So long we remain servant and obliged to perform according to the dictation of the senses, then I am go-dāsa—on the material field, go-dāsa, or under the spell of the material energy, servant of the material energy. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā . . . (BG 7.14). The māyā, the prakṛti, is dictating. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Dictating means you voluntarily become subjected to the dictation of this material nature. She cannot dictate if you are strong. But if you agree that "I shall be dictated by you," then you become dictated. Just like a disease. If you infect the disease, then you must suffer. But if you remain very fit, competent, not to be infected by the germs of the disease, you are not diseased. This is the way.
And that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, 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-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. If you want to be infected by the tamo-guṇa quality, then you are suffering the infectious disease of tamo-guṇa. Tamo-guṇa means nidrā, alasya, ignorance, and sleeping more, laziness, and alasya, alasya, laziness; nidrā, 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-guṇa.