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Holy Talks of the Supreme Lord
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja
Answer: The derivative meaning of maya is 'what is measurable.'
Bhagavan is the Lord of maya; He cannot be
measured. Where there is attemt to measure !od" there is maya
and not !od. '#a' means 'not' and 'ya' means'what'" i.e." 'what is
not !od'" is maya. The maya as said in the $hrimad Bhagavatam is
not li%e the $atan in the
&hristian theology" a searate entity from !od" altogether
another entity. According to the Bhagavata school" mayis in
Bhagavan !od( in the condemned state in order to award condign
unishment on the atomic sentience i.e.)ivas( controllable by maya.
*n the !ita !od has said: +,arth" water" fire" air" s%y" the mind"
intelligence and
egoism - these constitute #y searate inferior otencies" whereas
other than this is #y suerior otency
constituting the )ivas by which is suorted the universe.+ This
inferior otency is the maya otency. This inferiorotency has been
stuefying the )ivas that are aathetic towards !od since before the
beginning of time and
causing misunderstanding in them" sometimes assuming the form of
'twenty-four items of entity' of aila the
originator of the $an%hya $ystem(" sometimes as the 'atom' of
anada of the /aiseshi%a $ystem(" sometimes alsoas 0aimini's rincile
of 'elevation' in the 1urva #imamsa $ystem(" sometimes again as the
'si2teen ob)ects' of
!autama in the 3yaya system(" sometimes as 'suerhuman ower and
absolute oneness with !od' of 1atan)ali of
the 4oga $ystem(" and sometimes as the retence of search after
Brahman of the $han%ar $chool(.
5uestion: Why does such an event haen6
Answer: Because the )ivas have free will of their own.
5uestion: How can this be reconciled with the teaching of the
!ita which says: +!od stays in the heart of all the
creatures and ma%es them whirl round" in a machine" as it were"
by the agency of maya+6
Answer: This instruction in the !ita rather suorts the above
statement. *t is $hri /ishnu Who is !od" the
&ontroller of all beings. !od gives the )ivas their fruit
according to the %arma they erform. Their nature acts undthe
direction of !od according to their revious %arma. 0iva is the doer
and !od is the !iver. !od's authority is
seen in the giving of the fruits and governance of the cause and
effect. $o !od is the !iver of the fruit and the )ivathe en)oyers
thereof.
5uestion: Why is there the indeendence of the )ivas6
Answer: 0ivas are the atomic arts of !od" the vibhu-chit 1lenary
$entience(. The roerty of the sea" vi7. water"is resent in an
atomic degree in a dro" too. /ibhu or 8ver Lord( !od is totally
indeendent; there is
indeendence in anu-chit-)iva i.e." atomic sentience( too"
roortionally.
5uestion: *s the roer use or abuse of the indeendence of )ivas
instigated by !od 6
Answer: *f it had been !od-instigated" then that would have
amounted to the service of !od and not caused the)iva's
forgetfulness of Him.
5uestion: Then how can the conclusion be arrived at" vi7."
+everything deends uon !od's Will+6 * am utting
these 9uestions not for the sa%e of discussion" * am as%ing them
because you are a great scholar and a great devote
at the same time. *n the Hindi !ita of $hri Tila%a * read an
abhanga anegyric to !od( by Tu%a-ama" the sense which runs thus: +8
!od" if my %arma brings me liberation then what should * have to do
with 4ou6+
Answer: The $hrimad Bhagavatam has given a rely to this. +He is
an heir to liberation" 8 !od" who" feeling 4ou
!race in everything and enduring the troubles caused by his own
%arma" bows down to 4ou with mind" seech an
body" i.e. wholeheartedly+. He who has ac9uired fitness for
being freed from the world understands that if the
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blame is laid at the door of !od" then on account of the want of
the tendency towards doing service to !od"
liberation is never available. 8nly a erson who is fortunate to
have the tendency for the chit-service aroused inhim can easily
become the ossessor of the osition of liberation" and he can be
more attracted towards !od"
considering all the troubles and difficulties as His !race.
5uestion: Then are the sins that we commit due to !od's
!race6
Answer: 3o" they are not. The redilection for sins has been
given to test us" in the same manner as money" addy
a coy of the $hrimad Bhagavatam" etc. are laced before an infant
at the time of the first-rice ceremony to seewhat it ta%es
according to its innate tendency. Before the thread ceremony" too"
the Acharya tests the tendency of
the boy to be initiated. !od's cruelty is what the human
intellect arehends when it is aathetic towards !od. *fone ta%es it
to be a unishment" it is to be understood that such a one is
wanting in a serving temer and in
attraction for !od. !od is the shelter for all. He sends many
obstacles and inconveniences to those who wish for
shelter under Him" in order to test their ardour and steadiness.
or e2amle" when the /aidya rescribes bitter and
astringent medicines and distasteful diets" or the doctor oens
the abscess with his lancet" if the atient isdisleased with them on
the ground that they are cruel and not his well-wishers" his
decision is wrong as he has
ta%en his real friends to be enemies.
+The divine otency" maya" has %et temting ob)ects as e2hibits
for alluring me )ust as the fishing hoo% or the ne
or the rat-tra or the chain is set to delude fish" rats"
elehants" etc. The ob)ect is that * may thereby get more andmore
entangled in the worldly meshes. #isled by these deluding tras"
sometimes * become a wanton erformer o
misdeeds" sometimes a hilanthroist doing good deeds" sometimes
again * consider oneness with non-distinct
Brahman as the good for me" feeling a high regard for the
doctrine of Buddha" $han%aracharya or aila.+ #aya
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even to see" and leave it behind for their sa%e. * lant a
alm-tree" the fruit of which will be en)oyed by others
whom * shall never meet with and who will one day s9uander away
all my hoarded wealth and roerty. All myefforts are to this end=
There is a shlo%a to the effect : +rishna" * have obeyed the wrong
commands of %ama
desires(" etc." numberless and of any tye" but yet they are not
%ind to me" nor feel ashamed" and there is no
cessation of these. 3ow * have got true intelligence" and having
re)ected them * have ta%en shelter in 4ou with therayer that * may
be emloyed in 4our service.+
Those who are given to %arma admit !od indirectly; those of the
)nana-marga wish for being one with !od; but w
do not cherish any such wrong desire. 8ur hoe is to become the
carriers of foot-wear for servants of Hari unli%e
those who adot )nana. We do not claim to ossess learning nor
intelligence; we mind only the truth received fromthe lotus-feet of
$hri !urudeva in the caacity of his servants; we do not lay down
any new roosition. We say
only what we have got to say in favour of the realisation of
that one Truth.
(This is an excerpt from a conversation with a member of the
Indian nationalist movement, Syamasundar
Chakravarty. This edition is taken from The Guardian of evotion
! the Calcutta edition of "#$$. % more completversion of the
interview ! with different editin& ! can be found in Sri
Chaitanya's Teachin&s, published by Sri
Gaudiya ath.)
