Akrūra offered his prayers as follows: “My dear Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are the supreme cause of all causes and the original inexhaustible personality, Nārāyaṇa. From Your navel a lotus flower grows, and from that lotus Brahmā, the creator of this universe, is born. Since Brahmā is the cause of this universe, You are the cause of all causes. The elements of this cosmic manifestation—earth, water, fire, air, ether, ego and the total material energy, as well as nature, the marginal energy, the living entities, the mind, the senses, the sense objects and the demigods who control the affairs of the cosmos—are all produced from Your body. You are the Supersoul of everything, but no one knows Your transcendental form. Everyone within this material world is influenced by the modes of material nature. Even demigods like Lord Brahmā, being covered by the influence of material nature, do not exactly know Your transcendental existence beyond the cosmic manifestation of the three modes of material nature.
Influenced by the modes of material nature
Expressions researched:
"influenced by a particular mixture of the modes of material nature"
|"influenced by one of the modes of material nature"
|"influenced by such modes of material nature"
|"influenced by the material modes of nature"
|"influenced by the modes of material nature"
|"influenced by the qualities of material nature"
|"influenced by the two material modes of nature"
|"modes of material nature is working. Somebody is influenced"
|"modes of material nature, being influenced by"
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
The Supersoul enters into the bodies of the created beings who are influenced by the modes of material nature and causes them to enjoy the effects of these modes by the subtle mind.
The Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy, descends on the manifested world without being influenced by the material modes of nature. He is eternally beyond the material manifestations. He descends out of His causeless mercy only to reclaim the fallen souls who are captivated by the illusory energy. They are attacked by the material energy, and they want to enjoy her under false pretexts, although in essence the living entity is unable to enjoy. One is eternally the servitor of the Lord, and when he forgets this position he thinks of enjoying the material world, but factually he is in illusion. The Lord descends to eradicate this false sense of enjoyment and thus reclaim conditioned souls back to Godhead. That is the all-merciful nature of the Lord for the fallen souls.
He will have to suspend all the actions of the senses, even from the outside, and will have to be impervious to interactions of the senses, which are influenced by the modes of material nature. After renouncing all material duties, he must become immovably established, beyond all sources of hindrances on the path.
SB Canto 2
The Supreme Lord is the master of the external energy manifested by the three material modes, namely goodness, passion and ignorance, and as master of this energy He is ever unaffected by the influence of such bewildering energy. The living entities, the jīvas, however, are affected by or susceptible to being influenced by such modes of material nature—that is the difference between the Lord and the living entities. The living entities are subjected by those qualities, although originally the living entities are qualitatively one with the Lord. In other words, the material modes of nature, being products of the energy of the Lord, are certainly connected with the Lord, but the connection is just like that between the master and the servants. The Supreme Lord is the controller of the material energy, whereas the living entities, who are entangled in the material world, are neither masters nor controllers. Rather, they become subordinate to or controlled by such energy.
SB Canto 3
Although the living entity desires freedom from the contamination of matter, he is not given release. Actually, as soon as a living entity puts himself under the control of the modes of material nature, his acts are influenced by the qualities of material nature, and he becomes passive. It is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ: (BG 3.27) the living entity acts according to the qualities or modes of material nature. He falsely thinks that he is acting, but unfortunately he is passive. In other words, he has no opportunity to get out of the control of material nature because it has already conditioned him. In Bhagavad-gītā it is also stated that it is very difficult to get out of the clutches of material nature. One may try in different ways to think that everything is void in the ultimate issue, that there is no God and that even if the background of everything is spirit, it is impersonal. This speculation may go on, but actually it is very difficult to get out of the clutches of material nature. Devahūti poses the question that although one may speculate in many ways, where is liberation as long as one is under the spell of material nature? The answer is also found in Bhagavad-gītā (7.14): only one who has surrendered himself unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa (mām eva ye prapadyante) can be freed from the clutches of māyā.
