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Maya is behind, on the back side of Krsna

Expressions researched:
"Krsna's back portion, darkness, that this darkness, material energy, is called mama maya" |"back side is maya" |"maya is on the back side of krsna" |"maya is on the backside" |"maya is situated in the back side" |"maya is the back side" |"maya on the back side" |"maya stands behind krsna" |"maya, cannot stand before Krsna. She is always behind"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

So Vyāsadeva, by his meditation, saw the Supreme Person and māyā also. Māyā is on the backside. Māyā cannot come in the front side. So Kṛṣṇa is never covered by māyā. It is our eyes which covered by māyā.
Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:
The cloud cannot cover the sun, but the cloud can cover my eyesight. This is the position. Similarly māyā cannot touch Kṛṣṇa. The Māyāvādī philosophy is that māyā also covers Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa comes here, He comes covered by this māyā. No. This is not. Māyā cannot touch. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... When Vyāsadeva realized Kṛṣṇa, before writing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam...
bhakti-yogena manasi
samyak praṇihite 'male
apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ
māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam
(SB 1.7.4)
So Vyāsadeva, by his meditation, saw the Supreme Person and māyā also. Māyā is on the backside. Māyā cannot come in the front side. So Kṛṣṇa is never covered by māyā. It is our eyes which covered by māyā. So we, the fragments of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśaḥ, we are covered by māyā, not Kṛṣṇa. The theory that Kṛṣṇa becomes covered, that is nonsense. How Kṛṣṇa can be covered? Kṛṣṇa cannot be covered. He is the controller of the māyā. And we are controlled by the māyā. That is the difference.
So māyā cannot stand before Kṛṣṇa. Māyā stands behind Kṛṣṇa. So if you put always Kṛṣṇa or if you are always Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then māyā cannot touch you.
Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1968:
So Vyāsadeva, he was liberated soul. So in clean heart, clean mind, he experienced, he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and māyā, tad-apāśrayam, and māyā standing behind Him. Māyā is darkness. Māyā cannot stand before Kṛṣṇa. Just like darkness cannot stand in front of the light. Now here is light. There is no darkness. In the backside you'll find some darkness. Is it not? Not in the front. So māyā cannot stand before Kṛṣṇa. Māyā stands behind Kṛṣṇa. So if you put always Kṛṣṇa or if you are always Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then māyā cannot touch you. Kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā haya andhakāra, yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra. So Vyāsadeva, in clear consciousness, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he saw Kṛṣṇa and this māyā.
Asuric propensities and irreligious things, they are just like Kṛṣṇa's back portion, darkness, that this darkness, material energy, is called mama māyā.
Lecture on BG 16.6 -- South Africa, October 18, 1975:
So Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything. So in the śāstra it is described just like my front portion and my back portion. So the back portion is also my bodily part, and the front portion is also my bodily part. So asuric propensities and irreligious things, they are just like Kṛṣṇa's back portion, darkness, that this darkness, material energy, is called mama māyā. The material energy is keeping everyone in darkness. But Kṛṣṇa says, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). So this... The darkness is another side of the light. Because there is light there is darkness. Darkness there is no independently. You can understand darkness because there is light. So light and darkness, they are simultaneously there, and everything is janmādy asya yataḥ; (SB 1.1.1) everything's source is Kṛṣṇa.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

