You are under the control of maya, material nature. You try to avoid it some way or other, but it is not possible. Just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you

Expressions researched:
"You are under the control of māyā, material nature. You try to avoid it some way or other, but it is not possible. It is not possible. According to the infection . . . just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

You are under the control of māyā, material nature. You try to avoid it some way or other, but it is not possible. It is not possible. According to the infection . . . just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you. You must develop that disease and must suffer. There is no way out. Simply way out is that if you take precaution, some vaccine, some injection, then you may avoid. Similarly, you cannot . . . it is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot avoid the hands of māyā upon you, or material nature. We call "māyā," and the modern scientific word is "material nature.".

741127 - Lecture SB 03.25.27 - Bombay

That is the basic principle of bhakti. So here the same thing is explained, jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena. Jñānena. Therefore this class is held to awaken, jñānena. Either you read these books, hear from realized soul—that will awaken your jñāna, knowledge. Or otherwise, if you cannot do this . . . both things should be done. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Very simple thing.And in the previous verse we have discussed ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ (SB 3.25.26). Ṛju, very simple method. Ṛju means very simple. Everyone can perform it. Susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2), in the Bhagavad-gītā. Very happy. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and dance, it is very happy thing. And by dancing, dancing, as soon as you become hungry, take prasādam, ready. So where is the trouble? Therefore it is ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice there is no trouble only. And another thing is that there is great hope. Everything we are doing under the spell of māyā, we do not know where we are going, what is the ultimate aim. We do not know. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. We are under the spell of māyā, driven 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. The Caitanya . . . Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Just like a straw in the waves of the ocean or the river, it is fully under the control of the waves—sometimes diving, sometimes coming out, sometimes going this way, going that. Our position is like that. We do not know that prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Under the material nature we are being carried by the waves of material nature, and you do not know where you are going, because you have no control.So if you want controlling the material nature, then you have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is stated, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Otherwise you are carried by māyā. You may be very big prime minister or anything, but as soon as māyā will dictate, "Please vacate your post and go away," you become a dog. You have to become. How you can challenge prakṛti? That is not possible. Because karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Your next body will be offered to you. Therefore the atheist class man, this shudder, there is next life. Because his life is sinful, if there is next life, he will be punished, he will be put into abominable condition of life. He does not like to think like that, but that does not mean that he escape. There is a Bengali proverb that gaye gumakhale . . . (indistinct) . . . that one body, one person, he thought that "I have done so much sinful activities that Yamarāja will come and capture me and punish me. So what is the way to avoid him?" So he thought that, "Let me smear over my body stool so he'll not touch me." (laughing)So that is not possible, sir. You are under the control of māyā, material nature. You try to avoid it some way or other, but it is not possible. It is not possible. According to the infection . . . just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you. You must develop that disease and must suffer. There is no way out. Simply way out is that if you take precaution, some vaccine, some injection, then you may avoid. Similarly, you cannot . . . it is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot avoid the hands of māyā upon you, or material nature. We call "māyā," and the modern scientific word is "material nature." Completely under. You cannot avoid it. But mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa . . . "Well, Kṛṣṇa will save me? I am so much sinful?" Yes. Kṛṣṇa can do that. Kṛṣṇa says:sarva-dharmān parityajyamām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ . . .ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyomokṣayiṣyāmi . . .(BG 18.66)So why don't you do that? Why you are so much eager to serve the modes of material nature? Why not serve Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? No difficulty at all. Just there's Kṛṣṇa. Just give Kṛṣṇa nice foodstuff. Just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You eat sumptuously and keep your health very good, nicely. Where is the difficulty? Mām eva ye . . . this is very difficult? The only difficulty is that I cannot give up all these sinful activities. I cannot give up smoking. I cannot give up drinking. I cannot give up meat-eating. I cannot give up gambling. I cannot give up illicit sex. That is difficulty. Otherwise, to serve Kṛṣṇa is not at all difficult. There is no difficulty. But I cannot give up the service of my sinful activities.Therefore here it is said, asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānām. That you have to learn. That you can learn very easily if you turn your attention to the service . . . therefore this bhakti-yoga service. We are simply insisting: get up early in the morning, do this service, do that . . . in this way, if we engage ourselves in the service of Kṛṣṇa, gradually we shall forget the service of māyā. The service of māyā means sinful activities, that's all. So, so long we are in the service of māyā, duṣkṛtinām, engaged in sinful activities, it is not possible. But if you engage the positive and the negative . . . the Māyāvādī, they are simply trying to be negative. There is no positive engagement. But here in the bhakti-yoga, negative is there and positive is there. Therefore there is electric light bulb, negative and positive. Therefore there is enlightenment. Simply negative will not help you. And if you don't care of the negative sides, simply positive also will not. But bhakti-yoga is so strong, if you take to the positive side of service of Kṛṣṇa, the material service, or māyā's service, will automatically become negative. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). That is called vairāgya. The bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-yoga.