“The ātmā, the pure jīva is the root. By ignorance of jīva one attains saṁsāra. By knowledge of ātmā one destroys saṁsāra. What is the use of knowing about the Lord?” This idea is refuted by stating the opposite. Those who do not know themselves as ātmā end up with material bodies by the agency of māyā, a devotee of the Lord who cannot tolerate fault, because of ignorance of the root svarūpa, that of the Lord (tena). By knowledge of the Lord, which destroys ignorance of the Lord, one attains knowledge of svarūpa of the jīva and this knowledge destroys ignorance caused by identity with the body. An example is given to show this destruction of ignorance. It is like thinking a rope is a snake. The details may be seen in another place: bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ tan-māyayāto budha ābhajet taṁ bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devate ātmā For the jīva averse to the Lord, there will be saṁsāra consisting of identity with body and lack of identity with the soul, because of his absorption in the material coverings on the soul, arising from the Lord’s māyā. Therefore, the intelligent person, taking guru as his Lord and very self, should fully worship the Lord with pure bhakti. SB 11.2.37 Śrīdhara Svāmī explains the verse. Since māyā created by the Lord creates fear, the intelligent person worships the Lord, the controller of māyā. “But fear arises because identity with body, which arises from ignorance of the ātmā. What does māyā do?” For the person ignorant of the Lord (īśād apetasy), the svarūpa of the jīva does not manifest because of māyā. Then he thinks he is the body (viparyayaḥ). Then by absorption in identity he develops fear. This is well known among people in māyā. The Lord says: daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā | mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te || My māyā made of the guṇas, fit for the jīva’s pleasure, is hard to surpass, but those who surrender to me alone can cross over this māyā. BG 7.14 Just by knowledge of the position of the Lord in general, māyā is destroyed. It does not require realization of Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. The effects are observed in the names of Rāma. But knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, who makes his appearance in complete fullness, is the greatest knowledge and the result is the appearance of the highest prema for Kṛṣṇa. This should be understood from the verse.

This explains the ease of destroying saṁsāra. Some persons do not know (avijṣānatām) that they (ātmānam) are Brahman, a svarūpa devoid of doing and experiencing (ātmatayā). For them the whole world is produced by this ignorance of ātma-jṣāna alone (tena eva). This is because of coverings of matter on the ātmā. Or for those who do not know the Lord (ātmānam) as the dearest (ātmatayā), that ignorance produces samsāra. Or for those who think “I am the Lord, I am bhagavān,” that ignorance produces saṁsāra. By proper knowledge alone this world is definitely (pra) destroyed (līyate) in the most excellent way (bhuyo api). The word ca indicates that the desire for liberation is also destroyed, what to speak of the ocean of the temporary material world.