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In plain words

Sri Ramakrishna: It is said that jivas are of four classes: the bound, the seekers after freedom, the free and the ever-perfect. The world is like a net. The jiva is like the fish, and God, whose maya this world is, is the fisherman. When fish are caught in the fisherman's net, some of them try to tear the net and escape, that is, to become free. These may be called the seekers after freedom. But not all who try to escape can do it. Two or three fish jump out with a splash, and then people say, "There goes a big one! It got away!" These two or three are the free. Some fish are by nature so careful that they never fall into the net at all. The ever-perfect, like Narada, never fall into the world's net. But most of the fish are caught in the net, and yet they have no idea that, caught in the net, they must die. As soon as they are caught they dash off, net and all, straight into the mud, and try to hide themselves there. They make no effort to escape; rather, they go deeper into the mud. These are the bound. They are in the net, but they think, "We are quite well off here." The bound jiva is attached to the world, that is, to woman and gold; he is sunk in a sea of disgrace, and yet he thinks he is quite well off! To the seekers after freedom and the free, the world seems a deep well; they do not like it. So some give up the body after attaining knowledge, after attaining God. But giving up the body in that way is a very far-off thing.