Chapter 14: The Three Modes of Material Nature

Bg 14.19

TEXT 19

nanyam gunebhyah kartaram

yada drastanupasyati

gunebhyas ca param vetti

mad-bhavam so 'dhigacchati



SYNONYMS

na— never; anyam— other than; gunebhyah —from the qualities; kartaram —the performer; yada —when; drasta anupasyati— he who sees properly; gunebhyah ca— from the modes of nature; param— transcendental; vetti— know; mat-bhavam— My spiritual nature; sah —he; adhigacchati— is promoted.

TRANSLATION

When you see that there is nothing beyond these modes of nature in all activities and that the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all these modes, then you can know My spiritual nature.

PURPORT

One can transcend all the activities of the modes of material nature simply by understanding them properly by learning from the proper souls. The real spiritual master is Krsna, and He is imparting this spiritual knowledge to Arjuna. Similarly, it is from those who are fully in Krsna consciousness that one has to learn this science of activities in terms of the modes of nature. Otherwise, one's life will be misdirected. By the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, a living entity can know of his spiritual position, his material body, his senses, how he is entrapped, and how he is under the spell of the material modes of nature. He is helpless, being in the grip of these modes, but when he can see his real position, then he can attain to the transcendental platform, having the scope for spiritual life. Actually, the living entity is not the performer of different activities. He is forced to act because he is situated in a particular type of body, conducted by some particular mode of material nature. Unless one has the help of spiritual authority, he cannot understand in what position he is actually situated. With the association of a bona fide spiritual master, he can see his real position, and, by such an understanding, he can become fixed in full Krsna consciousness. A man in Krsna consciousness is not controlled by the spell of the material modes of nature. It has already been stated in the Seventh Chapter that one who has surrendered to Krsna is relieved from the activities of material nature. Therefore for one who is able to see things as they are, the influence of material nature gradually ceases.