Kṛṣṇa explains His relationship with the three modes of material nature: goodness (‘Sattva’), passion (‘Rajas’), and ignorance (‘Tamas’). He says that all these states of being are manifested by His energy. In one sense, everything is God because everything is His energy. However, He adds a profound disclaimer: “I am not under their control; on the contrary, they are within Me.” This is the difference between the soul and the Lord. We are ‘under’ the modes—our moods and habits are dictated by nature. But Kṛṣṇa is the Master of the modes. He is like a king who builds a prison; he is the source of the prison, but he is not a prisoner himself. This verse establishes God’s independence. He is the container of all reality, but He is not contaminated by the flaws of the material world. By knowing that the modes are Kṛṣṇa’s energy, the seeker learns to respect the power of nature while looking past it toward the independent, transcendental person who controls it all.