but such acts also prove to be wrong because they do not bring about liberation. The fact of being born in a pleasant place or in the bosom of a good family does not imply that one will escape material tribulations, birth, sickness, old age and death. The conditioned soul, under the influence of material nature, cannot understand that any action performed for the pleasure of the senses is impure, and that only the devotional service offered to the Lord can free it from the consequences of such acts.
Thus, because it does not put an end to its illicit acts, it must pass from one body to another, within species that are sometimes high and sometimes the lowest. The material universe is a place from which one cannot escape. Whoever desires liberation should direct his activities towards devotional service. No other alternative is available to him.
Logos 177
In truth, the embodied and conditioned soul is forced to act under the pressure exerted on it by the three gunas, the three attributes and modes of influences of material nature; virtue, passion and ignorance. The individual spiritual being has no independence. As soon as he engages in material activities while having the impression of fulfilling his senses, he is indeed under the spell of material nature. But when he places himself under the tutelage of the Sovereign Lord, he remains free.
Each one acts according to the particular material influences which condition him. The word guna is used to designate the attributes of nature. Thus, the being is subject to the grip of the gunas, but believes himself to be the master of everything. Nevertheless, it suffices to devote oneself to devotional service under the direction of the Supreme Lord or of his representative (such as the spiritual master servant of God) in a genuine way to dispel this feeling of illusory possession.
A conditioned soul may well possess a good nature and act in virtue, but it remains conditioned, dominated by the material nature. The sage acts in everything under the direction of the Supreme Lord; therefore, even if his acts do not necessarily appear the highest in the eyes of men, he does not have to bear the responsibility and is free from all karma.
Logos 178
The Lord said: “When the individual being, having realized his true identity and his immutable position, does not claim to possess anything, he ceases to be affected by