1136 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 27

tena samsdra-padavim
avaso *bhyety anirvrtah

prasangikaih karma-dosaih
sad-asan-misra-yonisu

tena—by this; samsdra—of repeated birth and death; padavim—the path;
avasah—helplessly; abhyeti-he undergoes; —_anirvrtah—discontented;
prasangikaih—resulting from association with material nature; karma-
dosaih—by faulty actions; sat—good; asat—bad; misra— mixed; yonisu—in
different species of life.

TRANSLATION

The conditioned soul therefore transmigrates in different species of life,
higher and lower, because of his association with the modes of material
nature. Unless he is relieved of material activities, he has to accept this
position because of his faulty work.

PURPORT

Here the word karma-dosaih means by faulty actions. This refers to any
activity, good or bad, performed in this material world—they are all
contaminated, faulty actions because of material association. The foolish
conditioned soul may think that he is offering charity by opening hospitals
for material benefit or by opening an educational institution for material
education, but he does not know that all such work is also faulty because
it will not give him relief from the process of transmigration from one
body to another. It is clearly stated here, sad-asan-misra-yonisu. This means
that one may take birth in a very high family or he may take his birth in
higher planets, among the demigods, for his so-called pious activities in
the material world. But this work is also faulty because it does not give
liberation. To take birth in a nice place or a high family does not mean
that one avoids undergoing the material tribulations, the pangs of birth,
death, old age and disease. A conditioned soul under the spell of material
nature cannot understand that any action he performs for sense gratifica-
tion is faulty and that only his activities in devotional service to the Lord
can give him release from the reaction of faulty activities. Because he does
not cease such faulty activities, he has to change to different bodies, some
high and some low. That is called samsdra-padavim, which means this
material world, from which there is no release. One who desires material
liberation has to turn his activities to devotional service. There is no
other alternative.
