Svabhāva. Svabhāva means "his own nature." We are accustomed to the three modes of nature. Some of us are under the spell of the modes of goodness, and some of us under the spell of the modes of passion, and some of us are in the modes of ignorance. So according to our own position in relationship with the modes of nature, we create our work. Nādatte kasyacit pāpam . . .
- nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ
- na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ
- ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ
- tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
- (BG 5.15)
. . . everyone is addressed as jantu. Jantu means animals. Of course, in logic also, human being is called rational animal. They are also classified among the animals, but they are called rational animals. So here also, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says, jantavaḥ. Jantavaḥ is the plural number of jantu. Jantu means animal. So nādatte kasyacit pāpam. A . . . somebody is engaged in the activities of sinful activities, but he is not induced by the Lord that he should be engaged in sinful activities. Similarly, somebody is engaged in virtuous activities. So that virtuous activity is according to his own, I mean to say, association with the modes of material nature. Ajñānena āvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ (BG 5.16).
But in this material world, either in the modes of ignorance or in the modes of passion or in the modes of goodness, they are all total sum, totally ignorant. Sum total . . . even a man is in the modes of goodness, that is also considered as ignorance, because real knowledge, real knowledge is to know his relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is real knowledge. Unless one is elevated to that position, that what is his relation with the Supreme Lord, then all his so-called knowledge is also understood as ignorance.
Just like at the present moment—not present moment; always—people are engaged in the matter of economic development for sense gratification. So that is also ignorance. That is also ignorance. Because advancement of economic development . . . there is a nice song by a Vaiṣṇava. He says that jaḍa-vidyā, saba māyāra vaibhava. Jaḍa-vidyā means the material advancement of knowledge is a manifestation of this illusory energy. The illusory energy manifests herself in different ways, and that is called material advancement of knowledge. The material advancement of knowledge means he has becoming more and more illusioned. Illusioned.
Just like today one of our student, he had been to some doctor for some personal business. He had some talks with him. So when the student said that "We believe in personal God," then the doctor answered that "Oh, we believe . . . the world believed seven hundred years before like that." Now people have advanced so far that they cannot believe in the Personality of Godhead. Now, people think, think that they have made very much advance in the material science. Well, actually, if we scrutinizingly study how much advancement they have made, then we can know that practically we have been more illusioned than we have made advancement.
Now, seven hundred years before, people were dying. Death was there. So has the advancement of material science during the seven hundred years has stopped death? No. That is not possible. People were suffering from diseases seven hundred years before. Then has the material science so much advanced, stopped diseases? No.