Text Ten 83

visnu-saktih para prokta
ksetrajfiakhya tatha para

avidyd-karma-samjnanya
irtiya saktir isyate

Sages have divided the energies of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead into three categories—namely, the spiritual
energy, marginal energy and material energy. The material
energy is considered to be the third-class energy (trtiyd Sak-
tih). Those living beings within the jurisdiction of the ma-
terial energy sometimes engage themselves like dogs and
hogs in working very hard simply for sense gratification.
However, in this life, or, after executing pious activities, in
the next life, some karmis become strongly attracted to per-
forming various kinds of sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas.
Thus on the strength of their pious merit, they are elevated
to heavenly planets. Actually those who perform sacrifices
strictly according to Vedic injunctions are elevated to the
moon and planets above the moon. As mentioned in
Bhagavad-gita (9.21), ksine punye martya-lokarh visanti:
after exhausting the results of their so-called pious ac-
tivities, they again return to the earth, which is called mar-
tya-loka, the place of death. Although such persons may be
elevated to the heavenly planets by their pious activities and
although they may enjoy life there for many thousands of
years, they nonetheless must return to this planet when the
results of their pious activities are exhausted.

This is the position of all karmis, including those who act
piously and those who act impiously. On this planet we find
many businessmen, politicians and others who are simply
