
Material nature consists of three modes of material nature : goodness, passion and ignorance. We we as living entities are originally pure and eternal having a blissful nature in connection to Krishna but due to our contact with material nature from time immemorial, we have thus forgotten our transcendental nature and now what we see our activities are actually the perverted forms of the divine activities and are influenced and contaminated by the three modes of material nature that are mentioned above. The illusory potency of the supreme personality of Godhead Krishna, also known as Maya, consists of these three modes of material nature. According to the vedic literatures, we come to know that when a living entity desires to enjoy independently from the Lord, who is our Supreme well wisher and father, gradually he forgets Him and then we get bound up by the illusory potency and thus suffer in various forms in this material world. This is originally due to our forgetfulness of Krishna, as originally we are His part and parcels.Lord Krishna says in Bg. 15.7;
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
Translation:
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
But Lord Krishna being our Supreme well wisher and affectionate father, describes vividly and clearly what is this illusory potency of His and how wonderfully it works in this material world and it binds us and how the living entities can again attain to that transcendental nature and again attain the eternal blissful relationship with the Lord, Krishna, consequently stopping the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease again and again in this material world, which is actually filled with miseries in different forms.
The lord says in the Bhagavad Gita 7.14;
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
Translation:
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
So, Bhagavad Gita holds the first position in its broad applicability in the whole creation, and among all sciences as it speaks about the practical science of life for every living entities disregarding the temporary false material designation based on caste, creed, race, gender, nationality, as the Lord addresses us as souls, the pure and eternal fragmental part and parcels of the Lord and not on the level of the temporary body, which will be shred after a time being. So, lets know more on the above topic in a brief manner.
In mode of passion the senses of an individual never get satiated, and he does more and more endeavor to get his uncontrollable desires for sense gratification to be fulfilled, hence he gets more and more entangled and greedy with the false attachment and identity in this material world. It can be understood by an example when an animal runs after the mirage in the deserted area due to his thirst but because there is no actual water, its thirst is never satisfied. It has no substance. Similarly the allurements and sense pleasures, which take different forms of activities in the material world are simply the perverted reflections of the pure divine pleasure and devotional services to the Lord in the spiritual world, whose nature is that of eternal existence, full knowledge and consciousness and bliss. Also referred to as; sat, chīt, ānanda. When we try to develop God consciousness or Krishna consciousness keeping Krishna as the centre of our work and we carry on our daily activities and duties in our life for the maintenance of our bodily needs in a regulated manner, by surrendering unto the words of Bhagavad-Gita or a true representative of the Lord, gradually we proceed towards the realm of actual and eternal happiness.
The Lord says in Bg.14.7;
rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi
tṛṣṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam
tan nibadhnāti kaunteya
karma-saṅgena dehinam
Translation:
The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kuntī, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to material fruitive actions.
The mode of ignorance arises from the lack of actual spiritual or divine knowledge and results in delusion and madness. Gradually the individual, affected by the mode of ignorance, proceeds towards the path of degradation and hellish condition of life. Influenced by this mode, one cannot see the principles of this world in actual truth and acts whimsically without any regulative principles, causing neither good for oneself nor for the others. Deeply influenced by this mode, such people are sometimes seen causing havoc in the society, bereft of having the eyes of actual knowledge. It’s an example of one’s becoming lazy for acquiring spiritual knowledge even after seeing the harsh realities and facts of this world. One is not realizing the actual problems of this life which can only be solved in this human form of life that are birth, death, old age and disease and hence engaged in the unnecessary and much struggle for the existence of life, not caring for the eternal soul at all. Influenced by this mode of nature one is addicted to intoxicants, sleeping more than required and meat eating. Due to ignorance , one is ready to consume the blood and flesh of an animal body for the fulfillment of the taste of a 2 inch tongue, eventually preparing his life for more degradation and his future very dark in this life and even the next life.
Bg.14.8;
tamas tv ajñāna-jaṁ viddhi
mohanaṁ sarva-dehinām
pramādālasya-nidrābhis
tan nibadhnāti bhārata
Translation:
O son of Bharata, know that the mode of darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.
The mode of goodness which is purest from the other two material modes, facilitates one for achieving the highest goal of human life, that is the love of Godhead. In this mode, actual knowledge is developed. So through the process of devotional service or Krishna consciousness, the society will develop a mode of goodness and can actually see things as they are, henceforth they will actually become happy and prosperous. We should encourage, because today there is no such Institute, school or college which is providing the science of life, which is the prime necessity, based on such authentic scriptures like Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God), which will bring actual success and peace in human life.
Bg.14.6;
tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt
prakāśakam anāmayam
sukha-saṅgena badhnāti
jñāna-saṅgena cānagha
Translation:
O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.