Text 16]
The Movements of the Living Entities
1329
The activities of the conditioned souls under the influence of material nature are explained here. Every conditioned soul is engaged in different types of work under the influence of material nature. We can see in the material world that the conditioned soul acts so powerfully that he is playing wonderfully in creating the so-called advancements of material civilization for sense gratification. But actually his position is to know that he is an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. When he is actually in perfect knowledge, he knows that the Lord is the supreme worshipful object and that the living entity is His eternal servant. Without this knowledge, he engages in material activities; that is called ignorance.
TEXT 16
ज्ञानं यदेतददधात्कतमः स देव- स्त्रैकालिकं स्थिरचरेष्वनुवर्तितांशः । तं जीवरूपदवीपनुवर्तमाना- स्तापत्रयोपशमनाय वयं मजेम ॥१६॥
jñānam yad etad adadhāt katamaḥ sa devas trai-kālikam sthira-careṣv anuvartitāmśaḥ tam jīva-karma-padavīm anuvartamānās tāpa-trayopaśamanāya vayam bhajema
jñānam—knowledge; yat—which; etat—this; adadhāt—gave; katamaḥ—who other than; saḥ—that; devaḥ—the Personality of Godhead; trai-kālikam—of the three phases of time; sthira-careṣu—in the inanimate and animate objects; anuvartita—dwelling; aṁśaḥ—His partial representation; tam—unto Him; jīva—of the jīva souls; karma-padavīm—the path of fruitive activities; anuvartamānāḥ—who are pursuing; tāpa-traya—from the threefold miseries; upaśamanāya—for getting free; vayam—we; bhajema—must surrender.
TRANSLATION
No one other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the localized Paramātmā, the partial representation of the Lord, is directing all inanimate and animate objects. He is present in the three phases of time—past, present and future. Therefore, the conditioned soul is engaged in different activities by His direction, and in order to get free from the threefold miseries of this conditional life, we have to surrender unto Him only.