TEXT 41
bhutani tais tair nija-yoni-karmabhir
bhavanti kale na bhavanti sarvasah
na tatra hatma prakrtav api sthitas
tasya gunair anyatamo hi badhyate
SYNONYMS
bhutaniall the bodies of the living entities; taih taihtheir own respective; nija-yonicausing their own bodies; karmabhihby past activities; bhavantiappear; kalein due course of time; na bhavantidisappear; sarvasahin all respects; nanot; tatrathere; haindeed; atmathe soul; prakrtauwithin this material world; apialthough; sthitahsituated; tasyahof her (the material energy); gunaihby different modes; anya-tamahmost different; hiindeed; badhyateis bound.
TRANSLATION
Every conditioned soul receives a different type of body according to his work, and when the engagement is finished the body is finished. Although the spirit soul is situated in subtle and gross material bodies in different forms of life, he is not bound by them, for he is always understood to be completely different from the manifested body.
PURPORT
Here it is very plainly explained that God is not responsible for the living entitys accepting different types of bodies. One has to accept a body according to the laws of nature and ones own karma. Therefore the Vedic injunction is that a person engaged in material activities should be given directions by which he can intelligently apply his activities to the service of the Lord to become free from the material bondage of repeated birth and death (sva-karmana tam abhyarcya siddhim vindati manavah). The Lord is always ready to give directions. Indeed, His directions are elaborately given in Bhagavad-gita. If we take advantage of these directions, then in spite of our being conditioned by the laws of material nature, we shall become free to attain our original constitution (mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]). We should have firm faith that the Lord is supreme and that if we surrender to Him, He will take charge of us and indicate how we can get out of material life and return home, back to Godhead. Without such surrender, one is obliged to accept a certain type of body according to his karma, sometimes as an animal, sometimes a demigod and so on. Although the body is obtained and lost in due course of time, the spirit soul does not actually mix with the body, but is subjugated by the particular modes of nature with which he is sinfully associated. Spiritual education changes ones consciousness so that one simply carries out the orders of the Supreme Lord and becomes free from the influence of the modes of material nature.

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