74 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 6, Ch.1
three modes of material nature because this natural tendency forc-
ibly makes him work in a particular way.
PURPORT
The svabhavika, or one’s natural tendency, is the most important fac-
tor in action. One’s natural tendency is to serve because a living entity is
an eternal servant of God. The living entity wants to serve, but because
of his forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Lord, he serves
under the modes of material nature and manufactures various modes of
service, such as socialism, humanitarianism and altruism. However, one
should be enlightened in the tenets of Bhagavad-gitd and accept the in-
struction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that one give up all
natural tendencies for material service under different names and take to
the service of the Lord. One’s original natural tendency is to act in Krsna
consciousness because one’s real nature is spiritual. The duty of a human
being is to understand that since he is essentially spirit, he must abide by
the spiritual tendency and not be carried away by material tendencies.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has therefore sung:
(miche) mayara vase, yaccha bhese’,

khaccha haébudubu, bhai
““My dear brothers, you are being carried away by the waves of material
energy and are suffering in many miserable conditions. Sometimes you
are drowning in the waves of material nature, and sometimes you are
tossed like a swimmer struggling in the ocean.” As confirmed by Bhakti-
vinoda Thakura, this tendency to be battered by the waves of mdyd can
be changed to one’s original, natural tendency, which is spiritual, when
the living entity comes to understand that he is eternally krsna-dasa, a
servant of God, Krsna.

(jiva) krsna-dasa, ei visvdsa,

karle ta’ dra duhkha nai
If instead of serving mdyd under different names, one turns his service
attitude toward the Supreme Lord, he is then safe, and there is no more
difficulty. If one returns to his original, natural tendency in the human
