Spell of maya (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"maya's spell" |"maya, illusion. Just like under the spell of illusion" |"spell of a cloud, or by maya" |"spell of daivi-maya" |"spell of illusory maya" |"spell of maya" |"spell of the external energy, maya" |"spell of the illusory energy, maya" |"spell of the material nature, maya" |"spell of the modes of material nature, called maya" |"the spell and strength of maya" |"under her spell we are trying to become happy"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

We are living in this condition, conditional life of material existence, which is full of miseries, but by the spell of māyā, illusion, we are thinking, we are planning that we are happy. This is called māyā. Māyā means... I have several times explained what is meant by māyā. Māyā means "what is not." I am thinking I am making progress, I am thinking that I am happy, I am thinking I am civilized, I am advanced. But the māyā means this thinking, in the positive way, is no. No, you are not advanced. You are not civilized. You are not actually wise because you do not know what you are. You are thinking that you are this body. Therefore everything, whatever you are thinking, that is all null and void. Māyā.

Lecture on BG 6.25-29 -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1969:

We say that this mahā-mantra can save you, we are distributing publicly, no. Free, without any charge. But people are so fools, they are not prepared to take this. They'll hanker after that mantra, after Maharishi. Pay thirty-five dollars and take some private mantra, you see? So people want to be cheated. And here, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, these people are preaching without any charge, declaring in the street, park, everywhere, "Come on, take it." "Oh, this is not good." This is māyā, this is called illusion. This is spell of māyā. And if you charge something, if you bluff, if you cheat, oh, people will follow.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a science which is not for all. It is for all; it is very easy and sublime; but at the same time, the spell and strength of māyā is so strong that she does not allow to accept this very easy, at the same time sublime, spiritual process. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that out of many hundreds of thousands or millions of people, somebody is interested in spiritual realization. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). Out of many hundreds of thousands people, one is interested. This is not only in this age, but in the material world, that is the disease.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

But unfortunately we take this ocean of nescience as very pleasant place. This is the spell of māyā. Where there is danger in every step, but we are thinking we are very happy, we are advancing in material civilization, and, as far as we can imagine, that we are very prosperous and everything. This is called māyā.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

Formerly people were living, say, hundred years, eighty years, ninety years, and nowadays a man is living, utmost, seventy years, sixty years. If a man lives for eighty years, then he is considered to be very... But time will come, as we get information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that at the end of this age, Kali-yuga, if a man lives for twenty to thirty years he'll be considered as the grand old man. So practically we are not making any progress. And materially it is not possible to make progress. It is... That is called māyā, illusion. We are actually not making any progress, but we are thinking that we are making progress. This is called spell of māyā.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

Our real suffering is to take birth and remain in the womb of the mother. And even coming out of the womb of the mother, the small children, they feel always uncomfortable. Therefore they cry. The mother cannot understand what is the suffering of the... He is hungry but the mother is thinking that he wants to sleep or misunderstanding the child is uncomfortable. In this way childhood is past. Then again we become boy, again go to a school, again examination, again this. In this way the whole life is suffering. But under the spell of māyā, we are thinking we are happy. Therefore it is said mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. If we want to get relief from this business of birth, death, old age and disease, let us take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness, and take His instruction directly and apply it in life. Your life will be successful.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.5.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1969:

Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāy: "I am so unfortunate that this hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is imported from Goloka Vṛndāvana, transcendental platform." Rati nā janmilo kene tāy, "But I have no attraction for this." Biṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale: "Although I am suffering always with the anxieties of this material adjustment of things..." Biṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale, juṛāite nā koinu upāy. Juṛāite means "There is way to get out of this anxious status of life, but I have no attraction." Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says like that. Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi': "I have brought a nice medicine to kill the spell of māyā. So you take it."

Lecture on SB 1.8.29 -- Mayapura, October 9, 1974:

So ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. A Vaiṣṇava feels for others. A Vaiṣṇava understands that "Those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, those who have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, they are rotting under the spell of māyā. Let us do something for them." That is Vaiṣṇava.

Lecture on SB 3.25.23 -- Bombay, November 23, 1974:

Then adhidaivika, accident, which you have no control over. No sufferings you have control. That is not possible. There is famine; there is pestilence; there is no rain; there is excessive heat, excessive cold. They are called adhidaivika. Earthquake..., so many. So this is the reminder, that "You rascal, you are thinking you are very happy in this material world. What you have done about these sufferings?" Mūḍha. They think, "Oh, this is all right. It doesn't matter." Besides that, there is very grave sufferings. That is birth, death, old age, and disease. So where is your happiness? But because we are under the spell of māyā, we are thinking, "This position is very nice. Let us enjoy life." This is their enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974:

Everything you are doing under the spell of māyā we do not know where you are going, what is the ultimate aim. We do not know. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. We are under the spell of māyā given by the guṇas. You must accept. If you don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and give it ourselves on the waves of māyā, then we do not know where we are going.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

So bhayaṁ tīvram. We have become so much dull or foolish that we do not know what is bhayaṁ tīvram. Tīvram means very fierce, and bhayam, fierce fearfulness, very strong. And we are entangled in this very strong fearfulness, but we have become so dull by the spell of māyā that we don't care for it.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

So these things you have to pass. And again disease, again old age, and again death, and again birth. This is bhayaṁ tīvram. But the... We have become... By the spell of māyā, by illusion, we are thinking, "Now we are making very much progress." What progress you have made? Have you stopped birth, death, old age, and disease? These troubles are awaiting. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You should always think that "I am waiting for the miserable condition." It is already miserable condition.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

We are suffering this material condition of life, constantly a chain of body, and suffering the threefold miseries. Tīvraṁ bhayam. This is very fierceful, but we do not understand. We are living in such condition. But by the spell of māyā we are thinking we are very happy. But that is not actual fact. It is tīvraṁ bhayam.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

Tvayā abhihita. This is called spell of māyā. So under the spell of māyā, para, para abhidhyānena kartṛtvam, he becomes independent and talks all nonsense.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

Actually, he is being pulled by the material nature. Just like dog, chained, he has to do according to the master desire, similarly, we are also chained by the prakṛti, material nature, and we are being forced to act according to the dictation of the material nature. But ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. Because he is bewildered, he is thinking... You will find in the beach so many dogs. They are very proudly jumping and thinking that "I have got full independence," but actually he is dependent.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

Durgā, the material nature power, is working just like chāya, shadow. So in this way... There is a Bengali verse,

piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya

māyā-grasta jīvera haya se bhāva udaya

Piśācī, ghost, witch. There is some haunting of ghost, and when a man is ghostly haunted, he speaks so many nonsense. Māyā-grasta. Piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya. Similarly, under the spell of māyā we defy everything, "Where is God? Can you show me God?" He is seeing every step God.