Forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa - That Is Māyā
The concept of illusion is central to understanding the conditioned state of the living entity. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently explains that māyā is not some abstract, mystical force, but simply the living entity's forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. The moment the soul turns its back on the Supreme Lord to seek independent enjoyment, it is immediately enveloped by the shadows of material existence, accepting temporary suffering as genuine happiness.
Forgetfulness as the Root Cause
Illusion only exists in the absence of spiritual light. Śrīla Prabhupāda compares māyā to a shadow that appears when one's back is turned to the sun; similarly, as soon as a person forgets their original relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they fall under the control of the external energy.
- Maya means absence of Krsna consciousness. This is maya, absence of Krsna consciousness. When you forget Krsna, this is maya. When we remember Krsna, know Krsna, there is no maya.
- Maya means the external energy. Just like if you stand facing the sun, the back side of your, there is a big shadow. That is maya. So both things are there: the purusam, the Krsna, and the maya also.
- You have got, all, experience. You stand up; you'll see a long shadow on your back side. So that is maya. The maya is the back side.
- There is no duality. There is one, Krsna. But you have created duality. That is maya. When you forget Krsna, that is duality.
The Illusion of Enjoyment
The material world itself is not an illusion, but the intention to exploit it for personal pleasure certainly is. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that the living entity's desire to imitate God, claiming proprietorship over material elements and seeking to gratify their senses independently, is the very essence of māyā.
- We are trying to be the enjoyer of this material world. That is maya. The world is not maya, but the intention of the living entities to enjoy this material world, to satisfy his senses, that is maya.
- When the living entity wants to enjoy by imitating the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his desire is called maya, and it puts him in the material atmosphere.
- So long we have got this false identification that "I am enjoyer," that is maya. We are not enjoyer. We are enjoyed. That is real philosophy.
- Isavasyam idam sarvam. Sarvam, whatever you see, that property belongs to God. We are falsely claiming, "It is my property." And that is maya, illusion.
Accepting Misery as Happiness
The most tragic symptom of illusion is a person's inability to recognize their own suffering. Because the conditioned soul is in complete ignorance, Śrīla Prabhupāda observes that they endure the relentless miseries of the material body—like heat, cold, and disease—yet somehow foolishly convince themselves that they are enjoying life.
- Everything is distressful here, but fools being illusioned, covered by the illusory maya, that distress he accepts as happiness. That is maya. It is not at all happiness.
- Anyone who is not in Krsna consciousness, he does not enjoy. He simply suffers. But he takes the suffering as enjoyment. That is maya.
- Man who has got a nice overcoat and gloves, he is thinking he is enjoying. This is maya. He forgets that he is simply trying to counteract the suffering. Actually, he is suffering.
- People do not know it. Just like cats and dogs. The cat or the dog does not know that his life is very abominable. No, he is happy. This is maya.
The False Claim of Mastery
A fundamental trick of the material energy is making slaves believe they are kings. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how everyone in the material world, whether a family man, an executive, or a politician, is strictly controlled by the laws of nature, yet māyā continually dictates the false prestige that they are independent masters.
- Nobody is master here, but when we falsely claim that, "I am master," that is maya. Everyone is serving, but under the impression that he is master.
- So this is the position. One is actually serving, not master. But he's thinking that he's master. This is maya. So when we give up this false prestigious position that I am master, then you are liberated.
- He is passing stool and urine, and the master is thinking, "I am master." But he is being controlled. That is maya. He has become servant of the dog, but he is thinking, I am master.
- One this kick, his dominance all finished, in one second. No dominance. That is maya. They are under control, but thinking that, "We are free." That is called maya.
The Transformation of Consciousness
Liberation does not mean becoming inactive; it simply requires transferring one's service. Śrīla Prabhupāda provides the ultimate solution: when a person stops using their senses for personal gratification and instead engages them in the loving service of the Lord, they immediately step out of the darkness of māyā and into the light of spiritual reality.
- As soon as we forget Krsna and we want to do things for our sense gratification, that is maya. And as soon as we give up this process of sense gratification and do everything for Krsna, that is liberation.
- Then as soon as relationship is understood, then our real activity begins. That real activities is called bhakti, and the material activities, which is not bhakti, that is maya.
- Because I am part and parcel of Krsna, then what is my duty? To serve Krsna. There is no other duty. Any other duty I manufacture, that is illusion. That is maya, any duty I manufacture.
- Hrsikesa-sevanam. Not hrsika-sevanam. Hrsika means senses. So when senses are used for sense gratification, that is maya. And when senses are used for the gratification of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. A very simple definition.
Conclusion
The power of māyā is extraordinarily vast, yet its foundation is incredibly simple: it is nothing more than the soul's willful forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously exposes the mechanics of this illusion, showing how it tricks the living entity into claiming false proprietorship and accepting a miserable struggle for survival as enjoyment. Driven by the impossible desire to imitate the Supreme Lord, the conditioned soul remains trapped in the painful cycle of birth and death, constantly kicked by the laws of nature while foolishly imagining themselves to be the master. However, because māyā is merely a shadow, it vanishes instantly in the presence of light. By abandoning the false prestige of independence and voluntarily re-engaging all senses in the joyful service of Kṛṣṇa, the living entity shatters the illusion entirely and returns to their original, blissful state of spiritual existence.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category That Is Maya. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.