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Sixth Fundamental-Path and Means of Liberation
The state of Karma is ignorance, while abiding in the Self is liberation; ignorance is darkness and is destroyed by the light of knowledge. (98)
Explanation & Discussion: Here Shrimad has described two opposite states. One relates to staying with the worldly situations resulting from Karma. That is termed here as Karmabhäv. The other relates to abiding in the true state. That state leads to liberation, and is therefore termed as Mokshabhäv. So long as one remains inclined towards the state of Karma and its consequence, the state of liberation cannot arise. Those two are mutually exclusive aspects. On account of one's Karma one gets a body, sense organs, etc. But all those aspects are temporary; they do not form the parts of the true Self. For instance, if someone asks me: "Who are you?” I would reply that, “I am Manu”.
That reply is right to the extent it shows my worldly identification, but that is not my lasting identification. Identification with the body arises out of the ignorance about my true Self. Such ignorance constitutes Karmabhäv, which is considered here as comparable to darkness.
While giving that reply I should really keep in mind that the body, which is known as Manu, is a temporary phenomenon arising by virtue of my Karma. That is not real ‘me'. I am the everlasting soul imbibed with infinite perception, knowledge, etc. If I stay with that concept, it is called Mokshabhäv. That is the right sense and is compared here with light. Darkness cannot be removed by hitting it with a club or any other instrument. It can be easily removed by lighting a lamp. Similarly the darkness of ignorance can be removed by lighting the lamp of enlightenment.
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