Yogamaya (CC)
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
"The influence of yogamāyā will inspire the gopīs with the sentiment that I am their paramour."
Yogamāyā is the name of the internal potency that makes the Lord forget Himself and become an object of love for His pure devotee in different transcendental mellows. This yogamāyā potency creates a spiritual sentiment in the minds of the damsels of Vraja by which they think of Lord Kṛṣṇa as their paramour. This sentiment is never to be compared to mundane illicit sexual love. It has nothing to do with sexual psychology, although the pure love of such devotees seems to be sexual. One should know for certain that nothing can exist in this cosmic manifestation that has no real counterpart in the spiritual field. All material manifestations are emanations of the Transcendence. The erotic principles of amorous love reflected in mixed material values are perverted reflections of the reality of spirit, but one cannot understand the reality unless one is sufficiently educated in the spiritual science.
In Goloka Vṛndāvana there is an exchange of love known as parakīya-rasa. It is something like the attraction of a married woman for a man other than her husband. In the material world this sort of relationship is most abominable because it is a perverted reflection of the parakīya-rasa in the spiritual world, where it is the highest kind of loving affair. Such feelings between the devotee and the Lord are presented by the influence of yogamāyā. The Bhagavad-gītā states that devotees of the highest grade are under the care of daiva-māyā, or yogamāyā
Those who are actually great souls (mahātmās) are fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always engaged in the service of the Lord. They are under the care of daivī-prakṛti, or yogamāyā. Yogamāyā creates a situation in which the devotee is prepared to transgress all regulative principles simply to love Kṛṣṇa. A devotee naturally does not like to transgress the laws of reverence for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but by the influence of yogamāyā he is prepared to do anything to love the Supreme Lord better.
Those under the spell of the material energy cannot at all appreciate the activities of yogamāyā, for a conditioned soul can hardly understand the pure reciprocation between the Lord and His devotee. But by executing devotional service under the regulative principles, one can become very highly elevated and then begin to appreciate the dealings of pure love under the management of yogamāyā.
In the spiritual loving sentiment induced by the yogamāyā potency, both Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the damsels of Vraja forget themselves in spiritual rapture. By the influence of such forgetfulness, the attractive beauty of the gopīs plays a prominent part in the transcendental satisfaction of the Lord, who has nothing to do with mundane sex. Because spiritual love of Godhead is above everything mundane, the gopīs superficially seem to transgress the codes of mundane morality. This perpetually puzzles mundane moralists. Therefore yogamāyā acts to cover the Lord and His pastimes from the eyes of mundaners, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.25), where the Lord says that He reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone.
The acts of yogamāyā make it possible for the Lord and the gopīs, in loving ecstasy, to sometimes meet and sometimes separate. These transcendental loving affairs of the Lord are unimaginable to empiricists involved in the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Therefore the Lord Himself appears before the mundaners to bestow upon them the highest form of spiritual realization and also personally relish its essence. The Lord is so merciful that He Himself descends to take the fallen souls back home to the kingdom of Godhead, where the erotic principles of Godhead are eternally relished in their real form, distinct from the perverted sexual love so much adored and indulged in by the fallen souls in their diseased condition.
Materialistic conditioned souls do not understand the transcendental exchanges of love, but they like to indulge in sense gratification in the name of devotional service. The activities of the Supreme Lord can never be understood by irresponsible persons who think the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa to be ordinary affairs. The rāsa dance is arranged by Kṛṣṇa's internal potency yogamāyā, and it is beyond the grasp of the materially affected person.
"Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to do, He nevertheless acts; although He is always unborn, He nevertheless takes birth; although He is time, fearful to everyone, He flees Mathurā in fear of His enemy to take shelter in a fort; and although He is self-sufficient, He marries 16,000 women. These pastimes seem like bewildering contradictions, even to the most intelligent." Had these activities of the Lord not been a reality, sages would not have been puzzled by them. Therefore such activities should never be considered imaginary. Whenever the Lord desires, His inconceivable energy (yogamāyā) serves Him in creating and performing such pastimes.
"In the beginning of the creation, the Lord expanded Himself in the form of the puruṣa incarnation, accompanied by all the ingredients of material creation. First He created the sixteen principal energies suitable for creation. This was for the purpose of manifesting the material universes."
