Entanglement in Fruitive Activities
Kapila elaborated on how ritualistic acts aimed at material benefits keep one bound. Worship of demigods for prosperity or power yields only temporary rewards and reinforces identification with the body. Even adherence to scriptural rites, when motivated by worldly aims, fails to liberate. Such worship, though apparently pious, is compared to decorating a dead body—it cannot revive the soul’s dormant love for the Supreme.
The Lord explained that the senses, mind, and intelligence become progressively entangled when their goals are separate from Him. Each achievement breeds further desire, deepening the knot of false ego. To reverse this, one should offer all acts—rituals, duties, even desires—to the Supreme Lord, transforming karma into karma-yoga and then into pure bhakti.
Kapila also addressed impersonal conceptions that deny the Lord’s form. He stated that neglecting the personal feature deprives the heart of loving engagement, leaving devotion stunted. Only by acknowledging the Lord’s personality and offering service does the soul fulfill its innate function.
The chapter underscores the urgency of shifting from fruitive mentality to service mentality. By consciously offering food, work, and relationships to the Lord, a practitioner converts binding acts into steps toward freedom.
The conclusion reiterates that devotion alone dissolves the chains of karma. Mixed motives prolong bondage; pure intent invites the Lord’s grace, which severs the knot. Devahuti, hearing this, felt reinforced in her resolve to cultivate unalloyed devotion.