SB Canto 4
The word askhalita indicates that orders by the king could not be disobeyed by anyone in the entire world. Such orders, however, were never issued to control saintly persons or the descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. The Supreme Lord is known as Acyuta, and Lord Kṛṣṇa is addressed as such by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā (senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me 'cyuta (BG 1.21)). Acyuta refers to one who does not fall because He is never influenced by the modes of material nature. When a living entity falls down to the material world from his original position, he becomes cyuta, which means that he forgets his relationship with Acyuta. Actually every living entity is a part and parcel, or a son, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When influenced by the modes of material nature, a living entity forgets this relationship and thinks in terms of different species of life; but when he again comes to his original consciousness, he does not observe such bodily designations. This is indicated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.18) by the words paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.
Every conditioned soul is influenced by a particular mixture of the modes of material nature. As such, the conditioned soul is attracted to certain types of activity which he is forced to perform because he is completely under the influence of material nature. Here Pṛthu Mahārāja is compared to such a conditioned soul, not because he was a conditioned soul but because he was so anxious to receive the Kumāras that it was as if without them he would have lost his life. The conditioned soul is attracted by the objects of sense gratification. His eyes are attracted to see beautiful things, his ears are attracted to hear nice music, his nose is attracted to enjoy the aroma of a nice flower, and his tongue is attracted to taste nice food. Similarly, all his other senses—his hands, his legs, his belly, his genitals, his mind, etc.—are so susceptible to the attraction of the objects of enjoyment that he cannot restrain himself. Pṛthu Mahārāja, in the same way, could not restrain himself from receiving the four Kumāras, who were bright by dint of their spiritual progress, and thus not only he himself but also his officers and associates all received the four Kumāras. It is said, "Birds of a feather flock together." In this world, everyone is attracted by a person of the same category.
The living entity by nature has minute independence to choose his own good or bad fortune, but when he forgets his supreme master, the Personality of Godhead, he gives himself up unto the modes of material nature. Being influenced by the modes of material nature, he identifies himself with the body and, for the interest of the body, becomes attached to various activities. Sometimes he is under the influence of the mode of ignorance, sometimes the mode of passion and sometimes the mode of goodness. The living entity thus gets different types of bodies under the modes of material nature.
A devotee is always situated on the Brahman platform. He has nothing to do with material happiness or distress. When one is strongly fixed in devotional service and free from all material attachment, uncontaminated by the material modes of nature, he becomes fit to return home, back to Godhead. Although by special blessing the Pracetās would enjoy material facilities for millions of years, they would not be attached to them. Thus at the end of their material enjoyment they would be promoted to the spiritual world and return to Godhead.
The word pakva-guṇāśayāḥ has special significance, for it means that by devotional service one is able to give up the influence of the three modes of material nature. As long as one is influenced by the modes of material nature, he cannot return to Godhead. It is clearly explained that all planets in the material world—beginning from Brahmaloka down to the hellish planets—are unfit places for a devotee. padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām (SB 10.14.58). A place where there is danger at every step is certainly not a comfortable place.
SB Canto 7
My dear Lord, everyone in this material world is under the modes of material nature, being influenced by goodness, passion and ignorance. Everyone—from the greatest personality, Lord Brahmā, down to the small ant—works under the influence of these modes. Therefore everyone in this material world is influenced by Your energy. The cause for which they work, the place where they work, the time when they work, the matter due to which they work, the goal of life they have considered final, and the process for obtaining this goal—all are nothing but manifestations of Your energy. Indeed, since the energy and energetic are identical, all of them are but manifestations of You.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
“You are already perceiving His presence twenty-four hours a day, yet He will come and see you very soon. Actually, He is present everywhere and in everyone's heart, just as fire is present in wood. Since Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul, He regards everyone equally: He sees no one as His enemy, no one as His friend, and no one as lower or higher than Him. He actually has no father, mother, brother or relative, nor does He require society, friendship and love. He does not have a material body like us; He never appears or takes birth like an ordinary human being. He does not appear in higher or lower species of life like ordinary living entities, who are forced to take birth on account of their previous fruitive activities. He appears by His internal potency just to give protection to His devotees. He is never influenced by the modes of material nature, but when He appears within this material world He seems to act like an ordinary living entity under the spell of the modes of material nature. But in fact He is the overseer of this material creation, and while remaining unaffected by the material modes of nature, He creates, maintains and dissolves the whole cosmic manifestation.
