Will-o'-the-Wisp - The Illusory Pursuits of Material Existence
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently utilizes the metaphor of a will-o'-the-wisp—a deceptive, ghost-like light that leads travelers astray in the darkness—to describe the various illusions that distract the living entities from their true spiritual purpose. Whether one is chasing mundane wealth or pursuing imperfect spiritual goals, the result is always frustration because a will-o'-the-wisp possesses no factual substance.
The Illusion of Heavenly Planets
In the Vedic system, fruitive workers undergo great austerities to achieve promotion to the heavenly planets for enhanced sense enjoyment. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a pure devotee considers such temporary material elevation to be nothing more than a will-o'-the-wisp, completely devoid of real spiritual value.
- A bhakta always wants to retain his individuality in order to render service to the Lord. Indeed, he considers promotion to the upper planetary systems to be no better than a will-o'-the-wisp.
- Karmis hanker to be promoted to the heavenly planets, but a Krsna conscious person considers such promotion a will-o'-the-wisp, good for nothing.
- A devotee of Lord Caitanya considers residence in the heavenly planets a will-o'-the-wisp. He surpasses the perfection of mystic yoga power because for him the senses are like snakes with broken fangs.
- Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Prabhu, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, described that kaivalya is no better than a hellish condition of life, and as for the delights of the heavenly planets, they are factually will-o'-the-wisps, or phantasmagoria.
The Deception of Material Wealth
Materialistic society is driven by the frantic accumulation of wealth, particularly gold. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that this obsessive attraction is a dangerous will-o'-the-wisp. By chasing the illusion of wealth, a person invites only anxiety and distress, completely missing the true value of human life.
- Gold is actually a type of stool. A person with a bad liver generally passes yellow stool. The color of this stool attracts a materialistic person, just as the will-o'-the-wisp attracts one who needs heat.
- The color of gold is compared to the will-o'-the-wisp or yellow stool; therefore one should not be allured by gold-manufacturing gurus but should sincerely approach a devotee like Jada Bharata.
- The will-o'-the-wisp (in the forest of material existence) is our attraction for gold and its color, and material residence and wealth are the ingredients for our material enjoyment.
- As indicated by Bali Maharaja by the words janad bhitah, every devotee in Krsna consciousness should always be afraid of the common man engaged in pursuing material prosperity. Such a person is described as pramatta, a madman chasing the will-o'-the-wisp.
The Vain Struggle for Sense Enjoyment
The basic disease of the conditioned soul is the desire to enjoy the material senses independently. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this endless struggle for existence as a mad pursuit after a will-o'-the-wisp. Because material forms are temporary, any attempt to squeeze lasting happiness from them is simply an illusion.
- A man who is simply attached to sensual enjoyment voluntarily accepts the miserable material existence and thus wanders after the will-o'-the-wisp of sense pleasure. He is certainly the most foolish man, for he drinks poison and puts aside the nectar.
- This struggle for existence is something like following the will-o'-the-wisp under the spell of material enjoyment.
- There is no estimation of our circumambulation and the concomitant distress resulting from such travel life after life for illusory, material happiness, which is compared to the will o' the wisp.
- Vikarma refers to illusory activities, which are something like the will-o'-the-wisp. These are activities that have no meaning.
The Phantasmagoria of Impersonalism
Beyond material pursuits, even imperfect spiritual conceptions are considered illusory. Śrīla Prabhupāda strongly refutes the impersonal philosophy, stating that an Absolute Truth without a personal form is a mere will-o'-the-wisp. Pure devotees abandon these ideas to seek the concrete, eternal reality of the Supreme Person.
- The Mayavadis imagine themselves to be the Supreme. They imagine that the Supreme has no personal form and that all His forms are imaginary like the will-o'-the-wisp or a flower in the sky.
- No one likes to possess anything that is like a will-o'-the-wisp or a flower in the sky, for everyone knows very well that such things do not exist.
- For a devotee, merging into the Brahman existence is hellish, and life in the higher planetary systems of the demigods is a will-o'-the-wisp, a phantasmagoria with no real existence at all.
- Krsna consciousness persons, they are not after will-o'-the-wisp, phantasmagoria. No. They are actually making progress to the concrete Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Conclusion
To become truly successful in human life, one must stop chasing illusions and focus on the eternal reality. Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that the material world's promises of wealth, heavenly elevation, and endless sense gratification are nothing more than a collective will-o'-the-wisp. Even the pursuit of mystic powers and impersonal liberation are deceptive phantasmagorias that keep the soul away from its true constitutional position. By recognizing the emptiness of these illusory goals, a sincere soul can abandon the mad pursuit of the will-o'-the-wisp and firmly dedicate themselves to the concrete, blissful, and eternal loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Will-o'-the-Wisp. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.