Games of Maya Devi

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
6 September 2013

People cannot change their character. "Black will take no other hue." Such is the nature, but we must always remember this sloka of Rupa Goswami:

অন্যাভিলাষিতা-শূন্যং জ্ঞান-কর্ম্মাদ্যনাবৃতম্ ।
আনুকূল্যেন কৃষ্ণানুশীলনং ভক্তিরুত্তমা ॥

anyabhilasita-sunyam, jnana-karmady anavrtam
anukulyena krsnausilanam bhaktir uttama

The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krishna, free from the coverings of any pursuits such as action and knowledge.

Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu

অন্য অভিলাষ ছাড়ি, জ্ঞান কর্ম্ম পরিহরি,
কায়মনে করিব ভজন ।

anya-abhilasa chhadi jnana karma parihari
kaya-mane kariba bhajana

Serve the Lord with body and mind, giving up all other desires and the pursuit of material benefit and knowledge.

Srila Narottam Das Thakur

I can convert you within five minutes. What I am telling you are your things, property of your heart, and it is what you want—but you must listen to me properly with your mind.

Maya always searches for a chance to attack you, and if she gets an opportunity, you can be easily converted by the illusory environment, this is why:

মায়ারে করিয়া জয় ছাড়ান না যায় ।
সাধুর-গুরুর কৃপা বিনা না দেখি উপায় ॥

mayare kariya jaya chhadana na yaya,
sadhur-gurur krpa vina na dekhi upaya

It is not possible to conquer maya by illusory environment (by engaging in maya); it is only possible to get relief by the mercy of Guru, Vaishnav.

There is no other way to conquer the illusory environment except for the mercy from sadhu, Guru, Vaishnav. That is our only hope. If we can surrender, serve them, and hear and follow their advice, it will be good for us, otherwise, jnan, karma will always come to us.

Mahaprabhu preached jnana-sunya-bhakti, devotion free from desires for material benefit or knowledge. Such bhakti is our life, not sakam-bhakti when you use the Lord for yourself. Srila Sridhar Maharaj used the expression, "শালগ্রাম দিয়ে বাদাম ভঙ্গ, salagram diye badam bhanga." It means a pujari is offering some nuts to a Salagram Sila, and while offering it he becomes hungry and wants to eat the nuts, but as he has no teeth he shells the nuts with the Salagram Sila, Giriraj. That is called sakam bhakti—you are doing some service to the Lord, but you have another desire. অন্যাভিলাষিতা-শূন্য, anyabhilasa sunya: when we do service, other desires must be zero.

You heard this story from Ramayana. Ramachandra told Sita to follow His order, but she did not. He made a circle around the house with His bow and said to Sita, "Do not go out of this circle, there is maya outside." Lord Himself said not to go outside because maya could attack, but she had some other desire. What kind of desire? When a beggar came to the circle, she thought, "It is not good to ignore a beggar." From within the circle she wanted to give something to the beggar, but the beggar said, "No, no, I cannot take like this. You will have to come out, otherwise I will go back..." And she did that—she followed her mind and crossed the line. This is how she was kidnapped.

There is some line that you must not cross, although you will be tempted many times to cross it—you have heard that even big sadhakas (practitioners), big mahapurushas (great personalities) follow behind maya.

Somebody does service, and somebody is an obstacle to service. This always happens—it is games of Maya Devi...

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