Text 25] The Advent of Lord Krsna: Introduction 51

PURPORT

Parasya saktir vividhaiva érityate (Svetésvatara Upanisad 6.8). In the
Vedas it is said that the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
are called by different names, such as yogamdyd and mahdmayd.
Ultimately, however, the Lord’s potency is one, exactly as electric
potency is one although it can act both to cool and to heat. The Lord’s
potency acts in both the spiritual and material worlds. In the spiritual
world the Lord’s potency works as yogaméyd, and in the material world
the same potency works as mahdmdyd, exactly as electricity works in
both a heater and a cooler. In the material world, this potency, working
as maham4yé, acts upon the conditioned souls to deprive them more and
more of devotional service. It is said, yaya sammohito jiva dtmanam tri-
gundtmakam. In the material world the conditioned soul thinks of him-
self as a product of tri-guna, the three modes of material nature. This is
the bodily conception of life. Because of associating with the three gunas
of the material potency, everyone identifies himself with his body. Some-
one is thinking he is a brahmana, someone a ksatriya, and someone a
vaisya or Sidra. Actually, however, one is neither a brahmana, a
ksatriya, a vaisya nor a Stdra; one is part and parcel of the Supreme
Lord (mamaivaméah), but because of being covered by the material en-
ergy, mahdmdayéd, one identifies himself in these different ways. When
the conditioned soul becomes liberated, however, he thinks himself an
eternal servant of Krsna. Jivera ‘svariipa’ haya—krsnera ‘nitya-dasa.’
When he comes to that position, the same potency, acting as yogamdyd,
increasingly helps him become purified and devote his energy to the
service of the Lord.

In either case, whether the soul is conditioned or liberated, the Lord is
supreme. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.10), maydédhyaksena prakrtih
stiyate sa-cardcaram: it is by the order of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead that the material energy, mahamdyd, works upon the condi-
tioned soul.

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah

ahankdra-vimidhatma
kartaham iti manyate
