The rascals, they are thinking they are independent. That is . . . they are not independent. Completely under the control of the material nature. Otherwise why there are different species of life? Where is the arrangement? Arrangement is there. If you remain in sattva-guṇa, then you get higher form of life. Nature's law is so perfect that it hasn't got to create; it is automatically. Just like if you infect some disease, germs, you will automatically suffer from that disease. Similarly, if we are in contamination, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa . . . sattva-guṇa here . . . sattva-guṇa is also a contamination. And what to speak of rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa? So this is called pravṛtti-mārga. According to our inclination we are contacting a certain type of the modes of material nature and we are getting different types of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Kāraṇam. Why one is getting better position, and why one is not getting? Why one is dog, and why one is millionaire? So it is due to our association with different modes of material nature.
So here it is said,
- nivṛtti-mārgaḥ kathita
- ādau bhāgavatā yathā
- krama-yogopalabdhena
- brahmaṇā yad asaṁsṛtiḥ
- (SB 6.1.1)
Saṁsṛtiḥ means the cycle of birth and death. This is called saṁsṛtiḥ. Saṁsṛtiḥ. And asaṁsṛtiḥ means to stop the cycle of birth and death and go back to home, back to Godhead. Then, if you want to go back to home, back to Godhead, then you have to follow the nivṛtti-mārga. Pravrtti is there, my inclination is there, but if you practice nivṛtti-mārga, then you overcome the cycle of birth and death, saṁsṛtiḥ. So this human form of life is meant for nivṛtti-mārga, not to indulge the sense gratification but minimize sense gratification, as far as possible. Try to make it zero. Then that is called nivṛtti-mārga. We are . . . we require this eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But if we try, if we practice, that is called austerity.