Suppose thieves steal all the property from their victims. Still, the victims can get relief by, say, withdrawing money from their bank by using their identity proof and other relevant documents. But if thieves steal all such documents too, then the victims won’t get that relief till they get some alternative identity proof. But suppose the thieves steal not just the identity proof, but also the identity itself by inducing amnesia in their victims. That would leave the victims utterly helpless.

This is how the ultimate thief victimizes us. That thief is illusion, the pervasive network of misconceptions created by the illusory energy, Maya. We are souls, children of the supremely wealthy father, Krishna. Our devotion for him is our most precious property – it’s our password to the eternal enrichment of spiritual happiness.

Attachment to worldly indulgence and affluence steals our consciousness, leaving us bereft of any spiritual intelligence

Illusion steals both our spiritual property and identity. When stripped of our spiritual property, we don’t feel any joy in loving Krishna. When stripped of our identity, we don’t even remember that we are souls who can by purification relish eternal spiritual joys. Illusion induces this amnesia by making us misidentify with our temporary material bodies and associated worldly things. The Bhagavad-gita (02.44) cautions that attachment to worldly indulgence and affluence steals our consciousness, leaving us bereft of any spiritual intelligence. As all material pleasures are temporary and unfulfilling, they leave us feeling impoverished due to the insatiable craving for more, no matter how much we have.

How can we protect ourselves from being plundered by illusion?

By conscientiously educating ourselves with Gita wisdom and cultivating spiritual attachment to Krishna by practicing bhakti-yoga.

When we thus guard and grow our devotion, we will increasingly realize and relish our spiritual essence, thereby transcending the allure of illusion.

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