Text 14] The Manus, Administrators of the Universe
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stated in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  (1.7.23):  māyāṁ vyudasya cic-chaktyā kaivalye sthita ātmani . Although the external energy belongs to the Lord, when one is in the external energy ( mama māyā duratyayā ) He is very difficult to understand. However, when one comes to the spiritual energy, one can understand Him. Therefore in  Bhagavad-gītā  (18.55) it is said,  bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ : one who wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead in reality must take to the platform of  bhakti , or  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness. This  bhakti  consists of various activities ( śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam/ arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam ), and to understand the Lord one must take to this path of devotional service. Even though the people of the world have forgotten God and may say that God is dead, this is not a fact. One can understand God when one takes to the  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness movement, and thus one can be happy.
TEXT 14
अथाग्रे ऋषयः कर्माणीहन्तेऽकर्महेतवे । ईहमानो हि पुरुषः प्रायोऽनीहां प्रपद्यते ॥१४॥
athāgre ṛṣayaḥ karmāṇ- īhante 'karma-hetave īhamāno hi puruṣaḥ prāyo 'nihāṁ prapadyate
atha —therefore;  agre —in the beginning;  ṛṣayaḥ —all learned  ṛṣis , saintly persons;  karmāṇi —fruitive activities;  īhante —execute;  akarma —freedom from fruitive results;  hetave —for the purpose of;  īhamānaḥ —engaging in such activities;  hi —indeed;  puruṣaḥ —a person;  prāyaḥ —almost always;  anīhām —liberation from  karma ;  prapadyate —attains.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, to enable people to reach the stage of activities that are not tinged by fruitive results, great saints first engage people in fruitive activities, for unless one begins by performing activities as recommended in the  śāstras , one cannot reach the stage of liberation, or activities that produce no reactions.