Bg. 7.5

अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम् ।
जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत् ॥५॥

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

aparāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigapara

inferior; inferior energy.—inferior; iyamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigiyam

all these; Devakī; this (Lakṣmī); this; this earth; this female; this female child; this girl; this land of our kingdom; this material world; this one (Rādhikā); this one; this world.—this; itaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigitah

after this; being brought up; besides this; beyond this; for this reason; from here; from here, from Gokula; from that place; from this; from this path; from this place (Vaikuṇṭha); from this place; from this world; here; taking shelter; than that place where they were.—besides this; tuplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtu

again; also; and; as to; as well as; but (because of misfortune); but; certainly; due to; expletive; however; in fact; indeed; moreover; must; of course; on the contrary; only; that; then; yet.—but; anyāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biganyam

another; any other; anyone else; anything else; of other; other; other than; separately situated.—another; prakṛtimplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprakṛtim

prakṛti; acquired nature or modes of nature; as the source; characteristics; constitutional position; energy; habits; in the material world; material energy; material existence; material nature; matter; my own; natural position; nature; situated in spiritual energy; the material cause; transcendental form; unto material nature.—energy; viddhiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigviddhi

just try to understand; know; know it; know it well; knowing; knows; must be known; must know; one should know; please know; try to know; try to understand; understand; you may know; you must know; you should know.—just try to understand; meplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigme

about me; by me; executed by me; for me; from Me; Me; mind; mine; my; my duty; myself; of me (Hiraṇyakaśipu); of me; of Mine; of Myself; on me; to Me; unto me; upon me; with me.—My; parāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigparam

above; absolute; after; after the initiation; afterwards; and afterward; another; as long as that of Lord Brahmā; as the ultimate goal of life; best; better means; beyond; beyond material nature; beyond that; but; but afterwards; distant; elevation to the heavenly planets or becoming one by merging into Brahman; enemies; far superior things; final; further supreme; Godhead; great; greater; greatest; heavy; higher; highest; liberation; merely; more supreme; most glorious; only; only or ultimately; only this earth; other; other thing; others; perfect; perfectly; sublime; superior; superior life; supreme; supreme, transcendental; that much only; the actual transcendental position; the best; the foremost; the goal of life; the greatest; the highest; the most exalted; the only means; the supreme; the supreme abode; the supreme knowledge (by which one can attain devotional service); the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Person; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the supreme whole; the transcendental world; the ultimate goal; to the transcendental spiritual kingdom; to the transcendental world; topmost; transcendence; transcendental; transcendental knowledge; transcendental to, beyond; transcendental world; ultimate; uncommon; under control; very great; very much; who are transcendental, beyond this material world; who is transcendental.—superior; jīvaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigjīva

a living being; a living entity; an ordinary living being; conditioned soul; Jīva Gosvāmī; living being; living beings; living entities; living entity; maintaining life; may you live long; of living entities; of the jīva soul; of the jīva souls; of the living entities; of the living entity; of the name Jīva; the conditioned living entities; the fallen living entities; the living entities; the living entity; the ordinary living being; we wish you life for.-bhūtāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhutam

created; entity; it has happened; living entity; past; the material elements air, fire, water and earth; the material existence; whatever is created; which happened in the past; wonderful.—the living entities; mahāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmaha

my.-bāhoplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbāho

He who is the Almighty; O great King; O great mighty-armed one; O mighty-armed (Vidura); O mighty-armed; O mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa; O mighty-armed one; O Vidura.—O mighty-armed one; yayāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyaya

as much as; by her; by such activities; by such knowledge; by such material opulence; by the material energy; by this qualification; by which (the spiritual armor); by which; by which material opulence; by whom (by the illusory energy); by whom; that by which.—by whom; idamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigidam

