Category:That Is Maya
Theme Analysis
The philosophical essence of this category defines the nature and function of māyā (illusion). According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, māyā simply means the absence or forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, much like a shadow exists only on the back side of a person facing the sun. When the living entity forgets their eternal position as a servant of God and desires to imitate Him by becoming the independent enjoyer and proprietor of the material world, they fall under the spell of this external energy. Under māyā's influence, the conditioned soul falsely identifies with the temporary material body and foolishly claims to be the master, despite being constantly kicked by the stringent laws of nature. The ultimate illusion is accepting the intense sufferings of material life—such as the struggle for economic development and temporary bodily comforts—as happiness. Liberation from māyā is only achieved when the living entity abandons the false prestige of mastery, stops working for personal sense gratification, and re-engages their senses entirely in the loving service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
- Forgetfulness as the Root Cause: Māyā is defined as the forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as the living entity turns their attention away from the Supreme Lord, they immediately fall under the influence of illusion, just as darkness naturally follows the absence of light.
- The Illusion of Enjoyment: The living entity is not the enjoyer but the enjoyed. The desire to imitate Kṛṣṇa, gratify the senses independently, and claim proprietorship over the material world is the core mechanism of māyā.
- Accepting Misery as Happiness: Under the spell of illusion, the conditioned soul is completely unaware of their abominable situation. Even while suffering from the miseries of the material body and the endless struggle for survival, they foolishly believe they are happy.
- The False Claim of Mastery: Everyone in the material world is a servant of nature, yet māyā tricks the living entity into believing they are the master, the president, or even God Himself. This false prestige is the last snare of illusion.
- The Transformation of Consciousness: Liberation from māyā does not necessarily mean stopping one's activities; it means changing the consciousness behind them. Work performed for personal sense gratification is māyā, but the exact same work performed for Kṛṣṇa's pleasure is spiritual.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Forgetfulness of Krsna - That Is Maya.
Pages in category "That Is Maya"
The following 67 pages are in this category, out of 67 total.
A
- Although Maya came there at dead of night, very beautiful, attractive dress, attractive feature, attractive words - this is maya - so he (Haridasa Thakura) was not allured. Rather, the vesya, or the prostitute, became converted into a Vaisnavi
- Although superficially it is supposed that man is the enjoyer, the woman is enjoyed. but actually the woman also wants to enjoy the man. That is maya
- Anyone who is not in Krsna consciousness, he does not enjoy. He simply suffers. But he takes the suffering as enjoyment. That is maya
- As soon as there is disobedience of law and order, immediately police department must go and punish and arrest. We can experience these things. Similarly, by God's side there is such department, police department. That is maya, Durgadevi
- As soon as we forget Krsna and we want to do things for our sense gratification, that is maya. And as soon as we give up this process of sense gratification and do everything for Krsna, that is liberation
- As soon as we go out of the scope of this Krsna consciousness, there will be so many talks. And that will mislead you. That is maya. And if you stick to the Krsna consciousness, there is no secrecy, there is no duplicity, there is no diplomacy
B
- Because I am part and parcel of Krsna, then what is my duty? To serve Krsna. There is no other duty. Any other duty I manufacture, that is illusion. That is maya, any duty I manufacture
- Body means misery. You cannot keep it comfortable. That is maya. It will never be comfortable, but they are all trying to make it comfortable. This is called maya
E
- Everyone is thinking. I make my plan, I make my survey, and I become king. But that is maya. You cannot become. You are already servant of maya
- Everything is distressful here, but fools being illusioned, covered by the illusory maya, that distress he accepts as happiness. That is maya. It is not at all happiness
- External energy cannot come in front of God, Krsna. This is maya. Just like darkness cannot come in front of the sun
H
- He (the dog) is passing stool and urine, and the master is thinking, "I am master." But he is being controlled. That is maya. He has become servant of the dog, but he is thinking, - I am master
- How we can be independent? We are teeny, very small. There is no question of independence. The so-called independence, as we fight for independence, that is maya
- Hrsikesa-sevanam. Not hrsika-sevanam. Hrsika means senses. So when senses are used for sense gratification, that is maya. And when senses are used for the gratification of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. A very simple definition
I
- If anyone comes back to Krsna, God, with a spiritual body, then he does not come back within this material world, which is full of miserable condition, duhkhalayam. That is maya
- If we are seeking to find out some fault, maya will give us all facility to find any small thing and make it very big, that is maya
- If you cannot say who is your father and mother, if you do not know, this forgetfulness, this is called maya. Actually it should not happen, but somehow or other, if you are asked, "Who is your parents?" You cannot say. This is called maya
- Instead of being a slave of the senses, if one voluntarily becomes the slave of Krishna, or His representative, that is good for him. This is maya, thinking that we are independent
- Isavasyam idam sarvam (ISO 1). Sarvam, whatever you see, that property belongs to God. We are falsely claiming, "It is my property." And that is maya, illusion
M
- Man who has got a nice overcoat and gloves, he is thinking he is enjoying. This is maya. He forgets that he is simply trying to counteract the suffering. Actually, he is suffering
- Maya means absence of Krsna consciousness. This is maya, absence of Krsna consciousness. When you forget Krsna, this is maya. When we remember Krsna, know Krsna, there is no maya
- Maya means the external energy. Just like if you stand facing the sun, the back side of your, there is a big shadow. That is maya. So both things are there: the purusam, the Krsna, and the maya also
- Mayika means shadow. Shadow is existing on account of the real. So therefore it is called maya
O
