Just like you take a drop of water from the sea. There is also salt, but very minute particle. The salt is there because it is part and parcel of the big sea. It must be salty. Similarly, Brahman, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramam . . . (BG 10.12). So here we have got all the qualities. We are Brahman, we are pure. But Kṛṣṇa's paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramam. He's the supreme, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He's the chief, chief pavitra, chief brahma. We are also brahma, but small brahma. We are also pure. Because we are small pure, therefore we sometimes become impure. Otherwise, by nature we are pure spirit soul. Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. This is the Vedic information. The puruṣa . . . puruṣa means the living entity who has come here to enjoy. Asaṅga, he has no connection with this material world, but some way or other he's thinking that "I am this matter. I have to enjoy this material world." "I am this Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am man," "I am woman," "I am cat," "I am dog," "I am tree," "I am hog . . ." In this way he's identifying with this material nature and enjoying or serving. He cannot enjoy. He can simply serve.
So this is the philosophy to understand, that asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānām. We have to learn how to forget to serve this material nature. That is bhakti-mārga. It is forced, because we have . . . kṛṣṇa-bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. Some way or other we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa and trying to enjoy this material world under different position. That we have to forget. This is not my business. This is . . . when we understand this position, that is called self-realization that, "I am not servant of anyone. I am not servant of my country, of my society, of my friend, of my dress, of my cat, of my dog. I am nobody's servant. I am servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is self-realization. That is self-realization, asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānāṁ jñānena, when one comes to this understanding—not by sentiment, but by real knowledge, jñānena.
So when one becomes devotee, he's not a fool. Pure devotee is full knowledge. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). After many, many births, when one is actually jñānavān, actually wise, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. How? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). He surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa, I forgot You so long. Now I understand that You are everything." That is knowledge. That is real knowledge. Therefore it is said, jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena. This jñāna means vairāgya—no more attachment for serving the so-called society, friendship, love, country. These are all foolishly engagement. But people will not understand that. They'll think that, "This is my first service. This is my first . . ." How long you'll serve, my dear sir? But if you serve Kṛṣṇa, this service automatically becomes possible.