yo 'sau guṇa-ká¹£obha-ká¹›to vikÄraḥ
pradhÄna-mÅ«lÄn mahataḥ prasÅ«taḥ
ahaá¹ tri-vá¹›n moha-vikalpa-hetur
vaikÄrikas tÄmasa aindriyaÅ› ca
yaḥ asau - this; guṇa - of the modes of nature; ká¹£obha - by the agitation; ká¹›taḥ - caused; vikÄraḥ - transformation; pradhÄna-mÅ«lÄt - which is generated from the pradhÄna, the unmanifest form of the total material nature; mahataḥ - from the mahat-tattva; prasÅ«taḥ - generated; aham - false ego; tri-vá¹›t - in three phases; moha - of bewilderment; vikalpa - and material variety; hetuḥ - the cause; vaikÄrikaḥ - in the mode of goodness; tÄmasaḥ - in the mode of ignorance; aindriyaḥ - in the mode of passion; ca - and.
When the three modes of nature are agitated, the resultant transformation appears as the element false ego in three phases — goodness, passion and ignorance. Generated from the mahat-tattva, which is itself produced from the unmanifest pradhÄna, this false ego becomes the cause of all material illusion and duality.
By giving up one’s false ego of identification with the three modes of nature, one can achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the pure, original state of existence. The word moha-vikalpa-hetuḥ indicates that because of false ego one considers himself to be the enjoyer of nature and thus develops a false sense of material duality in terms of material happiness and distress. False ego is removed by identifying oneself as the Lord’s eternal servitor in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
