Material elements are Krishna's separated energy; real life exists only in Krishna's spiritual society, not false material attachments.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 7.4 — August 10, 1974, Vṛndāvana 740810BG-VRNDAVAN [31:06 Minutes] Bg-07.04_740810BG-VRNDAVAN Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg. 7.4] [break] [01:54] Translation: "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies." Prabhupāda: So, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg. 7.4] Bhinnā means separated.
Separated means... Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā [Bg. 9.4]. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. As it is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā, eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.35] Kṛṣṇa, by His one plenary portion...
When we say of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Kṛṣṇa has unlimited expansions. Just like one expansion is Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. Kṛṣṇa expands Himself.
There are millions and trillions of living entities. Anantyāya kalpate. The living entities... Sa ca anantyāya kalpate.
So Kṛṣṇa's expansion is also ananta. Not only within the heart of all living entities, but He is within the atom also. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara. But this is only one plenary portion, expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore in the morning we were studying—or yesterday—that to understand Kṛṣṇa philosophically or in truth, it requires a little intelligence. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām [Bg. 7.3]. So Kṛṣṇa expands by His energy, one of the energy, external energy. Therefore it is called aparā. Kṛṣṇa will explain in the next verse, apareyam, inferior energy.
For Kṛṣṇa there is no superior or inferior, but for us it is superior and inferior. Because Kṛṣṇa is the supreme spirit soul. Take, for example, just like electricity is producing heat and cool also. There is refrigerator.