guṇa-pravÄha etasmin
kaḥ Å›Äpaḥ ko nv anugrahaḥ
kaḥ svargo narakaḥ ko vÄ
kiá¹ sukhaá¹ duḥkham eva vÄ
guṇa-pravÄhe - in the current of the modes of material nature; etasmin - this; kaḥ - what; Å›Äpaḥ - a curse; kaḥ - what; nu - indeed; anugrahaḥ - a favor; kaḥ - what; svargaḥ - elevation to heavenly planets; narakaḥ - hell; kaḥ - what; vÄ - or; kim - what; sukham - happiness; duḥkham - distress; eva - indeed; vÄ - or.
ÅšrÄ«la Bhaktivinoda ṬhÄkura sings, (miche) mÄyÄra vaÅ›e, yÄccha bhese’, khÄccha hÄbuá¸ubu, bhÄi: “My dear living entities within this material world, why are you being carried away by the waves of the modes of material nature?†(JÄ«va) kṛṣṇa-dÄsa, ei viÅ›vÄsa, karle ta’ Ära duḥkha nÄi: “If the living entity tries to understand that he is an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, there will no longer be misery for him.†Kṛṣṇa wants us to give up all other engagements and surrender unto Him. If we do so, where will the cause and effect of this material world be? There is nothing like cause and effect for the surrendered soul. ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura says in this regard that being put into this material world is like being thrown into a mine of salt. If one falls into a mine of salt, he tastes only salt wherever he goes. Similarly, this material world is full of miseries. The so-called temporary happiness of the world is also misery, but in ignorance we cannot understand this. That is the actual position. When one comes to his senses — when he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious — he is no longer concerned with the various conditions of this material world. He is not concerned with happiness or distress, curses or favors, or heavenly or hellish planets. He sees no distinction between them.