The Jiva is Better than the Material Energy, But the Material Energy is Bigger

Everyday there are innumerable choices to make. So to develop this mood of surrender to Krsna we can practice making the right choices, though some of them can be difficult. Krsna informs us in the Bhagavad gita that our activities in sense enjoyment and our attraction to material opulence bewilders us, and undermines our determination to serve Him. Practicing giving up these things that bind us to the material world and separates us from Krsna will develop our surrendering mood and will help us to be determined to perform more devotional service.

Through devotional service we can become firmly convinced that only Krsna can protect us, and have firm faith that He will always give that protection. The realized devotee knows fully well that though he is constitutionally spiritual by nature and his identity is in awareness and consciousness, still he is temporarily covered by the material elements in the form of his present body.

The Vedic scriptures warn that the material world is a very dangerous place. Krsna promises His devotee in the Bhagavad-gita that if he takes complete shelter of Him and fully depends on Krsna for protection, then He will certainly protect His devotee without a doubt. One should be convinced of this.

The body is not free and independent, but is under the strict laws of material nature and is in the tight grip of the three different modes of nature. The body is in the midst of this vast ocean of material energy and is part of it. It is constantly being tossed about by these three modes. Everything is completely out of the control of the teeny spirit soul. We only think that we have control, but in reality we have no control. We are helplessly being dragged about through dangerous situations, which are ever changing due to the constant interaction of goodness, passion, and ignorance.

Following our endless desires, Krsna, through the agency of His material nature, creates situations that satisfy those desires to falsely lord it over material nature. Not knowing what desires will actually satisfy us, we receive both good and bad results and suffer perpetually. But when we surrender to Krsna, He protects us from all those reactions that have accumulated for millions of lifetimes. Part of that surrendering process is becoming convinced about Krsna’s firm promise to protect us under any circumstance.

We are always forced to accept the reactions of our material activities. This is due to ignorance. Out of ignorance the conditioned soul identifies with the action as the doer, therefore he is bound to accept the effect of that action. There is no escaping this law of cause and effect. For example, a foolish man not knowing the principles of religion, may decide to kill his business partner and take his share of the profits, which will increase his happiness when he spends that money. But, unknown to him, when the natural and fixed reactions are carried out by material nature, his future is very dark. Rather than more happiness he has created much suffering for himself. a conditioned entity does not know for sure what will be the results of his actions.

Understanding the helpless condition of each individual in the material atmosphere, it will behoove the bhakta to surrender to Krsna, Who is the source and controller of this energy, and beg His protection. If Krsna wants, He can pick us up from this vast ocean of illusory energy. Otherwise, though we are part of the superior nature, we will constantly be overwhelmed by these three modes, even though they are inferior by nature, due only to their immense vastness.