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Jem Shubhäshubh Karmapad, Jänyä Safal Pramän; Tem Nivrutti Safalatä, Mäte Moksha Sujän.
As you came to know about the fruitfulness of the wholesome and unwholesome Karma, so is their cessation fruitful; O' seeker, there is therefore liberation. (89)
Explanation & Discussion:
It is admitted that the activities of worldly souls are mostly wholesome or unwholesome. They are usually undertaken with a sense of attachment or resentment. That sense invariably bears fruits. If the activity is wholesome, it provides fruits in the form of good consequences; if it is unwholesome, it provides fruits in the form of bad consequences. There is, however, a third approach, which can be termed as pure. If one withdraws from the sense of attachment as well as resentment, his activity remains pure and thereby he does not acquire new karma.
The term Nivrutti in this stanza is in the sense of such withdrawal (Detachment). Nivrutti does not mean inactivity, as some people might think. As long as one is alive, he is going to be involved in some mental or physical activity. It is therefore not possible to remain totally inactive. One can, however, remain detached while undertaking any activity. Such activity amounts to Nivrutti.
The worldly soul thus needs to cultivate a sense of detachment so as to avert the bondage of Karma. One may logically ask, 'When every activity is supposed to be fruitful, how can retreating from attachment (or resentment) remain without fruits?' The answer is that retreating from attachment would be fruitful in the form of gaining equanimity and hence not leading to any bondage. Since old Karmas are extinguished by bearing their consequences and since no new bondage occurs, one can reach the Karmaless state. That itself is liberation. The attainment of Karmalessness can therefore be termed as the fruit of such retreating.
Vityo Käl Anant Te, Karma Shubhäshubh Bhäv; Teh Shubhäshubh Chhedatän, Upaje Moksha Swabhäv.
Infinite time has elapsed while maintaining the good or bad modes; the state of liberation arises by uprooting those good and bad modes. (90)
Explanation & Discussion:
The pupil had pointed out that as the worldly soul has been wandering since the infinity, it is not possible to visualize the end of that wandering. The Guru explains that infinite wandering has occurred, because during that time the soul has been living with the sense of good or bad. If it perceives some object or situation as good, it gets attached to that; and if it considers it as bad, it resents the same. This amounts to indulging in craving and aversion, and that has led to its wandering from birth to birth.
If the soul now realizes that attachment as well as resentment are not in tune with its true nature and are the causes of continuing birth and death, it would change its
