“My dear father, I am very respectfully and humbly inquiring. What is this arrangement? Why you are busy in making some sacrificial ceremony, what is the reason, and what is the result? For whose benefit is it and by what means will it be accomplished?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.24.3)

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कथ्यतां मे पित: कोऽयं सम्भ्रमो व उपागत:
किं फलं कस्य वोद्देश: केन वा साध्यते मख:

kathyatāṁ me pitaḥ ko ’yaṁ
sambhramo va upāgataḥ
kiṁ phalaṁ kasya voddeśaḥ
kena vā sādhyate makhaḥ

For a person new to the science of self-realization, the entire proposal, especially when applying to the journey of the human life, comes down to a single line of division. This is what separates success from failure. It is the way to measure progress, to see if we are advancing or regressing. It is the way to understand the influence of the knowledge we have accepted, the effectiveness of the practices implemented, and the current state of the consciousness.

That dividing line can be described by two terms: Brahman and maya. Brahman is the goal. We are already Brahman. We never had to become Brahman; it is our eternal state. We are eternal in our existence, which means that we are always Brahman. We will continue to remain that way in the future.

Maya is illusion. Its most powerful influence is making us completely unaware of our identity as Brahman. Instead, we identify with the body. We change our identity, as a result. At one moment, we are in childhood. A few years later, we are a young adult. To our consternation, one day we become old. The final change is death, but the dhira individual, sober from knowledge, is not bewildered by such changes.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

The aim of the science of self-realization is to thus eliminate the influence of maya. Be firmly situated in knowledge. We can more accurately call it wisdom. Jnana is the way to enter the discipline. It is the knowledge accepted from the teacher, who is ideally a tattva-darshi. They can rescue us because they have seen the truth.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

Vijnana is the wisdom. It is the practical realization of the jnana. I am Brahman, but maya stands in my way of reaching that realization. Saints such as Goswami Tulsidas warn against artificially creating this realization, of immediately identifying as Brahman, which is the spiritual energy. They recognize that there is a superior Brahman, who is never under the influence of maya. Devotion to that higher force, Parabrahman, can flow through something basic like chanting the holy names.

हम लखि लखहि हमार लखि हम हमार के बीच
तुलसी अलखहि का लखहि राम नाम जप नीच

hama lakhi lakhahi hamāra lakhi hama hamāra ke bīca
tulasī alakhahi kā lakhahi rāma nāma japa nīca

“[O mystic] First know yourself, then realize the Supreme Absolute Truth, and then see the material nature standing in between. O wretch, without seeing these how can you understand what the unmanifested [invisible] feature of the Absolute Truth [alakh] actually is? Chant Shri Rama’s holy name instead, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 19)

We can try to keep maya away, but we should understand that she works in a diligent manner. As we see from the following review, the illusory energy dominating the material creation pays no attention to a variety of factors that would otherwise appear to grant some sense of immunity, leniency, or protection.

1. That you are a man

“You know who is really in maya? Women. They are always focused on the externals. Try it for yourself. Sit down with them to watch a sporting event. While you pay attention to the strategy, to the varieties in skillset, and most importantly, to the score, they constantly remark about the clothes. They make judgments based on appearance. They speculate about the significant others to the players, whether they are actually into the relationships or not. Who cares?”

2. That you have many years of service

“You know who is really in maya? The beginners. They do not know better. I was there at some point, but that was a long time ago. I have been following the routine of chanting the holy names in a steady manner: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

“I have been pretty decent at following the four regulative principles, which are practically impossible to implement in the degraded condition of society, as it stands today. Maya really goes after the weak. I am strong in my service. That strength has been built on numerical advancement, on the momentum gained from many years in the field.”

3. That you are advanced in knowledge

“You know who is really in maya? The ignorant. By definition, they do not know better. They cannot spot the pitfalls. They fail to identify the traps. They tell me their problems. I hear of their stories. I can see the issue immediately. When I bring it up to them, they are surprised that I noticed something wrong. They had no clue, otherwise.

“I am not saying that I suddenly became enlightened. I have followed years of intense study. I have questioned myself. I have been so upset at times that I slammed the books shut. I always came back, because I knew the answers could not be found anywhere else. Now I stand in a very healthy position.”

4. That you can influence others

“You know who is really in maya? The people who have nothing to their name. There is the saying, “The empty sack cannot stand up straight.” His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada remarks that no one listens to the poor man.

“If you cannot influence others, you will be influenced. That is simply the way of nature. I feel strong in my position. I can help others to identify maya and respond accordingly. If you do not know how to bring others into the light, you are more likely to remain in the darkness.”

5. That you are a deva

This was highlighted in the historical incident of the first Govardhana Puja. We would expect that a celestial, given their responsibility in administering different aspects of the material creation, would be immune from the effects of illusion. False ego and pride are obvious indications of a lack of knowledge, but we see that these forces can take full control over an otherwise intelligent and discriminating individual like the king of heaven.

Shri Krishna, who has control over the material energy, had a plan to curb the pride in Indra. Krishna began the proceedings by asking a few questions. Simple enough, but they were relevant to the situation such that the leaders of the community began to think twice.

The heart of the matter was, “Kim phalam?” What was to be gained by the annual Indra-yajna, for which the residents of Gokula-Vrindavana were preparing? What were they looking to gain? Krishna knew what to expect as a response, and so He expertly argued in favor of worshiping the nearby Govardhana Hill.

This was a replacement. The people were advised to skip the Indra-yajna this time. There would be no harm. The same phalam would be there. In addition, everyone would be happy, since Govardhana was already dear to the community. There was no time to think; better to act fast. Nanda Maharaja, the loving father to Krishna, agreed to the new plans.

The influence of illusion was such that Indra failed to recognize Krishna for who He is, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Though situated in a responsible post, Indra abused that power for something petty like settling an imaginary feud with villagers. Indra took the first Govardhana Puja to be the greatest personal insult, and so he responded in kind with torrential rain, targeted at the people, and especially their leader of diminutive stature, Shri Krishna.

We can criticize Indra for his misplaced wrath, for his short-term outlook, for his lack of intelligence, but one of the obvious lessons from the incident is that the influence of illusion can attack at any time, at any person, and without prior notification. The good fortune for Indra was that everything related directly to Krishna.

This was a case of the influence of yogamaya, which is the auspicious kind of illusion. Therefore, no harm resulted. Krishna lifted Govardhana, and the people were saved. We can also take shelter of the same hill, which is nondifferent from Krishna, to protect us against the influence of maya, which can strike both beginner and veteran alike.

In Closing:

Not from stature to lack,
Or missing resources to back.

But still maya to attack,
In heavenly region’s track.

Such that Indra rivalry created,
And plan for vengeance instated.

But blessed since Krishna through,
Who proper resolution knew.

Categories: the five

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