The Lord replies: Man can enjoy the fruits of renunciation through simple self-control, detachment from worldly things, and disinterest in material pleasures. This, in fact, is the highest perfection of renunciation.
When can a being be said to be conditioned?
The Lord replies: When the consciousness of a living being is attracted by the three forms of influences inherent in material nature, it is said to be conditioned.
What are the signs that define the coming of Lord Krishna?
When these signs appear, the Lord descends.
When people choose the materialistic path and atheism as their philosophy, they end up behaving like animals. They ignore the true purpose of existence, are content to eat, sleep, mate, and defend themselves, and are concerned only with their own personal interests. The atmosphere quickly becomes heavy with anarchy and other dreadful social diseases. Nepotism, corruption, deception, aggression, and, as an inevitable consequence, famines, epidemics, wars, and other factors of unrest then develop in society. Devotees of the Lord, sincere believers, are particularly targeted by all kinds of persecution.
These numerous signs indicate that the time has come for the Lord to appear on earth, to dethrone the wicked rulers and restore the principles of religion. Now, when the Lord descends to earth, it is in His spiritual and absolute form, without any trace of material attributes. He appears for the sole purpose of keeping His creation in a state of balance and harmony. He has placed on each of the planets of the universe everything their inhabitants could possibly need, so that each of them can live happily by fulfilling their duty, and ultimately attain salvation by adhering to the regulative principles given by the Vedas, the original holy scriptures.
For all practical purposes, know that the material universe is created to satisfy the whims of eternally conditioned souls, just like the toys given to unruly children; it has no other use. But when those who inhabit it are seized by the intoxication of the supposed power conferred by material science, they then illicitly exploit the resources of nature (coal, oil, gas, various minerals, etc.), without the Lord's approval, and for the sole purpose of satisfying their senses, then it becomes necessary for the Lord to descend to punish the rebels and protect the devout and the believers.
The Lord says to this effect: Whatever a great man does, the majority of people always follow in his footsteps; the entire world follows the standard he sets by his example. There is no duty in the three worlds that I must fulfill; I need nothing, nor do I desire anything. And yet, I lend myself to action, for if I did not act, all men would follow the path I had thus traced. If I refrained from acting, all the galaxies would sink into desolation. Because of me, man would produce unwanted offspring. Thus, I would disturb the peace of all beings. In fulfilling his duty, the ignorant person attaches himself to the fruits of his labor. The enlightened person also acts, but without attachment, for the sole purpose of guiding the people to the right path.