be in need. These are the foolish, the illiterate, and the ugly.

For example, depending on the deeds committed, they live on earth, in water, in the air, within the earth, and even in fire. In the latter, for example, as in the sun, a particular body is given to the soul that must live there.

Celestial beings, characterized by the excellence of virtue, inhabit the Edenic planets, while humans who are subject to passion live on Earth, accompanied by their inferiors, or on any of the other terrestrial-type planets in the intermediate region.

The Lord teaches us that beings who evolve in virtue are promoted to the higher, Edenic, and paradisiacal planets; while those overwhelmed by passion inhabit the intermediate planetary systems, that is, Earth and other similar planets.

However, those overcome by ignorance descend to the lower planetary systems or are born among animals.

Thus, celestial beings who are very high in virtue inhabit the Edenic planets. Below humans are animals, some of which, such as the cow, the horse, the dog, etc., move freely among humans and benefit from their protection.

By cultivating material virtue, one can rise to the Edenic planets, but by excessively developing passion and ignorance, man ends up slaughtering animals, even though he is supposed to be protecting them. Thus the nature of the influences he obeys is revealed, and he loses all hope of rising to the level of virtue. He will have to fall into lower forms of life. Planetary systems are judged inferior or superior depending on the categories of beings who reside there.

Living beings in contact with Rudra, the plenary emanation of Sankarsana, evolve under the influence of the third attribute of material nature, ignorance. They live in the space between the terrestrial planets and the Edenic planets.

This sphere or intermediate region of space is called Bhuvarloka; it is where the terrestrial-type planets evolve, and there are many of them. It is here, on all the terrestrial-type planets, that the 400,000 species or forms of human beings are distributed. As you can see, there are only a tiny fraction of these on Earth. The Lord also teaches that beings evolving in passion inhabit the intermediate regions. Those governed by virtue are raised to the planets of the celestial beings, those dominated by passion obtain to live among humans, and those enveloped by ignorance join the animal species or the ghosts.