This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.1). The commentary of Madhva on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam mentions that the following sixteen spiritual energies are present in the spiritual world: (1) śrī, (2) bhū, (3) līlā, (4) kānti, (5) kīrti, (6) tuṣṭi, (7) gīr, (8) puṣṭi, (9) satyā (10) jñānājñānā, (11) jayā utkarṣiṇī, (12) vimalā, (13) yogamāyā, (14) prahvī, (15) īśānā and (16) anugrahā. In his commentary on the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta, Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa has said that the above energies are also known by nine names: (1) vimalā, (2) utkarṣiṇī (3) jñānā, (4) kriyā, (5) yogā, (6) prahvī, (7) satyā, (8) īśānā and (9) anugrahā. In the Bhagavat-sandarbha of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī (text 103) they are described as śrī, puṣṭi, gīr, kānti, kīrti, tuṣṭi, ilā, jaya; vidyāvidyā, māyā, samvit, sandhinī, hlādinī, bhakti, mūrti, vimalā, yogā, prahvī, īśānā, anugrahā, etc. All these energies act in different spheres of the Lord's supremacy.
On the eastern side of the temple is a ghāṭa known as Kadamba-khaṇḍī on the bank of a river called the Yamunā, and it is said that the Deity of Baṅkima Rāya was floating in the water and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu picked Him up and then installed Him in the temple. Thereafter, in a place known as Bhaḍḍāpura, in the village of Vīracandra-pura, about half a mile west, in a place underneath a nima tree, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was found. For this reason, the Rādhārāṇī of Baṅkima Rāya was known as Bhaḍḍāpurera Ṭhākurāṇī, the mistress of Bhaḍḍāpura. On another throne, on the right side of Baṅkima Rāya, is a Deity of Yogamāyā.
The Lord sometimes took the part of Goddess Durgā, Lakṣmī (the goddess of fortune) or the chief potency, Yogamāyā. Sitting on a cot, He delivered love of Godhead to all the devotees present.
CC Madhya-lila
As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.25):
- nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
- mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam
"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency (yogamāyā); and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible." The Supreme Personality of Godhead reserves the right of not being exposed to nondevotees. He can only be understood by bona fide devotees.
The disciples of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya wanted evidence to show that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was actually the creator of the cosmic manifestation. Only then would they accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original cause of creation. Gopīnātha Ācārya replied that one could not understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by guesswork. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.25):
- nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
- mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam
"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency (yogamāyā); and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible." The Supreme Personality of Godhead reserves the right of not being exposed to nondevotees.
The goddess Durgā is the superintending deity of this material world, which is made of material elements. The demigods are simply different directors engaged in operating the departments of material activities, and they are under the influence of the same material energy. Kṛṣṇa's internal potencies, however, have nothing to do with the creation of this cosmic material world. The spiritual world and all spiritual activities are under the direction of the internal, spiritual energy, and such activities are performed by Yogamāyā, the spiritual energy.
Yogamāyā is the spiritual or internal energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are interested in being promoted to the spiritual world and engaging in the service of the Lord attain spiritual perfection under the control of Yogamāyā. Those who are interested in material promotion engage in ritualistic religious ceremonies and economic development to develop sense gratification. They ultimately attempt to merge into the impersonal existence of the Lord. Such people generally become impersonalists. They are interested in worshiping Lord Śiva or goddess Durgā, but their return is one hundred percent materialistic.
Following the example of the gopīs, the devotees sometimes worship the goddess Kātyāyanī, but they understand that Kātyāyanī is an incarnation of Yogamāyā. The gopīs worshiped Kātyāyanī, Yogamāyā, to attain Kṛṣṇa as their husband. On the other hand, it is stated in the Sapta-śatī scripture that a kṣatriya king named Suratha and a rich vaiśya named Samādhi worshiped material nature in the form of goddess Durgā to attain material perfection. If one tries to mingle the worship of Yogamāyā with that of Mahāmāyā, considering them one and the same, he does not really show very high intelligence. The idea that everything is one is a kind of foolishness indulged in by those with less brain substance. Fools and rascals say that the worship of Yogamāyā and the worship of Mahāmāyā are the same. This conclusion is simply the result of mental speculation, and it has no practical effect.
