Escaping Maya

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Begampur, 7 March 2021, part 5

Please tell me, does anyone have any questions?

Question: How to know when Gurudev manifests in the heart of a devotee?

That is a good question for you. If you practise properly, if you always follow Gurudev's order, and if Gurudev is pleased with the service you are doing, then you can realise, you can understand that Gurudev has touched, has covered your heart. This realisation will come automatically. When Gurudev is happy with your service, when you can please him properly, then you can understand Gurudev has touched your heart. Also, it is necessary to surrender properly. If you surrender to your Guru properly, fully (sad-anga saranagati), then you can realise that Gurudev has touched your heart.

...I am actually now in the preaching field. I have been attending an almost week-long preaching programme before Sri Gaura Purnima—it is called Dham Pracharani Sobha. Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur first started preaching at small programmes before Sri Gaura Purnima, and it was called Dham Pracharani Sobha. We come to different places and tell everyone about Sri Nabadwip Dham, about the glories of Sri Nabadwip Dham, glories of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, glories of Srila Prabhupad, Gurudev. We try to attract and call everyone to come for Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama.

Question: How can a conditioned soul escape the nets of illusion (uncover its consciousness)?

There are different types of consciousness, or chetan sakti—achchhadita-chetan (fully covered consciousness), sankuchita-chetan (closed, subdued consciousness), mukulita-chetan (budding consciousness), vikachita-chetan (blooming consciousness), and purna-vikachita-chetan (fully blossomed consciousness). Everybody's consciousness is not the same. Gurudev gave one example. When somebody slaughters goats, the goats are killed one by one and while some goats are being killed, other goats sit by the side and eat—they never think that they are going to be next. Humans have a more developed consciousness (vikachita-chetan), but it can sometimes be covered by the illusory environment.

The thing is that the soul is an eternal servant of Lord Krishna, but when we forget about it, at that time Maya, who is always near us, grabs us.

'কৃষ্ণ-নিত্যদাস'—জীব তাহা ভুলি' গেল ।
এই দোষে মায়া তার গলায় বান্ধিল ॥

'krsna-nitya-dasa'—jiva taha bhuli' gela
ei dose maya tara galaya bandhila

"When the jiva soul makes the mistake of forgetting that it is an eternal servant of Krishna, Maya captures the soul by its neck."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.24)

কৃষ্ণ-বহির্ম্মুখ হঞা ভোগ বাঞ্ছা করে ।

নিকটস্থ মায়া তারে জাপটিয়া ধরে ॥

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha kare
nikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare

"When souls become averse to Krishna and desire enjoyment, nearby Maya seizes them."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.2)

When we forget that we are eternal servants of the Lord, Maya Devi gets her chance and she uses that hole to catch us. We must always remember that we are not this body—we are jiva souls. This body and ourselves is not one and the same thing. I am a soul and the body is pancha-bhautik (made of five material elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether). As soon as we forget this—as soon as we forget that we are eternal servants of the Lord and start to think that I am so-and-so Maharaj, I am a brahmachari, I am a man, I am a woman, etc.—then Maya attacks us. If you practise and practise, if you always keep good association, if you always read scriptures and keep practising, Maya Devi will run away.

তদ্­বিদ্ধি প্রণিপাতেন পরিপ্রশ্নেন সেবয়া ।
উপদেক্ষ্যন্তি তে জ্ঞানং জ্ঞানিনস্তত্ত্বদর্শিনঃ ॥

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

"You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you."

(Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

And

দৈবী হ্যেষা গুণময়ী মম মায়া দুরত্যয়া ।
মামেব যে প্রপদ্যন্তে মায়ামেতাং তরন্তি তে ॥

daivi hy esa gunamayi, mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante, mayam etam taranti te

"My alluring, 'trimodal,' illusory potency is practically insurmountable. However, those who take shelter in Me can overcome this powerful obstacle."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 7.14)

When jiva souls surrender to the Lord and realise that they are eternal servants of the Lord, eternal servants of devotees, at that time Maya Devi always runs away. Maya cannot stay where there is sadhu-sanga, when there is kirtan. Maya has the right to stay only where there is darkness—Maya has no right to stay where there is light. That is why, it is necessary to always keep good association.

There are different ways you can get good association—you can associate with pure devotees, you can also get good association by reading scriptures. We should always read scripture—Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam, Sri Guru and His Grace, we also have so many Guidance books composed. Read these books and always think about what is written in them.

If you can surrender to the Lord properly, fully, then Maya Devi will run away. Maya always attacks those who cannot surrender, who have a lack of surrender. That is why it is said

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

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

"It is not possible to conquer maya by engaging in maya. I see no other way to get relief except for the mercy of sadhus."

There is no other way to conquer Maya (illusory environment) without the mercy of the devotees, sadhus, the Guru. The mercy of the Guru and Vaishnavs is always necessary. Their mercy is the main thing in our life.

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