Text 20]
Mother Pārvati Curses Citraketu
185
continues very strongly in the mode of ignorance presented by material nature. One must therefore promote himself to the stage of goodness through his character and behavior and then gradually come to the transcendental platform, or  adhokṣaja  platform, in which he realizes both his position and the position of others. Everything is done under the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The process by which the results of action are ordained is called  niyatam , always working.
TEXT 20
गुणप्रवाह एतस्मिन् कः शापः को न्वनुग्रहः । कः स्वर्गो नरकः को वा किं सुखं दुःखमेव वा ॥२०॥
guṇa-pravāha etasmin kaḥ śāpaḥ ko nv anugrahaḥ kaḥ svargo narakaḥ ko vā kim sukham duḥkham eva vā
guṇa-pravāhe —in the current of the modes of material nature;  etasmin —this;  kaḥ —what;  śāpaḥ —a curse;  kaḥ —what;  nu —indeed;  anugrahaḥ —a favor;  kaḥ —what;  svargaḥ —elevation to heavenly planets;  narakaḥ —hell;  kaḥ —what;  vā —or;  kim —what;  sukham —happiness;  duḥkham —distress;  eva —indeed;  vā —or.
TRANSLATION
This material world resembles the waves of a constantly flowing river. Therefore, what is a curse and what is a favor? What are the heavenly planets, and what are the hellish planets? What is actually happiness, and what is actually distress? Because the waves flow constantly, none of them has an eternal effect.
PURPORT
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākura sings, ( miche )  māyāra vaśe, yāccha bhese ,  khāccha hābuḍubu, bhāi : “My dear living entities within this material world, why are you being carried away by the waves of the modes of material nature?” ( Jīva )  kṛṣṇa-dāsa, ei viśvāsa, karle ta’ āra