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Taken shelter of the material energy

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 3

We conditioned souls have taken shelter of the material body, which is full of troubles and miseries.
SB 3.24.36, Purport: Here the word durāśayāt is very significant. Dur refers to trouble or duḥkha, miseries. Āśayāt means "from the shelter." We conditioned souls have taken shelter of the material body, which is full of troubles and miseries. Foolish people cannot understand the situation, and this is called ignorance, illusion, or the spell of māyā. Human society should very seriously understand that the body itself is the source of all miserable life.

SB Canto 7

The asuras were defeated, and therefore they took shelter of Maya Dānava, the greatest of the demons.
SB 7.10.53, Translation: Nārada Muni said: When the demigods, who are always powerful by the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, fought with the asuras, the asuras were defeated, and therefore they took shelter of Maya Dānava, the greatest of the demons.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Kṛṣṇa is the shelter of all great souls, and He is also the shelter of the material worlds.
Krsna Book 14: The very name Kṛṣṇa suggests piety and liberation. Anyone who takes shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa enters the boat for crossing over the ocean of nescience. For him, this vast expanse of the material manifestation becomes as insignificant as the water in a calf’s hoofprint. Kṛṣṇa is the shelter of all great souls, and He is also the shelter of the material worlds. For one who is on the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Vaikuṇṭha, or the spiritual world, is not far away. He does not live within the material world, where there is danger at every step. In this way, Kṛṣṇa consciousness was fully explained to Mahārāja Parīkṣit by Śukadeva Gosvāmī as he recited to the King the statements and prayers of Lord Brahmā. These descriptions of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with His cowherd boys, His eating with them on the bank of the Yamunā, and Lord Brahma’s prayers unto Him are all transcendental subject matters.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Once the spirit soul takes shelter of māyā, the illusory material energy, he develops the material qualities of goodness, passion, and ignorance. The spirit soul loses his original characteristics and develops a new nature, which is controlled by the three modes of material nature, and this continues until such time as he transcends them.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 1.9: The Supreme Lord is absolutely independent and can exercise absolute free will over all; because the spirit soul is qualitatively the same as the Supreme Lord, the Lord does not annul his minute free will. The spirit soul unfortunately misuses this God-given minute free will and falls into the dark well of nescience and illusion. Once the spirit soul takes shelter of māyā, the illusory material energy, he develops the material qualities of goodness, passion, and ignorance. The spirit soul loses his original characteristics and develops a new nature, which is controlled by the three modes of material nature, and this continues until such time as he transcends them. His actions are prompted accordingly. If it happened in any other way, then material variegatedness would not be visible in this phenomenal world. So if a person fails to inform himself about the very subtle laws and workings of material nature, and at the same time he argues that all activities are sanctioned and inspired by the Supreme Lord, then he is reducing the Supreme Lord's position and making Him out to be partial and unjust.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

That is nature. Therefore we are suffering in this material world. Because we have taken shelter of the material nature.
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Paris, August 11, 1973: And what is the main business of material nature? Just to beat you with shoes. That is nature. Therefore we are suffering in this material world. Because we have taken shelter of the material nature. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahāt [SB 7.5.5]. We have taken shelter of this material nature; therefore, we are full of anxieties and full of miserable condition of life. This is the position. So long you'll be under the control of the—you are under the control. You cannot be independent. You rascal, don't think that ever you shall be independent. Your position is to remain dependent. If you don't depend on Kṛṣṇa, then you have to depend on the material nature, that's all. You cannot become independent. That is not possible.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

