PHILOSOPHY AS DHARMA Anandamayi Dasi

   'MAYA' or Illusion

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 'The Yoga of the Supreme Person' verses 1: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is said there is imperishable banyan tree that has roots upward and it's branches down and whose lives are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas."

Bhagavad Gita continues the description of this tree as a perverted reflection of a Spiritual World in a very elaborate manner, worth to study. But the essence of all this valuable knowledge is to recognise the bondage of material illusion and decided destruction of the attachment to that 'tree'. 

There is a very nice story about one special sage called Narada who have had the association of God Himself in the Spiritual World. Once he asked the Lord about 'Maya' or illusion, about this Material World we are presently existing. He said: O Lord what is that Material Illusion? The answer of Lord Krsna was immediate..., sage Narada at once found himself with God, Krsna on the desert somewhere on this planet. Narada 'little' confused did not know what to think about it and then Krsna, the Supreme Lord asked Narada to bring him a glass of water. So they were on the desert, and Narada did not know even where he was, anyway he started to wonder around that desert and finally found one village and there was one house of the chief of that village and he invited the sage Narada to come to his house, he presented him his family and specially his only daughter and offered him her as a wife. So Narada married her and lived the life as each of us do. After many years he died and found himself before the Supreme Lord Krsna on the same place he left Him on the desert and the first question he heard was 'Where is My glass of water Narada?' So again he went wondering about the desert looking for some water and he found himself again in the same village and the same person was asking him to enter his house and so one but this time sage Narada said 'No, thank you, just give me a glass of water, please' and he brought it to the Supreme Lord Krsna who was in that way satisfied taking him back home to the Spiritual World.

That is our situation of becoming in illusion here, we are involved into so many positions as who know who accepting the body as one's only shelter and all that exists, with all attachments to "I" and "Mine". We are overcomed to arrange some life but in due course of time after death we are again identifying with another body, not necessary as a humans as we do not know God personally whom we could serve a glass of water, and we have forgoten about our original position as a Spirit Soul belonging to the Spiritual World in the association of the Supreme Lord.

This Illusion is however so strong that it grabs even such elevated sage as Narada Muni what to say about us....

Cont....