When Vyāsadeva by bhakti-yoga meditation experienced the whole thing, what did he see? He saw Kṛṣṇa. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam: "He saw the Supreme Person." Māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam: "And he saw also māyā on the back side."
Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:
Māyā is already there, side by side, Kṛṣṇa and māyā. Just like this light. This side is light; this side is darkness. Take this example. This light, the one side is very bright; another side is dark. So this darkness and this light is always side by side. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa and māyā... Because māyā is one of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. When Vyāsadeva by bhakti-yoga meditation experienced the whole thing, what did he see? He saw Kṛṣṇa. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam: "He saw the Supreme Person." Māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam: "And he saw also māyā on the back side." Just like when you, if you stand, the light side, your shadow is not on the light side. The light... The shadow is on the back side.
So in our back side the māyā is there, although you are in front of Kṛṣṇa. So as soon as you become little slack in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, immediately māyā is ready to capture you. Māyā is always going side by side. As Kṛṣṇa is all-pervading, the māyā is also all-pervading. As soon as there is lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is immediately māyā.
So Vyāsadeva, he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the back side is māyā.
Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:
So Vyāsadeva, he is also living entity, although he is empowered, so apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam, he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam, and the back side is māyā. Māyā means the external energy. Just like if you stand facing the sun, the back side of your, there is a big shadow, that is māyā. So both things are there, the puruṣam, the Kṛṣṇa, and the māyā also. Both things he saw. But He is not affected by māyā. This is the special significance of Kṛṣṇa. Although māyā is there, he says, māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. Māyā is there, but Kṛṣṇa is not influenced by māyā, but He is controller of māyā. Therefore He is described, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara means controller. We are controlled by māyā, but Kṛṣṇa is the controller of māyā. That is the difference. We are not controller; we are controlled.
The darkness will be the background, not in front. Similarly, the darkness, māyā, cannot stand before Kṛṣṇa. She is always behind.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:
Kṛṣṇa said, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā: (BG 4.6) "I am not external energy. I come in My own energy." And the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not understand. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Therefore they have been described as mūḍhāḥ, asses, fools, rascals. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: (BG 9.11) "Because I have come here in the form of a human being, they take it for acceptance that 'Kṛṣṇa is another human being.' " But that is not fact. Here, if one sees Kṛṣṇa through bhakti-yoga as Vyāsadeva saw, bhakti-yogena manasi... (SB 1.7.4). Mind must be saturated with bhakti-yoga. Then you can see the Supreme Person pūrṇam, not affected by māyā. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. And so far māyā is concerned, although māyā is very influential, that's all right... Apāśrayam: standing at the background, cannot come in front. Just like the same example: the darkness cannot come in front of... You stand before, facing your mouth towards the sun. The darkness will be the background, not in front. Similarly, the darkness, māyā, cannot stand before Kṛṣṇa. She is always behind. Māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam.
Vyāsadeva, when the mind was completely cleansed, then he saw. What he saw? The complete Supreme Personality of Godhead. And māyā. He saw also māyā on the back side, back side.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 18, 1975:
So here also, Vyāsadeva, bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite amale (SB 1.7.4), when the mind was completely cleansed, then he saw. What he saw? Apaśyat. Apaśyat means "he visioned, he saw," puruṣaṁ pūrṇam, "the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead." And māyā. He saw also māyā, māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam, māyā on the back side, back side. So in this way he made his life first of all perfect, then he wrote this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam after becoming perfect. Therefore you will find in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, each word is transcendental. Each word is full of meaning and transcendental knowledge because the writer, the composer of this transcendental book, is Vyāsadeva. He is perfect, Vedavyāsa, perfect in Vedic knowledge.
There are two things. There is the Supreme Person, the supreme controller, and there is also māyā, which is on the back side.
Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Hawaii, January 18, 1974:
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.
Māyā is situated in the back side, back side, without any influence upon Kṛṣṇa, apāśrayam, under the control of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 3.26.4 -- Bombay, December 16, 1974:
In another verse is there,
bhakti-yogena manasi
samyak praṇihite 'male
apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ
māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam
(SB 1.7.4)
Vyāsadeva, Vyāsadeva, when he was instructed by his spiritual master Nārada Muni to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, at that time, by bhakti-yoga meditation, he could see the Supreme Personality of Godhead and this māyā also. But it is said, māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. Māyā is situated in the back side, back side, without any influence upon Kṛṣṇa, apāśrayam, under the control. So māyā is always controlled. Kṛṣṇa is the controller of māyā.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Vyāsadeva, by bhakti-yoga, he saw two things: the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the māyā on the back side.
Room Conversations -- September 10, 1974, Vrndavana:
Vyāsadeva, by bhakti-yoga, he saw two things: the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the māyā on the back side. Which māyā? Māyā... Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has many māyā features. Yayā sammohito jīva. That māyā by whom the whole material world and living entities are captivated. Yayā sammohito jīva, ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5). And being captivated by this maya, although he is pure spirit soul, he is thinking, "I am material. I am this body." Ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam, manute, tat-kṛtaṁ cābhipadyate. In this way he thinks, and influenced by māyā he acts. This is the position he saw.

Correspondence

1970 Correspondence

Maya is on the back side of Krsna and if we keep ourselves always in front side of Krsna, engaged in His service, then the external energy on the back side of Krsna will not be able to attack us.
Letter to Bhagavan -- Tokyo 20 August, 1970:
Maya is on the back side of Krsna and if we keep ourselves always in front side of Krsna, engaged in His service, then the external energy on the back side of Krsna will not be able to attack us. These things are very nicely explained in First Volume, 27th Chapter, Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Page Title:Maya is behind, on the back side of Krsna
Compiler:Labangalatika
Created:27 of Jul, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=9, Con=1, Let=1
No. of Quotes:11