Consciousness colored by material modes causes transmigration; only Krishna consciousness liberates the soul.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Room Conversation with Irish Poet Desmond O'Grady — May 23, 1974, Rome 740523R1-ROME [79:56 Minutes] Conv_740523R1-ROME Yogeśvara: [reading from Bhagavad-gītā 13.22 purport] "It is explained in the Second Chapter that the living entity is transmigrating from one body to another just as one changes dress. This change of dress is due to his attachment to material existence. As long as he is captivated by this false manifestation, he has to continue transmigrating from one body to another. Due to his desire to lord over material nature, he is put into such undesirable circumstances.
Under the influence of material desire, the entity is born sometimes as a demigod, sometimes as a man, sometimes as a beast, as a bird, as a worm, as an aquatic, as a saintly man, as a bug. This is going on. And in all cases the living entity thinks himself to be the master of his circumstances, yet he is under the influence of material nature." Prabhupāda: So this is our..., because we are developing a different consciousness... Different...
Consciousness is one, but it is being colored under different circumstances. And therefore we have to accept a similar type of body. So if our consciousness is cleansed, then we do not undergo the circumstantial changes by different species of life. That is required.
In the human form of life we can do that—not to associate with the modes of material nature, but associate with God. That we can do. And if we associate with God, then we become liberated from the clutches of māyā. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14].
And our real business is how to get out of the clutches of māyā. Kirpal Singh disciple: Give up this staying here?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kirpal Singh disciple: How? Prabhupāda: We have to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because such consciousness will help us to be free from the contamination of these different types of material consciousness and save us from transmigrating from one body to another. So we accept this different association on account of our strong propensity for sense gratification. Therefore we have to purify the senses so that the senses may be engaged in the service of the master of the senses. Hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśasevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170] Bhakti means to be free from all sorts of material designation. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Italian"—these are all designations of the body. So we have to become free from these designations. And that is called nirmalam, purification.
And when we are nirmalam, without any contamination, then we can engage the senses in the service of the master of the senses. Master of the senses is Kṛṣṇa, or God. Actually, He is master of the senses. Just like I am feeling comfort by using this sense, touch sense, hand, in this way, but I am not master, because at any moment this hand can be paralyzed.