SB 06.01.02 pravrtti-laksanas caiva... cited

Expressions researched:
"guna-sargah punah punah" |"pravrtti-laksanas caiva" |"traigunya-visayo mune" |"yo sav alina-prakrter"

SB Canto 6

SB 6.1.2, Translation and Purport:

O great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī, unless the living entity is freed from the infection of the material modes of nature, he receives different types of bodies in which to enjoy or suffer, and according to the body, he is understood to have various inclinations. By following these inclinations he traverses the path called pravṛtti-mārga, by which one may be elevated to the heavenly planets, as you have already described (in the Third Canto).

As Lord Kṛṣṇa explains in Bhagavad-gītā (9.25):

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā

yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām

"Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me." Because of the influence of the various modes of nature, the living entities have various tendencies or propensities, and therefore they are qualified to achieve various destinations. As long as one is materially attached, he wants to be elevated to the heavenly planets because of his attraction to the material world. The Supreme Personality of Godhead declares, however, "Those who worship Me come to Me." If one has no information about the Supreme Lord and His abode, one tries to be elevated only to a higher material position, but when one concludes that in this material world there is nothing but repeated birth and death, he tries to return home, back to Godhead. If one attains that destination, he need never return to this material world (yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6)). As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says in Caitanya-caritāmṛta (CC Madhya 19.151):

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

"According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service." All living entities are rotating throughout the universe, going sometimes up to the higher planetary systems and sometimes down to the lower planets. This is the material disease, which is known as pravṛtti-mārga. When one becomes intelligent he takes to nivṛtti-mārga, the path of liberation, and thus instead of rotating within this material world, he returns home, back to Godhead. This is necessary.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

Prabhupāda: (devotees chant responsively)

rāja uvāca

nivṛtti-mārgaḥ kathita

ādau bhagavatā yathā

krama-yogopalabdhena

brahmaṇā yad asaṁsṛtiḥ

(SB 6.1.1)

pravṛtti-lakṣaṇaś caiva

traiguṇya-viṣayo mune

yo 'sāv alīna-prakṛter

guṇa-sargaḥ punaḥ punaḥ

(SB 6.1.2)

adharma-lakṣanā nānā

narakāś cānuvarṇitaḥ

manvantaraś ca vyākhyāta

ādyaḥ svāyambhuvaḥ yataḥ

(SB 6.1.3)

priyavratottānapador

vaṁśas tat-caritāni ca

dvīpa-varṣa-samudrādri

nady-udyāna-vanaspatīn

(SB 6.1.4)

So yesterday we talked about Parīkṣit Mahārāja. So he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy. So he prepared himself for death. What was the preparation? That he left immediately his kingdom and the kingdom was divided among his sons. He was young man, not very old, but he understood, "Now, within seven days, I will have to die." So immediately he left home and went to the bank of the Ganges. He was situated... His capital was what is now called New Delhi. Formerly it was known as Hastināpura. The another name of Hastinā..., New Delhi, is there still, and there is a very, very old fort. They say that this fort belonged to the Pāṇḍavas, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. They are keeping just like in Rome they are keeping old buildings. So apart from historical reference... So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was king, emperor of the world. So he was preparing for dying. Many, many, from all over the world, saintly persons, kings, even some demigods from other planets, they came to see him.

Lecture on SB 6.1.2 -- Honolulu, May 6, 1976:

Prabhupāda: Second verse. (devotees repeat)

pravṛtti-lakṣaṇaś caiva

traiguṇya-viṣayo mune

yo 'sāv alīna-prakṛter

guṇa-sargaḥ punaḥ punaḥ

(SB 6.1.2)

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja is trying to understand pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Pravrtti means here in this material world, anyone who has come, beginning from Lord Brahmā down to the small ant, they have come on account of pravṛtti, means for enjoying sex. This is material world. So long one will be engaged in sense enjoyment in different varieties, he will have to remain within this material world. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. We wanted to enjoy this material world; therefore He has given us full chance: "Yes, you enjoy." Kṛṣṇa does not want that you should enjoy this material world. That is not He... Sometimes the foolish men, they say that "Kṛṣṇa has given us this facility for sense enjoyment. Why we shall not take it?" Sometimes the so-called ṛṣis and yogis, they also say, "Yes, when you have got the senses, it is meant for enjoyment. Why it should be stopped?" Yes. Because... Really it has to be stopped. If you want real life of eternal enjoyment, then you have to stop. If you don't stop, then you remain here.

