13-21 second part

कारणम् गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसत् योनि जन्मसु ॥ २१ ॥

kAraNam guNasaGgo'sya sadasat yoni janmasu || 21 ||

कारणम् [kAraNam] This is caused by गुणसङ्गः अस्य [guNasaGgaH asya] its association with the three qualities जन्मसु [janmasu] in births योनि [yoni] originating from सत् [sat] virtue असत् [asat] and flaws.

In the past, this Self has been in various environments and bodies as a result of different births - being born as a powerful being, as an ordinary human, as an animal or a lower life form.

It has pursued desires, comforts and sorrows according to those births. These pursuits were driven by the three qualities . In these endeavors, actions of virtue were committed, along with flaws and mistakes.

To experience the outcomes of those actions, the Self takes on pleasant or unpleasant births again. It takes initiatives in accordance with its birth. Again, it is born to experience the outcomes of those initiatives.

It keeps cycling in the material world, till the time it cultivates virtues that lead to Self-awareness. Virtues such as humility lead to Self-awareness (described in 13-7-11).

In this way, the Self is bound to the material world. It happens due to its association with the three qualities over many births. This association is born out of virtues and flaws committed during those previous births.