So those who are materialists, they take shelter of the material energy, and those who are transcendentalists, they take shelter of the transcendental nature.
Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Los Angeles, August 19, 1972: And those who are materialists, they are under the mahā-māyā, material energy, Goddess Kālī, Durgā. They are the symbolic representation of material energy. So those who are materialists, they take shelter of the material energy, and those who are transcendentalists, they take shelter of the transcendental nature. So those who are mahātmā, they take shelter of the transcendental prakṛti. So we have to render service to such person who is under the protection of the transcendental nature. That is called mahātmā. A mahātmā, this word you have heard. A mahātmā's description is mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg. 9.13]. Mahātmā has nothing to do with this material world; he is simply under the care of the transcendental prakṛti.
And so long we are taking shelter of māyā, asat, which will not stay...
Lecture on SB 3.26.43 -- Bombay, January 18, 1975: I have taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and He has promised, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg. 18.66]. Then where is the cause of my anxiety?" Therefore he can become... He has understood Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality, almighty, all-powerful, full of all opulences. "So if he has taken my charge, then where is my anxiety?" That is śānti. That is śānti. And so long we are taking shelter of māyā, asat, which will not stay... Suppose we are taking shelter, child is taking shelter of the father, mother, or the citizens is taking shelter of the state, of the government. So one has to to take shelter of something else for protection, for security. But they are not actually security. Therefore we are always full of anxiety. You may be a citizen of a great state like United States of America. But you are not without any anxiety because that shelter is not sufficient. That will not stay. Just like recently in America they had to dethrone Mr. Nixon because they were not free from anxiety. So you cannot become free from anxiety by taking shelter of anything material.
So far the material energy is concerned, they, generally all living entities who are in this material world, they have taken the shelter of the material energy, 8,400,000 forms of body.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975: What is this world? This world is distribution of the two energies of God: the material energy and the spiritual energy. So mahat means one who has taken shalter of the spiritual energy. He is called mahat, great soul. So far the material energy is concerned, they, generally all living entities who are in this material world, they have taken the shelter of the material energy, 8,400,000 forms of body. But the mahat means one who has taken the shelter of the spiritual energy. So mahat sevan: we have to approach such person who has taken the shelter of the spiritual energy of God. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes. If you want liberation from this bondage—birth, death, old age and disease and so many other things—then you have to execute tapasya under the direction of a great soul. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ [SB 5.5.2]. If you want liberation. And tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Yoṣitām. Yoṣitām means Yoṣit mean woman.
We have to take shelter of another energy. Therefore our position is marginal. We can take shelter of the material energy or the spiritual energy, as we like. If we take the shelter of material energy, then we become entangled.
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- London, September 3, 1971: We have to work under some energy. This is our position. We are also energy. Just like two energies, the negative and positive, works on electricity, similarly... There are varieties of energies. We are also one of the energies of God. So our position is marginal energy. We can work under spiritual energy, we can work under material energy. We have to take shelter of another energy. Therefore our position is marginal. We can take shelter of the material energy or the spiritual energy, as we like. If we take the shelter of material energy, then we become entangled. Therefore it is called daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14]. Without knowledge, without identification, if we take the shelter of material energy, then we become in darkness. Tṛtīya karma-saṅga anya śaktir iṣyate. This third energy, material, I mean to say, human being, or living entity... Therefore at the present moment... There are different atmosphere. Just like here, in this house, in this temple, the spiritual energy is acting. Outside this house the material energy's acting. What is the difference between this house and the next house? Here the material energy is not working. The spiritual energy is working. The other house, the same pattern, no difference between this house and that house. The only difference is the other house, they are interested in material energy, and here, in this house, the inhabitants interested in spiritual energy. So that is explained here, that if we work under material energy, then there will be problems of life. And if we work under spiritual energy there will be no... All problems will be solved. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Therefore, you are marginal energy. So when you take shelter of the material energy, you forget Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.154 -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

Guest (3): And I think Rādhārāṇī helps a man to reach Kṛṣṇa, to hear, you know, the things...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Rādhārāṇī engages him to Kṛṣṇa's service. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg. 9.13]. You have to take shelter of spiritual energy or material energy. That is your position. Therefore, you are marginal energy. So when you take shelter of the material energy, you forget Kṛṣṇa. And when you take shelter of spiritual energy, you understand your real position.
Although this Viṣṇu is the shelter, shelter of the material energy, still, He has nothing to do with this material energy. He is free from the contamination of material energy.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.281-293 -- New York, December 18, 1966: Although this Viṣṇu is the shelter, shelter of the material energy, still, He has nothing to do with this material energy. He is free from the contamination of material energy. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a verse: apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca yad apāśrayam. When Vyāsadeva, he was just attempting to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by bhakti-yoga, he saw two things: apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. He saw the Supreme Personality and the material energy, apāśrayam, just far away from Him. Because this māyā's task is very thankless task. Māyā's task is very thankless task because she is in charge of these conditioned souls, and her business is to give all the conditioned souls always miseries.

General Lectures

When you take shelter of the material energy, you materially develop. When you take spiritual energy, you spiritually develop.
Lecture at Krsna Niketan -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971: My Godbrother, there was one Bharati Mahārāja. He was... (laughter) So Prabhupāda used to criticize, "Oh, this man is getting fatty." And actually, he was not very... Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg. 9.13]. You have to take shelter; therefore you are marginal. You have to take shelter of the material energy or the spiritual energy. When you take shelter of the material energy, you materially develop. When you take spiritual energy, you spiritually develop. That's all. Therefore your position is marginal. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. Mahātmā, those who are mahātmās, they have given up. The Māyāvādī philosopher thinks that as soon as he has given up, liberated from the matter, now he has become God. No. You give up this material energy, you have to take up spiritual energy. Mahāmāyā, yogamāyā. Yes.

So if we don't agree to accept Kṛṣṇa's proposal sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], then we have to take shelter of māyā and you have to perpetually serve.

Life Member House Lecture -- Hyderabad, April 14, 1975: We are not independent. If we do not agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, then we have to serve māyā. Our position as servant is never changed. We remain servant. So if we don't agree to accept Kṛṣṇa's proposal sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], then we have to take shelter of māyā and you have to perpetually serve. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg. 8.19]. To serve māyā means to continue this material existence one after another. Now I've got this body, you've got this body, and if we do not change our attitude to serve Kṛṣṇa, then we get again next body. There are 8,400,000 different forms of body. We can see. There are so many trees, plants, insects, animals. They're all living entities. Also there are nice body—Americans, Europeans, beautiful body, or demigod's body. There are different bodies, eight million... So long we shall remain māyā-dāsa, we have to change this body one after another. It may be of higher standard or it may be of lower standard.
Page Title:Taken shelter of the material energy
Compiler:Laksmipriya, ChrisF
Created:16 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=2, Lec=9, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:13