— Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Wherever detachment/Neutrality (nirapekṣatā) is absent, there reside lust (kāma), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), illusion (moha), and pride (mada)—these five formidable enemies exercise supreme dominance over the bound souls. Those who, due to their allegiance to these five masters, are not devoted to the service of the Supreme Lord (bhagavat-sevā) are classified as asat (non-devotees) and envious (matsara).
True nirapekṣatā means refraining from supporting anyone out of self-interest. Often, we stand by those close to us even when they are at fault. By doing so, we unknowingly harm their spiritual welfare. Yet, we act in this manner out of selfish motives, driven by the hope of gaining some benefit from them.
In this way, we remain under the control of these five enemies because we have not yet fully accepted Śrī Hari and Guru as our sole refuge. We fear that if we do not support these individuals, they may harm us tomorrow or fail to assist us in attaining our desired goals. We also expect them to stand by us in our own mistakes. Forgetting the true shelter, we associate with non-devotees (asat-saṅga) and display envy toward the detached sādhus, who are firmly established on the Śrauta path (the path revealed through divine sound as given by Guru).
These sādhus, being truly detached, strike at our narrow, sense-enjoying tendencies for our ultimate protection. Yet, instead of appreciating their mercy, we harbor envy (matsaratā) toward them, siding with non-devotees, and thus, we bring about our own destruction.