Bangalore, India
(Below is a continuation of the post The Evolving Mind)
'Yasya nahankrto bhavo buddhir yasya na lipyate. Hatvapi sa imal lokan na hanti na nibadhyat'. (18.17)
He says, ‘One whose intellect is free from the influence of Maya. (alipta-buddhi), even if such a person destroys the entire world, then too he remains free and untouched by any sin. Such a person will not be bound by his actions'.
Anyway, a person with such awakened intellect which is unattached to Maya, will not engage in such violent acts of killing people in the first place. And even if he does, he would do it as a part of his duty of being a warrior, rather than being driven by cravings and aversions (referring to the refinement in the quality of action of such a wise person).
Why do we lose the smile from our face? The reason is craving and aversion, and our entanglement in Maya. When the space in our mind is consumed by craving and aversion, happiness is completely lost.
So this is the third stage in which one with an alipta-buddhi (pure intellect that is unattached to Maya and unaffected by it) is able to recognize Maya.
Such a person neither tries to resist the ways of Maya, nor does he get disturbed by it. In such a state, he remains untouched by Maya and is free from it.
Do you get what I am saying?
In fact, at this stage one enjoys witnessing the ways of Maya and is amused by it. It becomes a source of enjoyment.
The very Maya, because of which we get entangled in attachments and delusion, becomes a source of enjoyment when we blossom into the third stage of evolution. Maya then becomes a source of fun and amusement for us.
So Maya creates bondage and delusion, and at the same Maya also gives us joy and happiness! This is why Lord Krishna has said, 'Daivi hy-esha guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya. Mameva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te'. (7.14)
He says, ‘O Arjuna! My Yoga Maya is full of Divine qualities, and one cannot overcome it so easily. It is very difficult to overcome. Only by taking refuge in Me and surrendering unto Me completely can you overcome it’.
This entire creation is veiled by Maya. Just like the air everywhere, the entire world is enveloped by Maya. Each person’s mind is enveloped by Maya. Everyone is deeply entangled in Maya. Everyone’s mind is under some or the other influence of Maya.
All of you who are sitting here have so many different thoughts in your mind. Just observe what all is going on in each of your minds! Oh God! (Laughter) This is what Maya is.
So this entire creation is enveloped by Maya.
But a sincere devotee always feels, ‘O Lord Shiva, my mind is constantly engaged in devotion to You, and is always immersed in Your thoughts. My mind has enveloped You so totally. Day and night, all I remember is You and You alone’.
Now how can this be possible? How can our limited mind envelop and hold the Divinity that is so vast and all-pervading?
How can God be contained within our limited mind? Is it possible?
Yes, it is possible in the same way that (the image of) a large elephant can be captured in a small mirror.
Can you not capture the entire sun in a mirror? The sun is so huge, yet you are able to capture it so perfectly in a small mirror. Isn’t it? In the same way, our mind is capable of capturing the Divinity completely.
That is why it is said that if you have a pure heart, then you are God Himself! You are the Brahman. But when is that possible? When the mirror of your heart is clean and pure, you can behold Divinity within yourself. If the mirror is covered with a veil (of Maya) or dirty, then it won't work.
A saint is one whose mind and heart are pure like a mirror (free from all negativity). A Guru is one who is pure and transparent like a clear mirror.
So your mind should be clean and pure, then the fullness (of consciousness) blossoms in you. Then you can capture the sun and the moon in the mirror.
So, just like how a mirror can capture a huge elephant completely, your mind too can hold the Divinity. But the mind should not become the home of Maya; rather it should be the abode of God. The same mind that can be engulfed in Maya can also be totally surrendered to God.
The very Maya, because of which we get entangled in attachments and delusion, becomes a source of enjoyment. So Maya creates bondage and delusion, and at the same Maya also gives us joy and happiness!
Just by listening to such beautiful knowledge, the mind gets so uplifted and becomes pure, isn't it? The mind instantly gets cleansed of all cravings and aversions.
Why do we lose the smile from our face? The reason is craving and aversion, and our entanglement in Maya. When the space in our mind is consumed by craving and aversion, happiness is completely lost.
We get so caught up in thoughts like ‘Oh, this is not right, that is not right! This person is not good! That person is not alright!’ I tell you, even you are not alright any longer then!
All your energy is simply lost in such thoughts.
When you have spent all your positive energy on thoughts like this, then you become simply useless; unable to do anything. When you have lost your enthusiasm in life, then what else remains?
By being so caught up, you lose all your love, smile and enthusiasm. When you lose your enthusiasm, you lose everything else. You will then just lie in one place and do nothing. Why does all this happen? It is because of Maya. This Maya is very intriguing indeed. It can catch hold of anyone and make them dance to its tunes! And the poor one caught up keeps dancing.
The whole world is troubled because of Maya. So because of this, many people criticize and become averse to the play of Maya. But Lord Krishna says, ‘This Maya is full of Divine qualities, and is born from Me. So you must honour and respect it'.
Only Lord Krishna can say such a thing, and not anyone else. It is like how only the director of a movie can say, ‘Everything belongs to me. The hero and the villain both belong to me'.
Can the hero say that the villain belongs to him? No, it will simply not work that way. The hero of the movie has to consider the villain as the villain only. But the director of the movie has the right to say that 'Both the hero and the villain belong to me. I have paid them for working in this movie. So I am the one who has scripted the conflict between the two and I am the one who has also scripted its end as well’.
This is why Lord Krishna says, ‘This Maya is born from Me. It is I who propagates it, and only by My Divine grace can you overcome it. You cannot be free from it by your efforts alone, no matter how much you try. Only by taking My refuge can you cross the ocean of Maya’.
So only by going deep within your self can you overcome this Maya.
(Note: The discourse was given in Hindi. Above is a translation of the orginal talk.)
