Without ever reaching the Lord, deluded birth after birth, these souls sink to the lowest state. The traditions treat this verse with a mixture of urgent warning and underlying compassion. Shankara sees the progressive decline as the momentum of accumulated ignorance gaining force. Ramanuja emphasizes that the tragedy is not punishment but the soul's persistent refusal of divine grace. Madhva warns that without turning to God, each birth can be worse than the last — an urgent call to seek refuge now. Abhinavagupta sees the downward spiral as the momentum of non-recognition, calling for the 'shock' of pratyabhijna (recognition) before it becomes overwhelmingly difficult to reverse. Vallabha insists that the soul's descent is never truly hopeless because divine grace remains available at every moment. The bhakti tradition holds that even one sincere call to God from the depths can begin the ascent. Tilak reads it as motivation for immediate action — procrastination in spiritual matters has compounding consequences. Vivekananda adds an essential hopeful note: the divine nature is indestructible, and no matter how far one has fallen, the journey back begins with a single step. This verse creates urgency without despair.