Modes of Nature

All states of being-be they of goodness, passion or ignorance-are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything-but I am independant. I am not under the modes of this material nature. (More...)

All material activities in the world are being conducted under the three modes of material nature. Although these material modes of nature are emanations from the Supreme Lord, Krsna, He is not subject to them. For instance, under the state laws one may be punished, but the king, the lawmaker, is not subject to that law. Similarly, all the modes of material nature-goodness, passion and ignorance-are emanations from the Supreme Lord Krsna, but Krsna is not subject to material nature. Therefore He is nirguna, which means that these gunas, or modes, although issuing from Him, do not affect Him. That is one of the special characteristics of Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (More...)

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Because of his regular discharge of devotional service, a devotee attains the transcendental stage of life. Since his mind is transcendentally situated, he cannot think of anything but the lotus feet of the Lord. This is the meaning of the word samsmarana-anupūrtya. By constantly thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord, the devotee immediately becomes situated in suddha-sattva. Suddha-sattva refers to that platform which is above the modes of material nature, including the mode of goodness. In the material world, the mode of goodness is considered to be representative of the highest perfection, but one has to transcend this mode and come to the stage of suddha-sattva, or pure goodness, where the three qualities of material nature cannot act. (More...)

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This inner direction by the Lord cleanses the heart of the devotee of all dirty things which are produced by the material modes of passion and ignorance. The non-devotees are under the direction of passion and ignorance. By passion one cannot become detached from material affinity, and by ignorance one cannot know what he actually is, and what the Lord is. Thus, in the state of passion, there is no chance for self realization however much one may play the false part of a religionist. For a devotee, by the grace of the Lord, the modes of passion and ignorance are removed, and he at once becomes situated in the quality of goodness, the sign of a perfect Brahmana. This stage of brahminical qualification can be earned by anyone and everyone, provided he follows the path of devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. The Bhagavatam [2.4.18] says that any lowborn living entity can be made purified under the guidance of a pure devotee of the Lord, because the Lord is so extraordinarily powerful. (More...)

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So anyway, this is knowledge, that "I am occupying this body. I have got this body according to my desire, and this desire has been fulfilled by God. God is with me, with you. He is within your heart. He understands what you desire. You have come, we have come in this material world to satisfy our different desires. Therefore, there are so many different forms of body." Now you can calculate also. What is that? There are three qualities within this material world. You know, everyone. Some are in goodness, and some are in passion, and some are in ignorance. In the animal or in the vegetable kingdom, in the human society, you will find these three types of men. Take our human society. Some of them are very good men, very truthful, very honest, very learned, and knows what is God. You find such men also. And you will find also very much passionate. And you will find also men like cats and dogs-no knowledge, blind. So there are three types of men. Why? Because there are three qualities or modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, you mix up these three qualities with another three varieties of qualities. Just like the painter, they mix up different colors. The original color is blue, yellow and red. Now, you mix up these colors. You can... Hundreds and thousands of colors you can make. It requires expert handling. Similarly, originally these three qualities: goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, three into three equal to nine, and nine into nine equal to eighty-one. So we get immediately account for eighty-one varieties, and each variety is thousand and millions. Therefore 8,400,000 is calculated. And we have got so many varieties of life. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati krmayo rudra-sahkhyakaḥ, means the aquatics, there are 900,000; and the trees and plants, 2,000,000; and 1,100,000, these flies and insects. Krmayo rudra-sahkhyakaḥ. And then birds, 1,000,000 types of birds. Then 3,000,000 types of beasts. Then 400,000 of human being-civilized, uncivilized, white, red, black, so many varieties. In this way, the whole calculation is 8,400,000 different types of body. (More...)

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And that is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that our different types of body, desires, activities, are due to our being infected by the particular quality of material nature. Perfected quality. There are three qualities: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. If you want to be infected by the tamo-guna quality, then you are suffering the infectious disease of tamo-guna. Tamo-guna means nidra, alasya, ignorance, and sleeping more, laziness, and alasya, alasya, laziness; nidra, means sleeping; and ignorance. Just like cats and dogs: they do not know what is the aim of life, what they are doing. This is tamo-guna. And rajo-guna means activities for sense enjoyment. So rajo-guna, just like the karmis, they are working hard day and night. What is the purpose? Sex, that's all. "Why you are working so hard, sir?" "I will enjoy sex at night. [laughter] This is my ambition." "Oh, very good ambition. This ambition the dogs also have got. So why you are working so hard?" "No, that is my ambition. That's all. I am less than dog. Dog gets opportunity of sex life in the street without any working hard, but I will have to work hard to enjoy the same thing. So I am less than dog." One should admit that, that "I am less than dog." Dog gets sex life without any... Visayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syat [SB 11.9.29]. (More...)

