Our karma, because we are always engaged in sinful activities, karma . . . kāla, karma, and tama, ignorance. Ignorance. Tama means darkness, and the symptom of tamo-guṇa is laziness and sleep. Those who are lazy and sleeping, you must know he's under the influence of tamo-guṇa. And rajo-guṇa: always acting foolishly. Just like these people are running. They're rajo-guṇa. But actually in this world there are two guṇas—raja and tama, ignorance and foolishly active. Foolish active is very dangerous. There are four classes: lazy intelligent, busy intelligent, and lazy foolish and active foolish. (laughter) The active foolish is the fourth-class man. So at the present moment they're very active, but they're all foolish. Therefore the world is in danger. Active foolishness. Foolish, if he stops, he does not work, it is better. But as soon as he becomes active he becomes more dangerous.
So this rajas-tamo-bhāva is prominent. There is no sattva-guṇa. Goodness is very rare. The symptom of goodness is that he can see everything right. That is goodness. Prakāśa. Just like in sunshine you can see everything clearly. Similarly, one who sees clearly things as they are, they are in the goodness, mode of goodness. There are three modes of the material nature. One who's acting foolishly, he's in rajo-guṇa; and one who does not know what is the meaning of life, simply laziness and darkness, that is tama. So those who are in the tamo-guṇa, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ (BG 14.18). So they will go to the again to the animal kingdom. They'll go again animal kingdom. The rajo-guṇa may have their birth, human birth, again, but that is also very difficult. But if you stay in the sattva-guṇa, then your life is successful. Even if you do not get Kṛṣṇa in this life, you'll get next life if you keep yourself sattva-guṇa. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18), they will gradually be promoted to the higher planetary system or in the spiritual world.
Therefore we are trying to keep ourselves, our students, always in the sattva-guṇa. Cleanliness, sattva śamo dama titikṣā ārjavam jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42), to remain a brāhmaṇa. If you remain a brāhmaṇa, then you'll not fall down. You'll not fall down. Otherwise, if you remain in tamo-guṇa, then you are going to be next animal. This is the process of nature. You cannot check. You may be very great scientist, but you cannot check the process of nature. That is not . . . daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). That is not possible. That is natural. I've given the instance that if you contaminate some poisonous disease, you must suffer. That is natural way. Not that why you shall suffer. No, you must suffer, because you are already contaminated. Therefore the contamination of the material world is going on, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. If you contaminate with the tamo-guṇa, then you must suffer. If you contaminate rajo-guṇa, you must get disease. That is not in your hand. You cannot say. But people are so foolish, they do not know how nature is working. They're puffed up with their little knowledge and thinking they're master of the thing. That is not possible.