“The last illusion, the last snare of maya to trap the living entity, is the proposition that he is God. The living entity thinks that he is no longer a conditioned soul, but God. He is so unintelligent that he does not think that if he were God, then how could he be in doubt? That he does not consider. So that is the last snare of illusion.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 18.73 Purport)

Download this episode (right click and save)

You are one of the rare few. Somehow, against all odds, you made it. Out of the many thousands among men, you endeavored for self-realization. Hardly anyone pursues this goal, let alone knows about it. They perhaps have an inkling. They may make the rounds from behind the perimeter. They get a general idea of the futility of the pursuit, in the lack of lasting satisfaction through successes, but they just can’t seem to place their finger on the root cause of the problem.

मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु
कश्चिद् यतति सिद्धये
यतताम् अपि सिद्धानां
कश्चिन् मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.3)

You have figured it out, but not on your own. Someone helped you. In your eyes, they are a tattva-darshi. They have seen the truth, and so now they are ready, willing, and able to share that truth with others. They heard the wisdom. They then applied the principles in everyday life. They acquired a practical understanding of the principles they first only heard about. To help even further with their understanding, they are now teaching others.

Because of that association, due to the humble attitude of service and inquiring without a challenging spirit, you have realized the futility of trying to satisfy the senses. You would rather be jitendriyah. You understand that ajitendriyah is a miserable condition. Whether you are rich or poor, whether you are ascending or falling, you are always vulnerable to being controlled by the senses.

You are so close to final victory in this otherwise disturbing game, which is like a race against time. As Goswami Tulsidas describes, that time is like a weapon. The different units are like arrows released from the illustrious bow of the greatest warrior this world has ever known.

लव निमेष परमानु जुग बरस कलप सर चंड
भजसि न मम तेहि राम कहँ कालु जासु कोदंड

lava nimeṣa paramānu juga barasa kalapa sara caṃḍa
bhajasi na mama tehi rāma kaha~ kālu jāsu kodaṃḍa

“Mind, why are you not worshiping Shri Rama, whose bow is like time, with weapons of arrows representing the different units of time, such as paramanu, lava, nimesha, barasa, yuga, and kalpa?” (Dohavali, 130)

You recently heard a famous athlete explaining the illusion of failure. This was during an interview. The athlete described failure as false or unreal due to the renewing opportunity brought on by the next day. If a person fails on Monday, for instance, they get to try again on Tuesday. This means that the failure from Monday no longer applies. It is like it never existed.

Experienced as you are in the science of self-realization, you immediately realize that the same can be said about success. If you succeed on Monday, you have the chance to fail on Tuesday. This means that the success has no lasting value. The success may as well have never occurred.

You are so close to reaching the finish line, except your progress suddenly halts. This is because you fall victim to the trap that is the Mayavada philosophy. You have become so advanced in your understanding that you somehow now think that there is no God. You are God. Every person is God. The highest force is like an empty clay jar that has shattered into pieces. The pieces simply come back together to form what is known as Brahman.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada refers to this failure in logic and understanding as the last snare of maya. The first snare is identifying with the body. Simply rejecting that understanding is not enough, though. A person must understand their position relative to a higher being, who is also spirit in quality.

This simultaneous oneness and difference goes by different names, such as dvaitadvaita, vishishtadvaita, and achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, but the conclusion is basically the same. We are not the body, but we are also not God. We are God-like. The advaita principle is valid in that we are part of the origin. We are like sparks emanating from the original fire. Those sparks are dispersed throughout the universe.

एक-देश-स्थितस्याग्नेर्
ज्योत्स्ना विस्तारिणी यथा
परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्
तथेदम् अखिलं जगत्

eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat

“Everything that is manifested within this cosmic world is but the energy of the Supreme Lord. As fire emanating from one place diffuses its illumination and heat all around, so the Lord, although situated in one place in the spiritual world, manifests His different energies everywhere. Indeed, the whole cosmic creation is composed of different manifestations of His energy.” (Vishnu Purana, 1.22.52)

The dvaita principle is also valid. This is because we require instruction. If we have fallen into illusion, it means that we were never God to begin with. Rather than spoiling our chance at success through succumbing to Mayavada and other flawed philosophies, we should continue in our progression. The person who understands God in truth is very rare, but rare does not mean impossible.

बहूनां जन्मनाम् अन्ते
ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते
वासुदेवः सर्वम् इति
स महात्मा सु-दुर्लभः

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.19)

In Closing:

So close to finishing the race,
But one fall progress to erase.

When suddenly the same to think,
From Mayavada cup to drink.

That Almighty is individual, one and all,
Narayana thus appropriate to call.

In last snare of maya thus caught,
But rescue the wise acharya brought.

Categories: mayavada

Tags: dailyprompt, liberation, mayavada, poem, poems, poetry, vedanta