THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER NUMBER 07, JNANA VIJNANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE AND REALIZATION, VERSE NUMBER 14

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 07

JNANA VIJNANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE AND REALIZATION:

VERSE NUMBER 14

Text in Transliteration:

daivee hy eshaa gunamayee mama maayaa duratyayaa

maam eva ye prapdyante maayaam etaam taranti te

Text in English:

Verily this divine illusion of Mine, made up of Gunas, is hard to surmount; but those who take refuge in Me alone, they cross over this illusion.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

Daivi maayaa, the divine illusion, is the cloak that the Lord Has assumed. It serves as His body. Maha-maayah is one of the appellations of Vishnu. He, who is an expert in creating the illusion, is the meaning of this term. He has hidden His Reality in the garb of Nature. All the same, He deigns to disclose Himself to those who take refuge in Him. The Reality in Him being known, the assumed garb of Maya vanishes. It is like the disappearance of the phantom of the snake when the rope is perceived in its reality.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

Why are we not able to behold the Divine Mother? It is because She keeps Herself concealed behind the chicks or bamboo screen after the fashion of the respectable ladies of an aristocratic family. She sees everything and guides everything, but none can see Her. But the true devotees who are Her kith and kin can cross the chicks, get near and behold Her.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

Daivee; divine, Supernatural or belonging to the maayaa. They cross beyond the world of maya which is the source of delusion.

Ramanuja makes out that maya is that which is capable of producing marvellous effects.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:

Maya is the Upadhi or the causal body (karana sarira) of Ishvara. It is the material cause of this Universe. It is inherent in the Lord. It is constituted of the three qualities, viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Those who completely devote themselves to the Lord alone after renouncing all formal religion (Dharma) cross over this illusion which deludes all beings. They attain liberation or Moksha.

Ishvara is the Lord of Maya (illusion). He has perfect control over it. Avidya is the Upadhi (limiting adjunct) of the Jiva (individual soul). The Jiva is a slave of this ignorance. Ignorance is the veil that has screened the Jiva from Satchidananda Brahman or the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. When the veil is removed by the dawn of knowledge of the Self the Jiva loses his character as Jiva or an individual soul and becomes identical with Brahman. (Cf. XV.3 and 4)

Comments by the blogger:

What is Maya or illusion?

That which changes constantly is Maya or illusion.

But the popular assumption for the word Maya or illusion is something which does not have an existence. This belief is totally wrong. This world exists. We exist. If someone hits us, it hurts badly. Then how can we say that that person did not hit us neither did we feel any hurt? For those who are influenced by Maya or illusion, this world is very much there. And they have to work out their past karmic effects in this world only. The majority of us belong to this category. For us this world is very much there. Someone need not hit us if he/she bad mouths us, or calls us names in public, or insults our parents and talk ill of them, it hurts more than a slap across the face. Then how can we say this world is not in existence? And everything is just an appearance? Nonsense! The world is very much there for the majority of us. You and me would go sick mentally if we really think this world is not there. And what about the numerous Temples and the Presiding Deities? Are all of them exist only in nonexistence?

So, the world is real for us.

But the Lord of Gita also says that “His Maya” is hard to transcend. Very good. That should be the attitude. That is, this world is fully alive for us. If our child falls and hurts itself the mother in us cry out in pain. The world is true, our spouse is true and our children are true. Could all of them be dubbed as a delusion and does not have a real existence?

So maya should be defined variously.

That is maya or illusion which is constantly changing. Not that which does not exist. Not that which is absolutely delusional.

It is maya which is subject to constant change.

We can see this by watching our new-born baby. The darling looked like his/her father yesterday, but lo and behold, today there is some changes and something about the mother is there. The new-born babies constantly grow. But those like me who is past their prime of life constantly change by growing older or elderly. Don’t think that aging is a matter for shame. But we decrease while the baby increases. But both the baby and we are constantly changing. That is one truth about this world of the Lord.

Take for example the sun: why it is constantly changing. No? It is changing by losing its stock of hydrogen and oxygen! The scientists tell us some day will come when there won’t be any sun! For the sun is purely a gaseous mass. And it is steadily losing its fuel stock! When there is no sun the moon also will cease to shine. Then the women will not get their monthly periods. They will no more be able to produce a girl or a boy. But Man’s mind-power will make the world go on for some fifty or so years. He can illuminate the world with electric or other power. But once the womenfolk of that sunless time fail to make babies, it would be the beginning of the end of the world for the Homo Sapience.

But all this will happen some millions of years later. For the sun will be shining for several more millions of years yet!

So what is constantly changing is illusion or maya.

Ok, this world, the Lord says, is made of three Gunas.

In the previous stanza He said the three Gunas issue forth from Him only.

Now He says mama maya or My illusion!

So the veil of illusion is that of the Lord. This world is an illusion. We are illusions. But in the sense that the world and we are subject to constant changing.

And who can get across the maya or illusion?

There is a lore about Narada Muni. The Sage once had the impertinence to ask the Lord Krishna or Narayana as to the meaning of maya or illusion. The Lord did not answer him immediately. Instead, He asked the great sage, Narada to go and fetch water in a pitcher from a nearby river. Well, Narada went there. But when he neared the river, lo and behold, one beautiful and ravishing woman came out of the river to the bank where Narada was standing with the pitcher in hand. He immediately fell in love with her. They joined together. Years passed. They made love endlessly and procreated children eight in number. Once, as ill-luck would have it, there was a flood and the river water overflew the bank. Whereby Narada lost his beloved as the river water sucked her up and she disappeared in a trice. Then the babies, boys and girls were sucked up into the vortex of the overflowing river. Narada made valiant efforts to somehow retrieve his beloved and the children. When all were lost to the river, Narada started to cry Narayana, Narayana!

As per His wont, He, Sriman Narayana appeared when His divine name was called.

Lord Narayana came up to the crying Narada and asked him as to why he was crying like that!

Then only Narada got his consciousness back!

Narayana asked the shame-faced Narada, “I only asked you to fetch a pail of water. But you have been crying out my name and other names of woman and children I know not! May I know the reason. Narayana was very ashamed of himself as to have grossly underestimated the power of the Lord’s Maya or Illusion!

But though we are like Narada we can take refuge in the Lord and cringe beg him for deliverance.

So devotion holds the key.

Devotion not in the sense of going and “visiting” the temple every Friday with our families and make a picnic of it too.

No! We must cry out for Him. We must pray that we may be delivered from maya.

Then we would become very Sattvic and filled with the light of knowledge as to the happenings in the world and our families. We can look around and see everywhere the Lord’s maya in work. And we can put up with any kind of adversity as well as great events the Lord make happen in the family. We would become moderate in everything.

So the key is unalloyed and constant devotion.