nivṛttaṁ bhayam ulbaṇam

nivṛttaṁ bhayam ulbaṇam

anivṛtta-nimittatvāt

punaḥ pratyavatiṣṭhate

 

Sometimes fear of saṁṣāra is destroyed by considering the elements, but fear then returns because of not destroying saṁṣāra’s cause.

 

Sometimes though one almost completely destroys saṁsāra, it appears again.  

 

|| 3.27.21-23 ||

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

animitta-nimittena

sva-dharmeṇāmalātmanā

tīvrayā mayi bhaktyā ca

śruta-sambhṛtayā ciram

jñānena dṛṣṭa-tattvena

vairāgyeṇa balīyasā

tapo-yuktena yogena

tīvreṇātma-samādhinā

 

prakṛtiḥ puruṣasyeha

dahyamānā tv ahar-niśam

tiro-bhavitrī śanakair

agner yonir ivāraṇiḥ

 

The Lord said; By energetic bhakti to me for a long time, without desire for results, which purifies the heart and is performed according to one’s occupational duties, by knowledge with realization of the elements, by strong renunciation, by yoga accompanied by austerities, by intense concentration on the Lord, the subtle body of the jīva burns continually and gradually disappears, like the kindling stick is consumed by fire.

O mother! Prakṛti is not the cause of bondage for the jīva. Imposition of prakṛti’s guṇas on the jīva is the cause. This is caused by ignorance. By destroying ignorance one attains liberation. Sometimes, by faults in practice, the fear of saṁsāra reappears. When Kapila speaks of intense practice, such a condition of fear is excluded. This bhakti should be performed without desire for results (animitta). It purifies the antaḥkaraṇa (amala ātmanā). It should be energetic because of spontaneity (tīvrayā). It should be nourished by hearing about me (śruta-saṁbhṛtayā).

 

The subtle body (prakrṭiḥ) of the jīva becomes burned up, conquered, destroyed. It is like a stick in relation to a fire. Fire is produced by the kindling stick (araṇiḥ) but destroys the stick. Knowledge is produced by the subtle body (mind) but destroys that subtle body.

 

|| 3.27.24 ||

bhukta-bhogā parityaktā