- One of our Godbrothers, he's thinking that "This institution was started by me and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati as partners. Now the senior partner is dead. Therefore I am the sole proprietor. Who are these Godbrothers? Let them go away." So this is maya
- One this kick, his dominance all finished, in one second. No dominance. That is maya. They are under control, but thinking that, "We are free." That is called maya
- Our birthplace, even it is hell, it is better than heaven. That is maya. Just like hog. Hog is living most abominable condition of life, with stools and filthy water, but still, he is thinking he's living in heaven
P
S
- She tests very rigidly whether you have taken Krsna consciousness to disturb Krsna, or you are actually serious. That is maya' s business. So there will be, in the beginning, test by maya, and you will feel so much disturbances in making progress in KC
- Simply by votes he is President. Actually he is not; he is the servant of the voters, but he's thinking, "I am President." This is called maya
- Since Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand this (that all devotional activities are easy to perform and are eternal), they take it for granted that a devotee’s activities (sravanam kirtanam, etc. (SB 7.5.23)) are all material and are therefore maya
- So long we have got this false identification that "I am enjoyer," that is maya. We are not enjoyer. We are enjoyed. That is real philosophy
- So this is the position. One is actually serving, not master. But he's thinking that he's master. This is maya. So when we give up this false prestigious position that I am master, then you are liberated
- Somebody is in passion, somebody is in ignorance, somebody is in goodness. Even one is in goodness, goodness is also another. It may be higher quality, but that is maya quality. One has to go above goodness
T
- That is Vaisnava philosophy. The whole process is to accept the Supreme. So long we do not accept the Supreme, that is maya
- The demigods, human beings, animals, birds, beasts, trees and plants are all attracted by sexual desire. That is the illusion of maya
- The external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives all conditioned souls what appears to be an opportunity to be happy within this material world, but that is maya; in other words, it is a dream that is never to be fulfilled
- The glaring attraction of city, that is maya. In the modern age people are more attracted by the city life, but we should know city life . . . not for the devotee; generally, people in general, they like city life, but that is maya
- The horrible scene in the hospital is certainly ghastly. But we should at the same time know that this ghastly scene is in the matter of bodily concept of life. This is Maya's illusion
- The situation of the world, due to ignorance of the soul they are creating so many sinful activities and becoming entangled. But they have no knowledge how they are becoming entangled. This is maya's, praksepatmika-sakti, avaranatmika
- The symptom of human life is that he should be very much pessimistic, not optimistic, of this material world. Then there is path of liberation. And if we think that we are very much happy here, that is called illusion, maya
- Then as soon as relationship (sambandha) is understood, then our real activity begins. That real activities is called bhakti, and the material activities, which is not bhakti, that is maya
- There is no duality. There is one, Krsna. But you have created duality. That is maya. When you forget Krsna, that is duality
- There is no question of becoming Brahman. We have now forgotten. We have forgotten that we are Brahman. We are misidentifying with this body. This is maya
- This denial, that "I don't believe in God," is a existence like that, one who has forgotten his father and mother. That is maya, and that is material consciousness. Denying God in different way, "There is no God," that is also denial
- This is our position, not to be puffed up, that "I am God," "I am Krsna," "Everyone is Krsna." This is maya, the last snare of maya. Maya dictates that - You become the biggest man of the world. You become the biggest, richest man of the world
U
- Under the spell of maya we are thinking that this kicking of maya, this slapping of maya, this thrashing of maya is very nice. You see? This is called maya. And as soon as you get into Krsna consciousness, then Krsna takes care of you
- Understanding that "This is not Brahman, this is not Brahman..." That is the way of Mayavadi philosophers. They scrutinize that "This is maya and this is Brahman"; therefore they are called Mayavadis
- Unless he's Krsna conscious, he cannot understand what is the miserable condition of this material world. He cannot understand. This is maya
W
- We are trying to be the enjoyer of this material world. That is maya. The world is not maya, but the intention of the living entities to enjoy this material world, to satisfy his senses, that is maya
- We have heard so many so-called Gods, that "He attained such perfection of mystic power. Now he has become God." That is also another maya. Nobody can become God. God is God; dog is dog. This is the law of identity
- We have to increase the attachment. Krsna is already attractive, but we are trying to go away from Krsna. This is our business. "Krsna may not touch me." We are so clever that "Krsna may not touch me." This is maya
- What is the value of your skyscraper building and billions of dollars in the bank? You cannot take it with you. And this is called maya. You cannot take it with you; still, you are struggling hard day and night. This is called maya
- When the living entity wants to enjoy by imitating the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his desire is called maya, and it puts him in the material atmosphere
- When you are situated as servant of Krsna, that is mukti. And so long you are falsely claiming that, "I am enjoyer, I am proprietor," that is maya. That is our philosophy. And Krsna consciousness movement is meant for that
- Within this five thousand years, we have so much degraded, illusioned by the maya as advancement of civilization. This is maya. So the more days go, we shall be more illusioned
Y
- You don't require big factories, big workshop, and whole day and night with motorcar going this way and that way. No. There is no necessity for economic development. This is maya
- You have got, all, experience. You stand up; you'll see a long shadow on your back side. So that is maya. The maya is the back side
- You have seen the picture, how with Krsna the gopis are nicely dancing, enjoying; the cowherd boys are playing. Enjoy with Krsna, that is your real enjoyment. But without Krsna, when you want to enjoy, that is maya
- You said that your job is maya, but you must know that maya is illusion. As soon as there is absence of Krishna Consciousness - that is maya. But you are working just to help and push Krishna's interest; therefore, it is not maya