Service is our eternal nature; the disease is forgetting we must serve only Krishna.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.18 — November 18, 1974, Bombay 741118SB-BOMBAY [37:42 Minutes] SB-03.25.18_741118SB-BOMBAY Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena bhakti-yuktena cātmanā paripaśyaty udāsīnaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca hataujasam [SB 3.25.18] [break] [01:28] "In that position of self-realization, by practice of knowledge and renunciation in devotional service, one sees everything in the right perspective; he becomes indifferent to material existence, and the material influence acts less powerfully upon him." Prabhupāda: jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena bhakti-yuktena cātmanā paripaśyaty udāsīnaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca hataujasam [SB 3.25.18] The conditioned state of life means influence of material nature.
When we are very much influenced by the material nature... We have already discussed: guṇa. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. Material nature means the three guṇas, three material qualities: ignorance, passion and goodness.
Goodness is better than the other two qualities, ignorance and passion. But mostly, especially in this age, they are conducted or influenced by the modes of ignorance and passion. People do not know what is the aim of life. Just like they are called śūdras. Śūdras means they do not know what is the aim of life.
Just like animal: animal does not know what is the aim of life. That is ignorance. And passion is power, creative power, or working for sense gratification. That is called passion.
And goodness means knowledge. One can see what is what. So we have discussed in the last verse how one becomes liberated. tadā puruṣa ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ prakṛteḥ param nirantaraṁ svayaṁ-jyotir aṇimānam akhaṇḍitam [SB 3.25.17] Aṇimānam, aṇu. We are minute particle of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg. 15.7].
We are not Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa's part, minute part. That minute part also we have discussed—one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.9]. So when we realize this, that "I am not God, but I am godly.
I have got the quality of God..." I have given the example also: just like the sea and the drop of water of the sea. So chemically, the drop of water of the sea is the same quality. There is no change of taste or other chemical composition. Similarly, we should understand fully that we are simply qualitatively one with God, but quantitatively, God is great and we are very minute particle.