Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 41
The Forest of Material Existence (Saṁsāra-vana) and the Delivering Path of Bharata’s Teachings
कर्मवल्लीमवलम्ब्य तत आपद: कथञ्चिन्नरकाद्विमुक्त: पुनरप्येवं संसाराध्वनि वर्तमानो नरलोकसार्थमुपयाति एवमुपरि गतोऽपि ॥ ४१ ॥
karma-vallīm avalambya tata āpadaḥ kathañcin narakād vimuktaḥ punar apy evaṁ saṁsārādhvani vartamāno nara-loka-sārtham upayāti evam upari gato ’pi.
Cuando el alma condicionada se aferra a la enredadera del karma fruitivo, por sus méritos puede elevarse a mundos superiores como el cielo y librarse de estados infernales. Pero no puede permanecer allí: al agotarse el fruto de su piedad, debe descender de nuevo. Así, en el camino del samsara, sube y baja perpetuamente.
In this regard Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says:
FAQs
This verse explains that even if one is relieved from severe suffering (likened to hell), if one still clings to fruitive work (karma) without higher spiritual shelter, one returns again to worldly association and continues the cycle of material life.
A vine entangles and pulls one in many directions; similarly, karma binds the soul through endless reactions and new desires, making one repeatedly “rise” from one danger only to be caught again in another situation within saṁsāra.
Don’t measure progress only as relief from problems; shift from karma-centered living to God-centered living—reduce attachment to results, seek sādhana and sattvic company, and cultivate bhakti so that improvement becomes lasting rather than temporary.