Question:
If souls always existed , how did karmic substance get attached to the souls for the first time ?
Answer:
There are an unlimited number of spirit souls, manifesting eternally from Krishna for the purpose of having a loving relationship with Him. An infinitesimal fraction of them decide to enjoy separately from Krishna. That is an infinitely large number…
Why? Because for love, there must be free will. There must be the freedom to leave. Krishna does not force anyone to love Him. He gives them freedom to leave if they wish to.
But when a living entity comes from the spiritual realm, the only position fit for the soul is as Lord Brahma of a Universe. There are an unlimited number of Universes, and therefore an unlimited number of Brahma posts available.
Some of these Brahmas are Bhaktyonmukhi (devotionally inclined) Brahmas, in other words, they see the material world and make a U-turn and go back home back to Godhead, after that one lifetime as Brahma.
Some of them, foolishly, are Bahir Mukha (materially inclined) Brahmas, choose to experience other lifetimes, say, as Indra, Chandra, as an Apsara, and so on…
The way karmic reactions work, one karmic action is sufficient to create an unlimited number of reactions. Why? Think of a banyan tree that gives figs… how many seeds are there inside each fruit? And how many trees can sprout from one fruit? In other words, how many banyan trees are inside one little seed? Actions and reactions, easily and quickly pile up.
Remaining inside karma chakra, the cycle of fruitive action and reaction, or doing things like trying to be artificially nonviolent is of no use. We unavoidably create karmic reactions at every moment, just by breathing, speaking, eating, or sleeping.
How to get rid of all of them?
By performing devotional service, Bhakti.
This is what the Padma Purana says…
aprarabdha phalam papam
kutam bijam phalon-mukham
kramenaiva praliyeta
vishnu bhakti ratatmanam
Karmic reactions exist as manifest as fruits, unmanifest, hidden, in seed form etc., but they are gradually destroyed through the process of vishnu bhakti.
Therefore Krishna says:
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुच: ॥ ६६ ॥sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥAbandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
Freedom through Genuine Spiritual Progress 