Individual karma stems from one's nature within material modes; true knowledge reveals one's eternal relationship with God.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
[Bad audio for 2:40 Min] Prabhupāda: na kartṛtvaṃ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ na karma-phala-saṃyogaṃ svabhāvas tu pravartate [Bg 5.14] [The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.] Now, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, says that "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is not responsible for anyone's activities." He does not create. He does not say that "You act in this way." Not exactly He does not say. He says that "You act in this way," but the living entity, out of his individual independence sometimes, or always, so long he is conditioned, he does not carry out the orders of the Lord.
Therefore he is responsible for his own work. Although the sanction is there by the Lord, still, the Lord is not responsible for his work. na kartṛtvaṃ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ na karma-phala-saṃyogaṃ svabhāvas tu pravartate [Bg 5.14] Svabhāva. Svabhāva means "his own nature." We are accustomed to the three modes of nature. Some of us are under the spell of the modes of goodness, and some of us under the spell of the modes of passion, and some of us are in the modes of ignorance.
So according to our own position in relationship with the modes of nature, we create our work. Nādatte kasyacit pāpam... nādatte kasyacit pāpaṃ na caiva sukṛtaṃ vibhuḥ ajñānenāvṛtaṃ jñānaṃ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ [Bg 5.15] [Nor does the Supreme Spirit assume anyone's sinful or pious activities. Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge.] [02:40 Normal Audio] ...everyone is addressed as jantu. Jantu means animals. Of course, in logic also, human being is called rational animal.
They are classified among the animals, but they are called rational animals. So here also, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says, jantavaḥ. Jantavaḥ is the plural number of jantu. Jantu means animal.
So nādatte kasyacit pāpam. A... Somebody is engaged in the activities of sinful activities, but he is not induced by the Lord that he should be engaged in sinful activities. Similarly, somebody is engaged in virtuous activities.
So that virtuous activity is according to his own, I mean to say, association with the modes of material nature. Ajñānena āvṛtaṃ jñānaṃ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ [Bg 5.16]. [When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.] But in this material world, either in the modes of ignorance or in the modes of passion or in the modes of goodness, they are all... Total, sum total, is ignorance. Sum total... Even a man is in the modes of goodness, that is also considered as ignorance, because real knowledge, real knowledge is to know his relationship with the Supreme Lord.
That is real knowledge. Unless one is elevated to that position, that what is his relation with the Supreme Lord, then all his so-called knowledge is also understood as ignorance. Just like at the present moment—not present moment; always—people are engaged in the matter of economic development for sense gratification. So that is also ignorance. That is also ignorance.