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.
Khi linh hồn nương tựa vào “dây leo nghiệp quả”, nhờ phước đức nó có thể được nâng lên các cõi cao như thiên giới và thoát khỏi cảnh địa ngục. Nhưng nó không thể ở mãi; khi quả phước cạn, nó lại phải rơi xuống. Thế là trên đường luân hồi, nó cứ lên rồi xuống không dứt.
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.