Actually, there are twenty-six different elements which is conducting this material world. Etat kṣetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam (BG 13.6-7). Kṣetra means this body. Either you take this body or this material world, they are interaction of these twenty-four elements.
Either you take the gigantic body of this universe or you take the body of this planet or you take this your body, my body or a cat's body, dog's body, all these bodies, they are formed of these twenty-four elements, sa-vikāram, by action and reaction. Just like chemically, if you mix one chemical with another chemical, a third element is produced, similarly, originally the reservation of all these elements is called mahat-tattva. It is called pradhāna, upadhāna.
So gradually they manifest, they divide by three guṇas. Three guṇas means in the mahat-tattva, in the total material reservoir, three guṇas, three modes of nature, first of all appear and they act with one another, and then gradually, one after another, the twenty-four elements become manifested. Etat kṣetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam.
Now, of course, we can theoretically accept that this is the position, but actually to understand this position, to acquire the requisite knowledge, that requires many stages of development. And how that knowledge is developed, that is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā by Kṛṣṇa. What is that? The first principle of acquiring knowledge is described here: amānitvam. Amānitvam. Amānitvam means that we are very much proud of our material existence. That pride must be given up. That is the first principle of knowledge.