Page 45 - Metaphysical questions of life

The Bhagavad‐gita discourse erases all material illusions

All living en es in the material world are transmigra ng from one ma-
terial body to another. This is due to a achment to dominate people
and material possessions under the spell of the material concep on of
life. In this fu le a empt the delusional living en ty thinks he is the
controller and master of his ac vi es. As long as he remains duped by
this delusional mentality he is forced to act under the modes of materi-
al nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. He is a blind puppet being
manipulated by the modes of nature and the dictates of his own lust,
anger and greed. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:

nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ / yadā draṣṭānupaśya
guṇebhyaś ca paraṁ ve / mad‐bhāvaṁ so ’dhigaccha

“When one properly sees that in all ac vi es no other performer is at
work than these modes of nature and he knows the Supreme Lord, who
is transcendental to all these modes, he a ains My spiritual na-
ture.” (Bg 14.19) Bhak vedanta Swami Prabhupada explains:

“One can transcend all the ac vi es of the modes of material nature
simply by understanding them properly by learning from the proper
souls. The real spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa, and He is impar ng this spiritu-
al knowledge to Arjuna. Similarly, it is from those who are fully in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness that one has to learn this science of ac vi es in terms of
the modes of nature. Otherwise, one’s life will be misdirected. By the
instruc on of a bona fide spiritual master, a living en ty can know of
his spiritual posi on, his material body, his senses, how he is en-
trapped, and how he is under the spell of the material modes of nature.
He is helpless, being in the grip of these modes, but when he can see his
real posi on, then he can a ain to the transcendental pla orm, having
the scope for spiritual life. Actually, the living en ty is not the perform-
er of different ac vi es. He is forced to act because he is situated in a
par cular type of body, conducted by some par cular mode of material
nature. Unless one has the help of spiritual authority, he cannot under-
stand in what posi on he is actually situated. With the associa on of a
bona fide spiritual master, he can see his real posi on, and by such an
understanding he can become fixed in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A man
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