Lord Kṛṣṇa intended for Vasudeva to see everything with the vision of a mahā-bhāgavata, a first-class devotee, who sees that all living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and that the Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart. In fact, every living entity has a spiritual identity, but in contact with material existence he becomes influenced by the material modes of nature. He becomes covered by the concept of bodily life, forgetting that his spirit soul is of the same quality as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One mistakenly considers one individual to be different from another simply because of their material bodily coverings. Because of differences between bodies, the spirit soul appears before us differently.
Lord Kṛṣṇa then gave a nice example in terms of the five material elements. The total material elements, namely the sky, air, fire, water and earth, are present in everything in the material world, whether in an earthen pot or in a mountain or in the trees or in an earring. These five elements are present in everything, in different proportions and quantities. A mountain is a gigantic form of the combination of these five elements, and a small earthen pot is made of the same elements, but in a smaller quantity.
The Supreme Lord is known as aja, or unborn. Similarly, the material nature is called ajā. Both these terms, aja and ajā, mean "unborn." Because both the material nature and the Supreme Lord are unborn, it is not possible that they can beget the living entities. But it is accepted in the Vedic literature that as water in contact with air sometimes presents innumerable bubbles, so a combination of the material nature and the Supreme Person causes the appearance of the living entities within this material world. As bubbles in the water appear in different shapes, the living entities also appear in the material world in different shapes and conditions, influenced by the modes of material nature. As such, it is not improper to conclude that the living entities appearing within this material world in different shapes, such as human beings, demigods, animals, birds and beasts, all get their respective bodies due to different desires. No one can say when such desires were awakened in them, and therefore it is said, anādi-karma: the cause of such material existence is untraceable.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
The Queen, she is in the Buckingham Palace. But she cannot go at the same time anywhere and everywhere. No. She is in, packed up in Buckingham Palace. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Therefore He is Hṛṣīkeśa. Try to understand the distinction between Kṛṣṇa and others. Kṛṣṇa is goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Ātma-bhūta. This ātma-bhūta is Hṛṣīkeśa. He is giving intelligence. The more you become purified, the more you get direct instruction from Hṛṣīkeśa. This is the point. So how you can become purified? Purified means no more influenced by the modes of material nature. That is explained: guḍākeśa. Guḍāka īśa. Guḍāka means darkness, and īśa. When you become master of this material world, or material senses. This material world means material senses. That's all. So if you become master of the material senses, then you become guḍākeśa. Therefore Arjuna is described here as guḍākeśa. Arjuna... Don't take Arjuna that he was mistaken. No, he cannot be. How he can be? He is constantly with Kṛṣṇa. How he can be misdirected? No. That is not possible. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā andhakāra (CC Madhya 22.31). So guḍāka means darkness, māyā.
Everything in bodily concept of life. And if I am not this body, then in relationship with this body, either my family or my country or my society, or my other relationships, they are also false because the body is false. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya theorized this: brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Brahman means the soul is actually the fact, not the material manifestation. Material manifestation, of course, he says false. We don't say false. We say temporary. So our main concern is that I am not temporary. My body is temporary. Now I am working for the body. That is illusion. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Then what is real fact? Real fact is that I am spiritual particle, and the whole spirit is Kṛṣṇa, or God. Therefore, as part and parcel of God it is my duty to serve God. That is spiritual life, bhakti-yoga, That is called svarūpa. And in another place, the Bhagavad-gītā confirms it that sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). When I realize that I am not this body, then immediately I transcend the three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Under the bodily concept of life, I am influenced by one of the modes of material nature and acting.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
That is artificial. So real knowledge means when one is not any more disturbed by the influence of the modes of material nature. The modes of material nature is working. Somebody is influenced by passion, somebody is influenced by ignorance, and somebody is influenced by goodness also. That is also one nature. If, on the platform of goodness, if one stops, then he's also bound, he's also conditioned. "I am very learned man; I know what is Brahman," or "I am living very nice peaceful life." These are the products of jñāna. But if we remain compact within the boundary of such knowledge and do not make further progress, then that is also bondage. That is also bondage. Therefore one must come to the sense where these waves of material nature cannot act. That is real knowledge. Therefore it is said, jñānaṁ yadā pratinivṛtta-guṇormi. Urmi means waves. Cakram, in the whirlpool of the waves of the ocean of nescience... Just like they are taking pleasure in swimming with the waves.
