Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 6.154

vishnu-saktih para prokta

kshetra-jnakhya tatha para

avidya-karma-samjnanya

tritiya saktir ishyate

SYNONYMS

vishnu-saktih -- the internal potency of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; para -- spiritual; prokta -- said; kshetra-jna -- the living entities; akhya -- known as; tatha -- also; para -- spiritual; avidya -- nescience, or godlessness; karma -- and fruitive activities; samjna -- known as; anya -- another; tritiya -- third; saktih -- potency; ishyate -- is accepted as.

TRANSLATION

"'The internal potency of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, is spiritual, as verified by the sastras. There is another spiritual potency, known as kshetra-jna, or the living entity. The third potency, which is known as nescience, makes the living entity godless and fills him with fruitive activity.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita, in Sri Krishna's discourse on the kshetra and the kshetra-jna, it is clearly stated that the kshetra-jna is the living entity, who knows his field of activities. The living entities in the material world are forgetful of their eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This forgetfulness is called avidya, or nescience. The avidya-sakti, the avidya potency of the material world, provokes fruitive activity. Although this avidya-sakti (material energy, or nescience) is also an energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is especially intended to keep the living entities in a state of forgetfulness. This is due to their rebellious attitude toward the Lord. Thus although the living entities are constitutionally spiritual, they come under the influence of the potency of nescience. How this happens is described in the following verse.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness