Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 54
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
लब्ध्वा निमित्तमव्यक्तं व्यक्ताव्यक्तं भवत्युत । यथायोनि यथाबीजं स्वभावेन बलीयसा ॥ ५४ ॥
labdhvā nimittam avyaktaṁ vyaktāvyaktaṁ bhavaty uta yathā-yoni yathā-bījaṁ svabhāvena balīyasā
The fruitive activities a living being performs, whether pious or impious, are the unseen cause for the fulfillment of his desires. This unseen cause is the root for the living entity’s different bodies. Because of his intense desire, the living entity takes birth in a particular family and receives a body which is either like that of his mother or like that of his father. The gross and subtle bodies are created according to his desire.
The gross body is a product of the subtle body. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (8.6) :
FAQs
This verse says birth occurs according to the specific womb and “seed” (karmic cause/impressions), propelled by a powerful acquired nature (svabhāva) shaped by past actions.
To clarify that karmic impulses operate subtly (unmanifest) and then produce visible results (manifest birth and circumstances), helping explain how Ajāmila’s past conditioning led to his situation.
It encourages conscious habit-building: repeated actions create deep conditioning that later “manifests” as character and destiny, so cultivating sādhana, good company, and devotion reshapes svabhāva.