Lecture on SB 6.1.2 -- Honolulu, May 6, 1976:

So pravṛtti lakṣaṇaś caiva traiguṇya viṣayo mune. This is pravṛtti. There are different pravṛttis. Sometimes some animal wants to eat something, another animal wants to eat another thing, but that is pravṛtti. Just like the hog: he is satisfied with stool. That is also eatable. And an enlightened human being, he is satisfied with nice halavā. So this is pravṛtti. Therefore it is said, pravṛtti lakṣaṇaś caiva traiguṇya viṣayo veda. Traiguṇya, according to modes of nature. One who is in the modes of goodness, his foodstuff is different from the person in the modes of ignorance. Therefore we find so many varieties of foodstuff, varieties of taste. This is all within this material world. It is not that... Sometimes this morning we were talking about vegetarian and nonvegetarian. Our mission is not to make a nonvegetarian a vegetarian. No. Our mission is that "Either you are vegetarian or nonvegetarian, it doesn't matter. You become Kṛṣṇa conscious." That is our mission. To become vegetarian is not very good qualification. It is better than the nonvegetarian, but that is not the ultimate solution. The ultimate solution is when you become a lover of God. That is ultimate solution.

Lecture on SB 6.1.2 -- Honolulu, May 6, 1976:

Aśraddadhānāḥ. What Kṛṣṇa is speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā, if we take it, "Let Kṛṣṇa speak. I am not going to accept anything..." Aśraddadhānāḥ: there is no faith in the words of Kṛṣṇa. Aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣa dharmasyāsya: "The religious system which I am speaking." What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66), this religion. So if one is neglectful, does not like this proposal, then what is the result? Aprāpya mām: "He'll never get Me." Aprāpya mām nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Then he will have to continue this process, mṛtyu-saṁsāra vartmani. He'll take birth, again die, again take birth, again die. That will continue. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. So,

pravṛtti-lakṣaṇaś caiva

traiguṇya-viṣayo mune

yo 'sāv alīna-prakṛter

guṇa-sargaḥ punaḥ punaḥ

So we have to give up this habit that "I am master. I can enjoy, and I can do. I am independent." You have to give up this habit. Then you will be eligible for going back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:

So pravṛtti-mārga means if I do things according to my whims, that is called pravṛtti-mārga. Then the next life is waiting for my suffering. That is fact. Just like if you irresponsibly live and there is epidemic and you contact some disease, infection, then you must suffer from it. There is no excuse. So we are acting in this life, in this material world as it is stated here, traiguṇya-viṣayo mune Pravṛtti-lakṣaṇaś caiva traiguṇya-viṣayo mune. Our desires According to the modes of material nature, we are associating. Just like in the temple, in this temple. Here everything is on the modes of goodness. So if you associate with this temple atmosphere, your behavior, your mode of life, will be different. And if you associate with the atmosphere of a brothel, a slaughterhouse, then your atmosphere will be different. That means infection. Association means infection. If we infect tamo-guṇa, then your life is different. And if you infect the rajo-guṇa, then your life is different. Therefore there are varieties of life. Why there are varieties of life? Because we have infected different varieties of infection. There are three kinds of infection originally: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, just like originally there are three colors: red, yellow, and blue. Now, you mix up these three colors. Three into three, it becomes nine, and nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. So those who are expert color mixer, they make varieties of color originally from these three color. Similarly, originally there are three kinds of material modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Now mix it. It become nine, and again nine into nine, Therefore there are 8,400,000 forms of life on account of this mixture.