pravṛtti-lakṣaṇe niṣṭhā
pumān yarhi gṛhāśrame
sva-dharme cānu tiṣṭheta
guṇānāṁ samitir hi sā
pravṛtti - of the path of material enjoyment; lakṣaṇe - in that which is the symptom; niṣṭhā - dedication; pumān - a person; yarhi - when; gṛha-āśrame - in family life; sva-dharme - in prescribed duties; ca - and; anu - later; tiṣṭheta - he stands; guṇānām - of the modes of nature; samitiḥ - the combination; hi - indeed; sā - this.
When a man desires sense gratification, being attached to family life, and when he consequently becomes established in religious and occupational duties, the combination of the modes of nature is manifest.
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, religious duties performed for promotion to heaven are understood to be in the mode of passion, those performed to enjoy ordinary family life are in the mode of ignorance, and those performed selflessly to fulfill one’s occupational duty in the varṇāśrama system are in the mode of goodness. The Lord has thus explained how mundane religiosity is manifest within the modes of nature.
