Text 32]
Fundamental Principles of Material Nature
1097
clearly stated here that it is a product of egoism in passion. By practice one comes to the point of the mode of goodness, and by surrendering or fixing the mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one becomes a very great personality or  mahātmā . In  Bhagavad-gītā  it is clearly said,  sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ : “Such a great soul is very rare.”
In this verse it is clear that both kinds of senses, the senses for acquiring knowledge and the senses for action, are products of egoism in the mode of passion. And because the sense organs for activity and for acquiring knowledge require energy, therefore vital energy or life energy is also produced by egoism in the mode of passion. We can actually see, therefore, that those who are very passionate can improve in material acquisition very quickly. It is recommended in the Vedic scriptures that if one wants to encourage a person in acquiring material possessions, one should also encourage him in sex life. We naturally find that those who are addicted to sex life are also materially advanced because sex life or passionate life is the impetus for the material advancement of civilization. For those who want to make spiritual advancement, there is almost no existence of the mode of passion. Only the mode of goodness is prominent. We find that those who engage in  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness are materially poor, but one who has eyes can see who is the greater. Although he appears to be materially poor, a person in  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness is not actually a poor man, but the person who has no taste for  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness and appears to be very happy with material possessions is actually poor. Persons infatuated by material consciousness are very intelligent in discovering things for material comforts, but they have no access to understanding the spirit soul and spiritual life. If, therefore, anyone wants to advance in spiritual life, he has to come back to the platform of purified desire, the purified desire for devotional service. As stated in the  Nārada-pañcarātra , engagement in the service of the Lord when the senses are purified in  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness is called pure devotion.
TEXT 32
तामसाच्च विकुर्वाणाद्धगवद्रीर्यचोदितात् ।
शब्दमात्रमभूत्तस्मान्नमः श्रोत्रं तु शब्दगम् ॥३२॥
tāmasāc ca vikurvāṇād
bhagavad-vīrya-coditāt
śabda-mātram abhūt tasmān
nabhaḥ śrotram tu śabdagam