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So at our present moment we are sahga-dosa-yukta, we are contaminated by the attachment of modes of material nature. Some of us contaminated by the sattva-guna, some of us are contaminated by the rajo-guna, and some of us is contaminated by the tamo-guna. So out of the three, the rajo-guna and tamo-guna is very dangerous. Rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ [SB 1.2.19]. Rajo-guna and tamo-guna means kama-lobhadayas ca ye, to be contaminated by lusty desires and greediness. So one has to overcome in the beginning, at least, the contamination by rajo-guna and tamo-guna. At the present moment, especially in this age, the contamination of tamo-guna is very prominent, and little rajo-guna also; but sattva-guna is practically nil in this age, Kali-yuga. It is said in the sastra that sattva-guna will be practically nil. Rajas-tamaḥ. And the aim of life is to become free from all the contaminations, even sattva-guna contamination. This has been explained in the Bhagavad-gita very nicely in the Fourteenth Chapter, how to become not contaminated; disinfected. (More...)

So apart from God, now our present problem is that we are entangled by the infection of material qualities, rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ especially. Kama-lobhadayas ca ye, ceta etair anaviddham sthitam sattve prasidati [SB 1.2.19]. We have to conquer over the quality, the infection of quality of rajas-tamaḥ, and then we have to situate ourself in sattva-guna. Then we are in the safe position. And if we do not allow to be infected again by the rajo-guna and tamo-guna-if we keep ourself purely in sattva-guna, that is called suddha-sattva, simply purified sattva-guna-then we will be able to understand what is Krsna, what is God. So not only we have to acquire the qualities of sattva-guna: satyam samaḥ saucaḥ arjavam titiksa, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam... [Bg 18.42]. (More...)

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So this is going on. This is going on. Therefore it is called gunair vicitraḥ. All these living entities and their living condition, their mode of life, standard of life, everything, they are simply contamination of the three gunas: tri-gunair vicitraḥ. Srjatim sa-rūpaḥ prakrtim prajaḥ. Sa-rūpaḥ prakrtim. They are getting this form according to the tendency of the mind, sa-rūpaḥ. If I contaminate tamo-guna, then I get lower-grade life. If I contaminate rajo-guna, then middle-grade life. And if we contaminate... That is also contamination, but it is better than the other two. (More...)

Unless one is situated on the transcendental platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he cannot get free from the influence of the modes of material nature,

Unless one is situated on the transcendental platform of Krsna consciousness, he cannot get free from the influence of the modes of material nature, as it is confirmed by the Lord in the Seventh Chapter (7.14). Therefore, even for the most highly educated person on the mundane plane, it is impossible to get out of the entanglement of maya simply by theoretical knowledge, or by separating the soul from the body. There are many so-called spiritualists who outwardly pose to be advanced in the science, but inwardly or privately are completely under the particular modes of nature which they are unable to surpass. Academically, one may be very learned, but because of his long association with material nature, he is in bondage. Krsna consciousness helps one to get out of the material entanglement, even though one may be engaged in his prescribed duties. Therefore, without being fully in Krsna consciousness, no one should suddenly give up his prescribed duties and become a so-called yogi or transcendentalist artificially. It is better to be situated in one's position and to try to attain Krsna consciousness under superior training. Thus one may be freed from the clutches of maya. (More...)

According to the laws of nature, the materialistic person who has no knowledge of the spirit soul is obliged to act on the bodily platform of sense gratification; his anxiety is increased to an unlimited extent by his misguided attempts to satisfy the insatiable desires of his senses. The person who knows that he is an eternal spiritual entity distinct from his temporary material covering may understand the futility of such engagement in fruitive action for the sake of sense gratification, but nevertheless he must also continue to act. "Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows his nature. What can repression accomplish?" (Bg. 3.33) Even a person who has gained the understanding that he is different from his temporary material body must nonetheless continue to act according to his nature, as it is the constitution of the spirit soul itself to be always active. But one must know how to act in such a way that his activities do not obligate him to continue in the entanglement of materialism. Therefore Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita, "Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service." One should engage one's senses in the service of the master of the senses, Krsna. This devotional service to Krsna is recommended in all the Vedic literatures as the eternal activity of the living entity. (More...)

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