Gita 07.14 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya So now naturally the question will [...]
What Krishna’s warning about the power of the illusory energy means for Arjuna
In the Bhagavad-gita’s seventh chapter, Krishna warns that the illusory energy is formidable (07.14). Later, he specifies her three principal agents: lust, anger and greed [...]
Evil has no independent power, yet it is incredibly powerful
When people do horrible things, we may wonder, “Where does such evil come from? Are some people innately evil? Or are they impelled to evil [...]
Those who think they aren’t prone to evil are the most prone to evil
When we see someone doing something horrible, we may feel revolted, “How disgusting! I would never do anything like that.” Shock at seeing people do [...]
As long as we revolve around sense objects, we can’t evolve towards Krishna
We all want to be happy. Happiness is best found by evolving to a higher level of consciousness, from our present material consciousness to spiritual [...]
To claim that everything is an illusion is to be in illusion
Some people say that everything is an illusion. But such a statement is self-contradictory. When we say that everything is an illusion, then we are [...]
To think that the illusions tempting us are new is an old illusion
The world we live in is a place of illusion. The primary illusion is that sense objects can make us happy. But the illusion runs [...]
Channel the spirit of devotion, not the ghost of illusion
In common parlance, the words ghosts and spirits are used to refer to nonphysical beings. Among these, ghosts are often seen negatively, as beings to [...]
Spiritual surrender is not an admission of defeat – it is a vehicle to victory
In contemporary idiom, the word “surrender” conjures strong negative imagery. When a warrior is overpowered and has no way to resist or escape, he surrenders, [...]
Use self-control to commit the self to the control of the supreme self
Suppose a person has a severe digestive disorder that requires not just dietary regulation but also medical treatment. The patient’s self-control in eating is beneficial [...]
Unawareness in transcendence is different from blindness in ignorance
Blindness in ignorance refers to the state of materialists blind to God’s greatness. Even if God appears before them and manifests his universal form, as [...]
Maya is not just illusion – it is also the agency that brings about illusion
The word “Maya” is common in yogic philosophy. Though often translated as illusion, Maya is also the agency that brings about illusion. The Bhagavad-gita (07.14) [...]
The commonality of the source doesn’t imply the similarity of the effect
People sometimes ask, “When everything comes from God, why can’t we enjoy everything? Why restrict our enjoyment of some things?” Because though everything comes from [...]
We become free by choosing what controls us
We all cherish freedom, but the reality is that we can never have absolute freedom. We can’t fly unaided like birds in the sky; we [...]
See nature not as the inflictor of misery, but as the instructor of incompatibility
Traditionally, nature has been considered a mother who provides for life’s necessities. But some people characterize it negatively as a stepmother or even a witch [...]
The Merciless Microscope of Maya
The Bhagavad-gita (7.14) gives two striking characteristics of Maya, the force of illusion: it is divine (daivi) and it is formidable, if not irresistible (duratyaya). [...]
See in the potency of illusion the glory of its master
When we see someone lost in a novel, we infer that an excellent author must have written it. Similarly, when we see people, who are [...]
We help ourselves best by remembering that we are helpless without Krishna
“Help!” That’s how a person fallen in an ocean calls out for rescue. But suppose that person is intoxicated and so doesn’t even realize the [...]
To get on the way to Krishna, get out of Krishna’s way
Just as a river naturally flows towards the ocean, so does our heart in its pure state flow towards Krishna. But just as the river’s [...]
Our vulnerability points to our opportunity
We may get the question, “Why do we get tempted and deluded so easily? Why are we so vulnerable?” Gita wisdom answers that our vulnerability [...]
We are our own devils
Some traditions have the conception of the Devil, an intrinsically evil being who is independent of and almost as powerful as God. He wants to [...]