All intelligence emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul within the heart of everyone. Nondevotees want to ask the Supreme Lord for sense gratification; therefore nondevotees come under the influence of māyā, the illusory energy. A devotee, however, is directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and comes under the influence of yogamāyā. Consequently there is a gulf of difference between statements made by a devotee and those made by a nondevotee.
After embracing Rāmānanda Rāya, the Lord pacified him, informing him, "But for you, no one has ever seen this form."
In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.25) Lord Kṛṣṇa states:
- nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
- mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam
"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency (yogamāyā), and so they do not know Me, who am unborn and infallible." The Lord always reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone. The devotees, however, are always engaged in the service of the Lord, serving with the tongue by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and tasting mahā-prasādam. Gradually the sincere devotee pleases the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Supreme Lord reveals Himself. One cannot see the Supreme Lord by making personal efforts. Rather, when the Lord is pleased by the service of a devotee, He reveals Himself.
“"When a person mistreats great souls, his life span, opulence, reputation, religion, possessions and good fortune are all destroyed."
This statement (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.4.46) was made by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. This quotation concerns the attempted killing of Kṛṣṇa's sister (Yogamāyā), who appeared before Kṛṣṇa's birth as the daughter of mother Yaśodā. This daughter Yogamāyā and Kṛṣṇa were born simultaneously, and Vasudeva replaced Yogamāyā with Kṛṣṇa and took Yogamāyā away. When she was brought to Mathurā and Kaṁsa attempted to kill her, Yogamāyā slipped out of his hands. She could not be killed. She then informed Kaṁsa about the birth of his enemy, Kṛṣṇa, and being thus baffled, Kaṁsa consulted his associates, who were all demons. When this big conspiracy was taking place, this verse was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He points out that a demon can lose everything because of his nefarious activities.
"When mother Yaśodā saw all the universes within Kṛṣṇa"s mouth, she was astonished for the time being. The Lord is worshiped like Indra and other demigods by the followers of the three Vedas, who offer Him sacrifices. He is worshiped as impersonal Brahman by saintly persons who understand His greatness through studying the Upaniṣads, as the Puruṣa by great philosophers who analytically study the universe, as the all-pervading Supersoul by great yogīs, and as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotees. Nevertheless, mother Yaśodā considered the Lord her own son.’
This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.45). Those who are spiritually advanced forget Kṛṣṇa's opulence by the mercy of yogamāyā. For instance, mother Yaśodā considered Kṛṣṇa an ordinary child.
"To exhibit the strength of His own spiritual potency, Lord Kṛṣṇa manifested a form just suitable for His pastimes in the material world. This form was wonderful even for Him and was the supreme abode of the wealth of good fortune. Its limbs were so beautiful that they increased the beauty of the ornaments worn on different parts of His body."
This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.12) is stated in a conversation between Vidura and Uddhava. Uddhava thus begins his description of the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in His form exhibited by yogamāyā.
When we consider impartially all the unlimited pastimes of the Lord, we find that His pastimes as a human being on this planet—wherein He sports as a cowherd boy with a flute in His hands and appears youthful and fresh like a ballet dancer—are pastimes and features that are never subjected to material laws and inebrieties. The wonderful beauty of Kṛṣṇa is presented in the supreme planet, Gokula (Goloka Vṛndāvana). Inferior to that is His representation in the spiritual sky, and inferior to that is His representation in the external energy (Devī-dhāma). A mere drop of Kṛṣṇa's sweetness can drown these three worlds—Goloka Vṛndāvana, Hari-dhāma (Vaikuṇṭhaloka) and Devī-dhāma (the material world). Everywhere, Kṛṣṇa's beauty merges everyone in the ecstasy of transcendental bliss. Actually the activities of yogamāyā are absent in the spiritual sky and the Vaikuṇṭha planets. She simply works in the supreme planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, and she works to manifest the activities of Kṛṣṇa when He descends to the material universe to please His innumerable devotees within the material world. Thus a replica of the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet and the pastimes there is manifested on this planet on a specific tract of land—Bhauma Vṛndāvana, the Vṛndāvana-dhāma on this planet.
| Page Title: | Yogamaya (CC) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Ingrid |
| Created: | 22 of Jan, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=22, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 22 |