The material world's cycle of birth and death is the real problem; only spiritual practice offers genuine improvement.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 13.22 — October 20, 1973, Bombay 731020BG-BOMBAY [18:45 Minutes] Bg-13.22_731020BG-BOMBAY Prabhupāda: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu [Bg. 13.22] puruṣaḥ—the living entities; prakṛti-sthaḥ—being situated in the material world; hi—certainly; bhuṅkte—enjoys; prakṛti-jān—produced by the material nature; guṇān—modes of material nature; kāraṇam—cause; guṇa-saṅgaḥ—association with the modes of nature; asya—of the living entity; sat-asat—good and bad; yoni—species of life; janmasu—birth.
[02:16] "The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst various species of life." [loud sounds of firecrackers throughout] Puruṣa. Puruṣa means enjoyer, the living entity.
[Hindi aside greeting guest] Hare Kṛṣṇa. [Hindi] So that day I have already explained, puruṣa. Puruṣa means the enjoyer, and prakṛti means enjoyed. So puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthaḥ.
The living entity, although... [aside: tells child not to talk] Prakṛti-sthaḥ means this material world. The living entity, although part and parcel of God, spiritual entity, but he has come to this material world to enjoy. Anyone who is in this material world, his original cause of coming down from the spiritual platform to this material platform means he wanted to enjoy. In the spiritual world the only enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All others are enjoyed.
But here in this material world everyone is trying to become the Supreme, and others, to be enjoyed. Everyone is trying to become God, and the last snare of māyā is that one is claiming that "I am God." When he tries to become big businessman, big zamindar, big minister, big president, or in the society big rich man—big, big always... And when he fails to become all kinds of "bigs," he wants to become one with God. By mixing, by merging into God, he will be the biggest.
That is the philosophy. So basic principle is how to become big. Otherwise... Because unless I become very big, I cannot enjoy. So what is the field of these enjoying activities?
This body. That we have discussed. Kṣetra-kṣetra-jña. Idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram ity abhidhīyate [Bg. 13.2]: "This body is the field of activities." So puruṣa, the living entities, has been entrapped by this material energy.