Text 12
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
guṇā jīvasya naiva me
citta-jā yais tu bhūtānāṁ
sajjamāno nibadhyate
sattvam — the mode of goodness; rajaḥ — the mode of passion; tamaḥ — the mode of ignorance; iti — thus; guṇāḥ — the modes; jīvasya — pertaining to the spirit soul; na — not; eva — indeed; me — to Me; citta-jāḥ — manifest within the mind; yaiḥ — by which modes; tu — and; bhūtānām — to material creations; sajjamānaḥ — becoming attached; nibadhyate — one is bound up.
The three modes of material nature — goodness, passion and ignorance — influence the living entity but not Me. Manifesting within his mind, they induce the living entity to become attached to material bodies and other created objects. In this way the living entity is bound up.
The living entity is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, having the tendency to be overwhelmed by the Lord’s illusory material energy. The Personality of Godhead, however, is the absolute controller of illusion. Illusion can never control the Lord. Thus the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the eternal object of service for all living beings, who are eternally servants of the Lord.
The three modes of nature manifest within the material energy. When a conditioned soul adopts a material mentality, the modes exert their influence within the jurisdiction of that mentality. But if one purifies one’s mind in the devotional service of the Lord, the modes of nature can no longer act upon him, since they have no influence on the spiritual platform.