Text 41 ]
Bhāgavatam is the Answer
595
Some of the living entities are relatively happy and in better conditions of life, whereas others are in distressed conditions of life. But factually none of them are actually happy in the material conditional life. No one can be happy in prison life, although one is a first-class prisoner and the other is a third-class prisoner. The intelligent person should not try to be promoted from third-class prison life to first-class prison life, but should try to be released from the prison altogether. One may be promoted to first-class prisoner, but the same first-class prisoner is again degraded to a third-class prisoner in the next term. One should try to be free from prison life and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the real goal for all types of living entities.
TEXT 41
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति तिस्रः सुरनृनारकाः । 
  तत्राप्येकैकशो राजन् भिद्यन्ते गतयस्त्रिधा । 
  यदैकैकतरोऽन्याभ्यां स्वभाव उपहन्यते ॥४१॥
sattvam rajas tama iti 
  tisraḥ suranṛnārakāḥ 
  tatrāpy ekaikaśo rājan 
  bhidyante gatayas tridhā 
  yadaikaikataro'nyābhyām 
  sva-bhāva upahanyate
sattvam —the mode of goodness;  rajaḥ —the mode of passion;  tamaḥ —the mode of darkness;  iti —thus;  tisraḥ —trio;  sura —demigod;  nṛ —human being;  nārakāḥ —one who is suffering hellish conditions;  tatra api —even there;  ekaikaśaḥ —another;  rājan —O King;  bhidyante —divide into;  gatayaḥ —movements;  tridhā —three;  yadā —at that time;  ekaikataraḥ —one in relation with another;  anyābhyām —from the other;  sva-bhāvaḥ —habit;  upahanyate —develops.
TRANSLATION
According to the different modes of material nature—the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of darkness—there are different living creatures, who are known as demigods, human beings and hellish living entities. O King, even a particular mode of nature, being mixed with the other two, is divided into three, and thus each kind of living creature is influenced by the other modes and acquires its habits also.