कृतात्ययेऽनुशयवान्, दृष्टस्मृतिभ्याम्, यथेतमनेवं च ॥ ८ ॥
kṛtātyaye’nuśayavān, dṛṣṭasmṛtibhyām, yathetamanevaṃ ca || 8 ||
kṛtātyaye—On the exhaustion of (good) work; anuśayavān—possessed of residual Karma; dṛṣṭasmṛtibhyām—as is known from the Sruti and Smriti; yathā etam—as (it) went; anevam—differently; ca—and.
8. On the exhaustion of (good) work (the soul) with the residual Karma (descends to this earth), as is known from the Sruti and Smriti, along the path (it) went by (from here) and differently too.
A fresh topic is taken up for discussion—the descent of the soul from heaven. The question is raised whether it descends with any residual Karma or not. The opponent holds that there is no residual Karma, for Sruti says : “Having dwelt there till their work is consumed, they return again the way they went by” etc. (Chh. 5. 10. 5), which means that all their Karma is exhausted and there is nothing left. Moreover, it is reasonable to think that Karma done in one life (as man) is worked out in the next as god.
The Sutra, refuting this view, says that what is exhausted in heaven is only that Karma which gave the soul a birth as god in heaven, but on the exhaustion of this Karma the remaining Karma, good and bad, brings it back to earth. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the happiness or misery of a newborn child. Neither is it possible that in one life the entire Karma of the previous life is worked out. For a man might have done both good work like sacrifices, as a result of which he is born as a god, and bad work, which can be worked out in an animal body; and the working out of both kinds of Karma simultaneously in one birth is impossible. So though by the enjoyment of heaven the result of good work like sacrifices etc. is exhausted, there are other Karmas in store according to which a man is born again in good or bad environments. The Sruti says, “Those whose conduct has been good will quickly attain some good birth” etc. (Chh. 5. 10. 7). The Smriti also says, “With the remainder of their Karma they are born in a noteworthy place, caste, and family, with becoming appearance, longevity, knowledge, wealth, happiness, and intellect.” So the soul is born with residual Karma. By what way does it descend? Following the same way that it went by, but with some difference. That they follow the same way as they went by, is understood from the mention of smoke and ether in the path, (Vide Chh, 5. 10. 5), and that there is some difference too is known from the fact that the text omits night etc. (Vide Chh. 5. 10. 3), but mist etc. are mentioned (Vide Chh. 5. 10. 6).