NPPF Commentary Line 209, P. 163

[Vincent A. Maeder]

Line 209 is the first line of the seventh stanza wherein the poet
discusses possible escapes from death including resurrection (cf. line
238, empty emerald case and the overtones of resurrection).  Lines
209-210 read, "What moment in gradual decay/Does resurrection choose?"
This brings in all sorts of images and baggage packed with
thermodynamics, religious resurrection, and soul survival.  A neat trick
with only eight words.  

Briefly, thermodynamics involves three primary laws: energy cannot be
destroyed or created, only changed (what goes in comes out, or you can't
win); a closed system tends toward entropy which never decreases (you
can't break even); once energy reaches absolute zero, entropy is stable
and the system has entered it's ground state (you can't get out of the
game).  

Applied to that whole resurrection thingy, we could postulate that: The
energy of the soul cannot be destroyed and continues after death and
transformation of the body's energy; souls tend to degenerate (so we're
all headed for Hell eventually); the ground state for all souls is
absolute zero (meaning that Hell is not flames and heat, but really,
really cold - bring a jacket)

But back to the actual commentary by Mr. Kinbote, he attempts in his
vanity of the poem to relate even the most irrelevant passages to his
life.  Here, this line refers in a twisted way to Mr. Gradus itinerary.
And, if one has not gotten a sense of Mr. Kinbote's substantial mental
instability at all, a look at the disjointed phrasing of the comment as
well as the distracted nature of the digression should clue you in.