Then, having heard all that Laksmana had said, Sri Rama – the serene jewel of royal kings, who destroys all sorrows of those who surrender to him – gave out to Laksmana, who was eager to listen, the Knowledge, for dispelling the darkness of ignorance.
Sri Ramacandra said : First of all, after we have performed all the obligatory duties required of us due to our position in society (varna) and status in life (asrama), and thereby have gained a purified mind, we should give up all these earlier karmas, and thus endowed with the necessary qualifications, we must surrender totally to the teacher in order to attain the Self.
क्रिया श्रीरोद्भवहेतुरादृता प्रियाप्रियौ तौ भवतः सुरागिणः । धर्मेतरौ तत्र पुनः शरीरकम् पुनः क्रिया चक्रवदीर्यते भवः ॥ ८॥
This birth is the result of prior actions. Man influenced by senses seeks pleasure and pain and does good and bad actions respectively. His actions will result in rebirth; when born, man does actions again. The world is consequently termed a rotation.
अज्ञानमेवास्य हि मूलकारणं तद्धानमेवात्र विधौ विधीयते । विद्यैव तन्नाशविधौ पटीयसी न कर्म तज्जं सविरोधमीरितम् ॥ ९॥
The root cause for this samsara is ignorance; naturally, its destruction here is the sole remedy prescribed by scriptural injunction or teaching. Knowledge alone is efficient in destroying that ignorance, never karma (work); for work is said to be the product of ignorance and hence not opposed to it.
नाज्ञानहानिर्न च रागसंक्षयो भवेत्ततः कर्म सदोषमुद्भवेत् । ततः पुनः संसृतिरप्यवारिता तस्माद्बुधो ज्ञानविचारवान्भवेत् ॥ १०॥
Work cannot end ignorance nor reduce one’s attachment to the fruits of action; on the other hand, from such Karmas new, evil (binding) Karmas arise, because of which samsara also becomes unavoidable. Therefore, a wise seeker should inquire into and contemplate upon the nature of Knowledge – Reality.