Worldly Entanglement (Samsara)

Chapter 30, 31, 32

Having described the transcendental systems of spiritual elevation, Kapiladeva next explores the harsh realities of life in the material world. Material detachment and spiritual attachment, after all, go hand-in-hand.

Kapiladeva first depicted the archetype lifestyle of an entangled materialist. Everyone is subject to the destructive influence of time, which strips us of everything and exposes all objects of pleasure in this world (home, family, wealth, etc.) as fleeting and temporary. Due to illusion, however, living entities consider themselves happy and satisfied with ethereal pleasures, thinking various attachments to be valuable sources of happiness. Such attachments force them to work hard, perform unlawful actions and struggle on in life, with meagre (if any) reciprocation for their efforts. Eventually, disease and death catch up with them. After leaving the body, the Yamadutas escort them to hellish conditions of life where they suffer incredible torture. It’s not a pretty picture.

After going through the evolutionary cycle, the soul receives a human body under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and in accordance with his karmic bank balance. The soul is transferred via the semen of the father into the womb of the mother and then evolves as an embryo. Struggling in that alien environment and constantly tormented by the harsh confinement, the baby sincerely prays to the Lord for help. Upon release from the womb, the child suffers unavoidable inconveniences which continue at every stage of life. Throughout all these miserable experiences, the powerful attraction between man and woman keeps the conditioned soul bound in this vicious cycle.

Though it may sound pessimistic and glum, hearing of these struggles with a sober mind helps one to see the naked reality and develop the strength to transcend it. Many householders simply engage in ritual religiosity (dharma), economic development (arta) and sense gratification (kama), and thus never reach the point of devotional service (bhakti). Although they achieve elevation to higher planets, they ultimately return to the earthly realm and its concomitant miseries. The wise, however, honour the principles of duty, detachment and devotion, and thus attain perfection. This is the perfect path that Kapiladeva recommends.