etāḥ saḿsṛtayaḥ puḿso
guṇa-karma-nibandhanāḥ
yeneme nirjitāḥ saumya
guṇā jīvena citta-jāḥ
bhakti-yogena man-niṣṭho
mad-bhāvāya prapadyate
etah -- these; samsritayah -- created aspects of existence; pumsah -- of a living being; guna -- with the material qualities; karma -- and work; nibandhanah -- connected; yena -- by whom; ime -- these; nirjitah -- are conquered; saumya -- O gentle Uddhava; gunah -- the modes of nature; jivena -- by a living entity; citta-jah -- which are manifested from the mind; bhakti-yogena -- through the process of devotional service; mat-nishthah -- dedicated to Me; mat-bhavaya -- of love for Me; prapadyate -- receives the qualification.
O gentle Uddhava, all these different phases of conditioned life arise from work born of the modes of material nature. The living entity who conquers these modes, manifested from the mind, can dedicate himself to Me by the process of devotional service and thus attain pure love for Me.
The words mad-bhavaya prapadyate indicate the attainment of love for God or of the same state of existence as that of the Supreme Lord. Actual liberation is residence within the eternal kingdom of God, where life is full of bliss and knowledge. The conditioned soul falsely imagines himself to be the enjoyer of the modes of nature, and thus a particular type of material work is generated, the reaction of which binds the conditioned soul to repeated birth and death. This fruitless process can be counteracted by loving service to the Lord, as described here.