all of this cosmic manifestation; all these; all these manifestations; all these phenomena; all these planets; all these things; all this; as it is; here; in their own measurement; in this material world; in this way; in this world; is this; like this; on this (as follows); on this (path); the cosmic manifestation is produced; the following; the following words; the universe rests; the whole; the whole universe; these; these words; this (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam); this (all the land given to them); this (body); this (cosmic manifestation); this (creation); this (life); this (material body); this (material world); this (news); this (the body and senses); this (universe); this (world); this; this body; this body of Brahmā; this cosmic manifestation; this cosmic manifestation is created and maintained; this creation; this description of the characteristics of Vāmanadeva; this entire cosmic manifestation; this entire universe; this glorification; this incident; this lamentation; this manifestation; this material attachment; this material world; this phenomenal world; this philosophy of life; this prayer; this present form; this ultimate abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; this universe; this Vedic literature (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam); this whole material world; this whole universe; this world; thus; whatever we can see; which we see.—this; dhāryateplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdhāryate

being utilized or exploited; is always born; is being conducted; is sustained.—being utilized or exploited; jagatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigjagat

all over the world; all that is animate or inanimate; all the worlds, both material and spiritual; cosmic manifestation; cosmic manifestation created by You; everything, animate and inanimate; in the universe; in this material world; material world; moving; moving entities; moving forward (this whole universe); of the complete creation; of the cosmic creations; of the cosmic manifestation; of the entire universe; of the material world; of the universe; of the whole universe; of the whole world; of the world; seen to be moving; the cosmic manifestation; the entire material world; the entire universe; the entire world; the material world; the universal; the universe; the whole material creation; the whole universe; the whole world; the world; the worlds; this world; throughout the whole universe; to the universe; universal; universe; whole universe; whole world; world.—the material world. ¶

Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe. ¶

Here it is clearly mentioned that living entities belong to the superior nature (or energy) of the Supreme Lord. The inferior energy is matter manifested in different elements, namely earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego. Both forms of material nature, namely gross (earth, etc.) and subtle (mind, etc.), are products of the inferior energy. The living entities, who are exploiting these inferior energies for different purposes, are the superior energy of the Supreme Lord, and it is due to this energy that the entire material world functions. The cosmic manifestation has no power to act unless it is moved by the superior energy, the living entity. Energies are always controlled by the energetic, and therefore living entities are always controlled by the Lord-they have no independant existence. They are never equally powerful, as unintelligent men think. The distinction between the living entities and the Lord is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as follows (10.87.30): ¶

aparimitā dhruvās tanubhṛto yadi sarva-gatās
tarhiṁ na śāsyateti niyamo dhruva netarathā
ajani ca yanmayaṁ tad avimucya niyantṛ
bhavet samam anujānatāṁ yad-amataṁ mata-duṣṭatayā

“O Supreme Eternal! If the embodied living entities were eternal and all-pervading like You, then they would not be under Your control. But if the living entities are accepted as minute energies of Your Lordship, then they are at once subject to Your supreme control. Therefore real liberation entails surrender by the living entities to Your control, and that surrender will make them happy. In that constitutional position only can they be controllers. Therefore, men with limited knowledge who advocate the monistic theory that God and the living entities are equal in all respects are actually misleading themselves and others.” ¶

The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is the only controller, and all living entities are controlled by Him. These living entities are His superior energy because the quality of their existence is one and the same with the Supreme, but they are never equal to the Lord in quantity of power. While exploiting the gross and subtle inferior energy (matter), the superior energy (the living entity) forgets his real spiritual mind and intelligence. This forgetfulness is due to the influence of matter upon the living entity. But when the living entity becomes free from the influence of the illusory material energy, he attains the stage called mukti, or liberation. The false ego, under the influence of material illusion, thinks, “I am matter, and material acquisitions are mine.” His actual position is realized when he is liberated from all material ideas, including the conception of his becoming one in all respects with God. Therefore one may conclude that the Gītā confirms the living entity to be only one of the multi-energies of Kṛṣṇa; and when this energy is freed from material contamination, it becomes fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, or liberated. ¶