Just like you have changed your body from the body of the womb, and at the present moment... But you don't remember all the incidences that have happened. So sometimes we remember; sometimes we do not remember, like that. But generally, if we... We remember during lifetime, but we forget also. Even if we forget, that does not mean I am dead. Forgetfulness is explained, māyā. We forget Kṛṣṇa. We forget that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa" by forgetfulness. That is explained. What is that? Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan. Ātma-māyā. It is a illusion. That forgetful... Actually there is no forgetfulness. I should not forget, but because I am illusioned, therefore I forget. Because... I forget means I am illusioned. Ātma-māyā. Influenced by the modes of material... The one who is most influenced by the modes of material nature, they forget. Just like you are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. But others, they are not worshiping. They are to be awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It does not mean they are actually separate from Kṛṣṇa. But they have to be awakened. They say man is not dead, he is sleeping. But he has to be awakened. As soon as he is awakened, he remembers immediately. This is called svapna-citta-nyāya.
Being influenced by the modes of material nature, he is, the living entity, is identifying himself with the particular type of material nature, particular modes of material nature. We are getting different types of bodies according to the modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said. Whatever we are doing, we are doing under the spell of material nature. Just like a madman. A madman is insulting his father. Why? Naturally a man is not supposed to insult his father, but being maddened, sometimes we have seen that insults his father. I... One friend... I went to the Poona lunatic asylum with the father of the patient. The complaint was that the son who is mad was kept in Poona at the lunatic asylum. He would attack his father immediately he sees. His only anger was with his father. So similarly, nature is the father, son is respectful to the father. But sometimes, in madness, he is not only disrespectful, but he want to insult actually.
So here, na adharmajaṁ tad-dhṛdayam. Adharmajam. So long our heart is compact with material desires, we have to take birth after birth to fulfill that desire. It is automatic. So how to become desireless? Not desireless but no material desires. There is desire to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is natural. To become a devotee, to desire like that, that is wanted. We cannot stop our desires. But desires have to be purified. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). So this is the process of bhakti. Therefore even one is infected with these lusty desires, kāma-lobhadayas ca ye, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa... Rajo-guṇa, and tamo-guṇa means lusty desires and greediness. Kāma-lobha. So, so long we are influenced by the two material modes of nature, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, then we will be pushed for fulfilling our lusty desires and greediness. And that will help us to become implicated in sinful activities. The people are becoming implicated in sinful activities only for this kāma-lobha. He is never satisfied, and his greediness increases and we create sinful life.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes. As he desired, so he got a form. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). The form is offered by the Supreme Absolute Truth, as he desires. Just like the cloth has no form, but as the customer desires, the tailor gives a form suitable to his desire. Similarly, material world means we have got varieties. In the spiritual world also we have got varieties. Because we are originally of varieties of form, we are getting these varieties of body, being influenced by the modes of material nature. So I'm desiring that if I get such body, I can eat even stool. So God gives you, "All right, you take this body. Become a pig and eat stool." This is going on. Why? Your desiring. You eat, actually. So īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He's friendly, He's sitting in everyone's heart, and the living entity is desiring. So bhrāmayan. Desiring means he wants to go here and there. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni (BG 18.61). He gives a particular type of yantra, machine. This body is machine. Body is machine, everyone accepts. This is a machine. If we want to go to India, we ride on a machine, airplane, and go there. Similarly, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. We want varieties of life, and God gives us a particular machine to ride on and travel, go to heaven, go to hell, become a dog, become a cat, become a demigod, become a tree. This is going on. Transmigration of the soul. God gives us a particular type of body, and we change from one machine to another. This is transmigration.
| Page Title: | Influenced by the modes of material nature |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Matea |
| Created: | 24 of Apr, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=10, CC=0, OB=4, Lec=6, Con=1, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 21 |