The spiritual potency of the Lord is manifested in three phases-the internal, or spiritual, potency, the marginal potency, which is the living entities, and the external potency, known as maya-sakti. We must understand that in each of these three phases the original spiritual potencies of pleasure, eternity and knowledge remain intact. When the potencies of spiritual pleasure and knowledge are both bestowed upon the conditioned souls, the conditioned souls can escape the clutches of the external potency, maya, which acts as a cover obscuring one's spiritual identity. When freed, the living entity awakens to Krsna consciousness and engages in devotional service with love and affection.