Shloka 17
रावण–मारीचसंवादः तथा मृगप्रलोभनपूर्वकं सीताहरणोपक्रमः
Rāvaṇa–Mārīca Dialogue and the Decoy-Deer Prelude to Sītā’s Abduction
तेषां तथाविधानां तु लोकानां मुनिपुड्रव । उपर्युपरि लोकस्य लोका दिव्या गुणान्विता:,मुनिश्रेष्ठ! देवताओंके जो पूर्वोक्त प्रकारके लोक हैं, उन सबसे ऊपर अन्य कितने ही विविध गुणसम्पन्न दिव्य लोक हैं
teṣāṃ tathāvidhānāṃ tu lokānāṃ munipuṅgava | uparyupari lokasya lokā divyā guṇānvitāḥ ||
O bull among sages, above those worlds of the kind just described there exist, one higher than another, many celestial realms endowed with diverse excellences.
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that cosmic destinations are graded: beyond the already-described realms lie progressively higher divine worlds, implying that subtler virtues and greater merit correspond to higher states of existence.
A divine messenger addresses a sage and continues describing the structure of the afterlife/cosmic realms, stating that above the previously mentioned worlds there are many superior celestial abodes endowed with various divine qualities.