Now, in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Actually, our position is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is our real position. But artificially, we are trying to become master. This is called māyā. Actually, my position is servant.
Just like a woman. Natural position is to remain dependent on man. That is natural position. But if some woman artificially tries to become man or master, that is suffering. That is suffering. We have given this example that in India the women, they voluntarily surrender to the subjugation of the husband, but there are many families, hundreds and thousands even—they are happy. That's a fact. And in the Western countries they want to remain independent, so they are not happy. This is my study because I have seen the Western world and the Eastern world. Similarly, naturally, a woman is dependent.
Similarly, we are, we are prakṛti. Prakṛti means one who is controlled. That is called prakṛti. And puruṣa means the controller. So our position in this material world, that we have revolted against Kṛṣṇa, "Why should we, shall I serve Kṛṣṇa?" Therefore we are subjugated by the external energy, Kṛṣṇa's energy, material nature. We are not supposed to be controlled by material nature so that we are now under the jurisdiction of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease.
That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā that na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit. For the living entity, there is no death, there is no birth. But this is something fictitious. Every one of us experience birth and death. But the real fact is na jāyate mriyate vā. But we are so foolish, we do not inquire that "In the śāstra it is said that we have no birth and no death. Then why I am dying and why I am taking my birth?" This is our punishment.
We are... Actually, our real constitutional position is to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa, but because we have revolted against Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are servant of māyā. Servant is my nature. Therefore it is called, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa controls you, He takes care of you. But if you do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, but your position is to surrender, you have to surrender to the laws of material nature and you'll be controlled. Therefore ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. Māṁ prapadyante.
Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's energy... Śakti-śakti-mator abhinnā. Kṛṣṇa's energy is also controller, Durgā. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā is the śakti, external energy. She has got also immense power. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana. The material nature is very strong, creating, maintaining and destroying. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-śaktiḥ chāyeva. But she's acting under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10).
Material energy is very strong, very powerful. You can know that. If there is a strong, a strong storm immediately, so many houses, so many trees and plants can be immediately uprooted. Material nature. If there is big storm in the ocean, it can inundate many cities, many towns. Material energy is very, very strong. That is stated, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So we are under the control of the material nature.