Category:Becoming Illusioned
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Becoming Illusioned (pramāda) is one of the four inherent defects of every conditioned soul, alongside committing mistakes, having imperfect senses, and the propensity to cheat. Illusion is defined as accepting something for what it is not—specifically, accepting the temporary material body as the eternal self. The analysis of these quotes reveals that this illusion is not accidental but inevitable for those who are separated from the service of the Lord. It is triggered by lust and anger: when lust is frustrated, anger arises, leading to deep illusion and spiritual ruin. Because all human beings are subject to this defect, Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that no mundane person—scientist, philosopher, or politician—is qualified to give perfect knowledge. To escape illusion, one must take direction from a liberated soul who is free from these defects.
- The Four Defects: Every conditioned soul has four imperfections: mistakes, illusion, cheating, and imperfect senses.
- The Nature of Illusion: Mistaking the body for the self, or a rope for a snake. It is a misinterpretation of reality based on imperfect sense perception.
- The Cycle of Fall: Lust leads to anger, anger leads to illusion, and illusion leads to destruction.
- The Cheating Teacher: Because everyone is illusioned, anyone who tries to teach without Vedic authority is actually a cheater.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Conditioned Soul Is Sure to Become Illusioned.
Pages in category "Becoming Illusioned"
The following 18 pages are in this category, out of 18 total.
A
- A conditioned soul is hampered by four defects: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is sure to become illusioned, he has a tendency to cheat others, and his senses are imperfect. Consequently we have to take direction from liberated persons
- A living entity deprived of eternal transcendental service to the Lord becomes illusioned in many ways. Even in his conditional life he is the eternal servant of the Lord
- All conditioned souls have imperfect senses, they are subject to commit mistakes and become illusioned, and they are influenced by the propensity to cheat
- Although conditioned souls become very easily illusioned by these conditions in the material world, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the Supersoul, Vasudeva, is never agitated by these transformations
- As long as we are conditioned, we are subject to four kinds of imperfections: we are sure to commit mistakes, to become illusioned, to have imperfect senses and to cheat
T
- The conditioned soul must become illusioned. This happens when he continually mistakes one thing for something else. For example, we accept the body as the self. Since I am not this body, my acceptance of the body as my self is an illusion
- The peacocks sitting on the steps (of the palace) became illusioned by the fumes, mistaking them for clouds, and began dancing jubilantly
U
- Under false complexity, the living beings under different categories of life become illusioned in different ways
- Under the influence of illusory material energy, we accept this spot-life of only a few years as our permanent existence and thus become illusioned by possessing so-called country, home, land, children, wife, community, wealth, etc
W
- We have got four defects - means we commit mistake, we become illusioned or bewildered, our senses are imperfect, and, because everything is imperfect, still we want to become teacher, that is cheating. I am imperfect. How can I teach?
- When one associates with one who is in illusion or mislead naturally he will also become influenced by that illusion
- When the deer was gone, he would be filled with anxiety and would lament due to separation. Thus he would become illusioned and speak as follows
- When this lust is baffled, we become angry; when we become angry, we become illusioned; and when we are illusioned, we are doomed. This is the process that is going on, but we have to reverse this process and turn lust into love
- Whoever sees Him accepts Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since He has some mystic power by which He hypnotizes people, everyone who sees Him becomes illusioned