Text 23] Understanding Material Nature 1163
tiro-bhavitri sanakair
agner yonir ivaranih

prakrtih—the influence of material nature ; purusasya— of the living entity;
tha—here; dahyamana—being consumed; tu—but; ahah-nisam—day and
night; tirah-bhavitri—disappearing; sanakaih—gradually; agneh—of fire;
yonih—the cause of appearance; iva—as; aranih—wooden sticks.

TRANSLATION

The influence of material nature has covered the living entity, and thus
it is as if the living entity were always in a blazing fire. But by the process
of seriously discharging devotional service, this influence can be removed,
just as wooden sticks which cause a fire are themselves consumed by it.

PURPORT

Fire is conserved in wooden sticks, and when circumstances are
favorable, the fire is ignited. But the wooden sticks which are the cause of
the fire are also consumed by the fire if it is properly dealt with. Simi-
larly, the living entity’s conditional life of material existence is due to his
desire to lord it over material nature and due to his envy of the Supreme
Lord. Thus his main diseases are that he wants to be one with the Supreme
Lord or he wants to become the lord of material nature. The karmis try to
utilize the resources of material nature and thus become its lord and
enjoy sense gratification, and the jianis, the salvationists, who have
become frustrated in enjoying the material resources, want to become
one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead or to merge into the
impersonal effulgence. These two diseases are due to material contamina-
tion. Material contamination can be consumed by devotional service
because in devotional service these two diseases, namely the desire to lord
it over material nature and the desire to become one with the Supreme
Lord, are absent. Therefore the cause of material existence is at once
consumed by the careful discharge of devotional service in Krsna con-
sciousness.

A devotee in full Krsna consciousness appears superficially to be a great
karmi, always working, but the inner significance of the devotee’s
activities is that they are meant for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
This is called bhakti, or devotional service. Arjuna was apparently a
fighter, but when by his fighting he satisfied the senses of Lord Krsna, he
became a devotee. Since a devotee also engages in philosophical research
