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TEXT 21 karya-karana-kartrtve
SYNONYMS  karya--effect;
karana--cause; kartrtve--in the matter of creation; hetuh--instrument;
prakrtih--material nature; ucyate--is said to be; purusah--the
living entity; sukha--of happiness; duhkhanam--and distress;
bhoktrtve--in enjoyment; hetuh--the instrument; ucyate--is
said to be.
TRANSLATION Nature is
said to be the cause of all material activities and effects, whereas the
living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in
this world.
PURPORT The different
manifestations of body and senses among the living entities are due to
material nature. There are 8,400,000 different species of life, and these
varieties are the creation of the material nature. They arise from the
different sensual pleasures of the living entity, who thus desires to live
in this body or that. When he is put into different bodies, he enjoys different
kinds of happiness and distress. His material happiness and distress are
due to his body, and not to himself as he is. In his original state there
is no doubt of enjoyment; therefore that is his real state. Because of
the desire to lord it over material nature, he is in the material world.
In the spiritual world there is no such thing. The spiritual world is pure,
but in the material world everyone is struggling hard to acquire victims
who present different pleasures to the body. It might be more clear to
state that this body is the effect of the senses. The senses are instruments
for gratifying desire. Now, the sum total--body and instrument senses--are
offered by material nature and, as will be clear in the next verse, the
living entity is blessed or damned with circumstances according to his
past desire and activity. According to one's desires and activities, material
nature places one in various residential quarters. The being himself is
the cause of his attaining such residential quarters and his attendant
enjoyment or suffering. Once placed in some particular kind of body, he
comes under the control of nature because the body, being matter, acts
according to the laws of nature. At that time, the living entity has no
power to change that law. Suppose an entity is put into the body of a dog.
As soon as he is put into the body of a dog, he must act like a dog. He
cannot act otherwise. And if the living entity is put into the body of
a hog, then he is forced to eat stool and act like a hog. Similarly, if
the living entity is put into the body of a demigod, he must act according
to his body. This is the law of nature. But in all circumstances, the Supersoul
is with the individual soul. That is explained in the Vedas as follows:
dva suparna sayuja sakhayah. The Supreme Lord is so kind upon the
living entity that He always accompanies the individual soul and in all
circumstances is present as the Supersoul or Paramatma.
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