The purpose of writing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). All the people of the world, they're fools and rascals, lokasyājānataḥ. Why they are fools and rascals? Now, there are two things. Vyāsadeva, by his bhakti-yoga meditation, he found out that there is God and there is māyā. Two things are there. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite 'male, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam (SB 1.7.4). There is the Supreme Person, the supreme controller—apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam—and there is also māyā, which is on the back side. Just like if you stand before the sun or light, your shadow will be on the back side. You have got, all, experience. You stand up; you'll see a long shadow on your back side. So that is māyā. The māyā is the back side. That means if you stand before the sun in the front, you can see in the sunlight very nicely. But if somebody stands on your back side, he cannot see you. This is the position. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam.
What is this māyā? Why this māyā? That is also explained. What is that? Yayā sammohito jīva: "These conditioned souls, they're bewildered by māyā, illusion." That is māyā. Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5): "Being bewildered by this māyā, this soul, who is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God, he's thinking that 'I am a material product. I am made of these material things.' "