Category:God and Maya: Difference between revisions

Theme Analysis

The relationship between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His external illusory energy, known as māyā, is a fundamental subject in Vedic philosophy. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphatically refutes the Māyāvādī misconception that the Absolute Truth can ever be bewildered or covered by illusion. Such a flawed proposition implies that māyā is actually greater than God, which is a logical absurdity. In truth, māyā is the obedient maidservant of Lord Kṛṣṇa, functioning entirely under His supreme direction to control and condition the rebellious living entities. While the ordinary jīva soul is entrapped by material designations, threefold miseries, and the cycle of birth and death, the Supreme Lord always remains the absolute master. His incarnations appear by His internal spiritual potency, completely untouched by the material modes. By engaging in pure devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, and constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord, the conditioned soul can easily bypass this formidable external energy and return to the eternal spiritual reality.

• The Subordinate Maidservant: The external energy acts entirely under the supreme command of the Lord. Just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of the sun, illusion cannot stand before God.
• The Absurdity of an Entrapped God: It is illogical to claim that the Absolute Truth becomes bewildered by illusion. If God were controlled by māyā, then māyā would be supreme, completely invalidating God's omnipotence.
• The Controller and the Controlled: God is the absolute controller, while the conditioned living entities are controlled by His external agency, suffering through material bodies and worldly attachments.
• The Transcendental Incarnations: When the Supreme Lord descends, He is never forced by karma or material nature. He appears entirely through His internal spiritual potency.
• Freedom from Illusion: The stringent grip of material nature can be easily overcome. By maintaining firm determination in pure devotional service, a devotee is granted absolute immunity from the Lord's illusory energy.

• Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: If God Were Ever Entrapped by Māyā, Māyā Would Be More Powerful Than God.