YOGAMAYA AND MAHAMAYA: THE DIFFERENCE

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YOGAMAYA AND MAHAMAYA: THE DIFFERENCE

SB 5.18.22

The material opulences a person obtains by offering prayers to the goddess Durga

are temporary. As described in Bhagavad-gita (7.23), antavat tu phalam tesam tad

bhavaty alpa-medhasam: men of meager intelligence desire temporary happiness. WE

HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN THAT ONE OF THE DISCIPLES OF BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASVATI

THAKURA WANTED TO ENJOY THE PROPERTY OF HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER, AND THE SPIRITUAL

MASTER, BEING MERCIFUL TOWARD HIM, GAVE HIM THE TEMPORARY PROPERTY, BUT NOT THE

POWER TO PREACH THE CULT OF CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU ALL OVER THE WORLD. THAT

SPECIAL MERCY OF THE POWER TO PREACH IS GIVEN TO A DEVOTEE WHO DOES NOT WANT

ANYTHING MATERIAL FROM HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER BUT WANTS ONLY TO SERVE HIM. The

story of the demon Ravana illustrates this point. Although Ravana tried to

abduct the goddess of fortune Sitadevi from the custody of Lord Ramacandra, he

could not possibly do so. THE SITADEVI HE FORCIBLY TOOK WITH HIM WAS NOT THE

ORIGINAL SITADEVI, BUT AN EXPANSION OF MAYA, OR DURGADEVI. AS A RESULT, INSTEAD

OF WINNING THE FAVOR OF THE REAL GODDESS OF FORTUNE, RAVANA AND HIS WHOLE FAMILY

WERE VANQUISHED BY THE POWER OF DURGADEVI (SRSTI-STHITI-PRALAYA-SADHANA-SAKTIR

EKA).

SB 10.1.69

The word karyarthe refers to one who attracted the pregnancy of Devaki and

bewildered mother Yasoda. These pastimes are very confidential. The Supreme

personality of Godhead ordered yogamaya to bewilder His associates in His

pastimes and bewilder demons like Kamsa. As stated previously, yogamayam

samadisat. To give service to the Lord, yogamaya appeared along with mahamaya.

MAHAMAYA REFERS TO YAYA SAMMOHITAM JAGAT, "ONE WHO BEWILDERS THE ENTIRE

MATERIAL WORLD." From this statement it is to be understood that yogamaya, in

her partial expansion, becomes mahamaya and bewilders the conditioned souls. In

other words, the entire creation has two divisions--transcendental, or

spiritual, and material. Yogamaya manages the spiritual world, and by her

partial expansion as mahamaya she manages the material world. AS STATED IN THE

NARADA-PANCARATRA, MAHAMAYA IS A PARTIAL EXPANSION OF YOGAMAYA. THE

NARADA-PANCARATRA CLEARLY STATES THAT THE SUPREME PERSONALITY HAS ONE POTENCY,

WHICH IS SOMETIMES DESCRIBED AS DURGA. THE BRAHMA-SAMHITA SAYS, CHAYEVA YASYA

BHUVANANI BIBHARTI DURGA. DURGA IS NOT DIFFERENT FROM YOGAMAYA. WHEN ONE

UNDERSTANDS DURGA PROPERLY, HE IS IMMEDIATELY LIBERATED, FOR DURGA IS

ORIGINALLY THE SPIRITUAL POTENCY, HLADINI-SAKTI, BY WHOSE MERCY ONE CAN

UNDERSTAND THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD VERY EASILY. RADHA

KRSNA-PRANAYA-VIKRTIR HLADINI-SAKTIR ASMAD. THE MAHAMAYA-SAKTI, HOWEVER, IS A

COVERING OF YOGAMAYA, AND SHE IS THEREFORE CALLED THE COVERING POTENCY. BY THIS

COVERING POTENCY, THE ENTIRE MATERIAL WORLD IS BEWILDERED (YAYA SAMMOHITAM

JAGAT). IN CONCLUSION, BEWILDERING THE CONDITIONED SOULS AND LIBERATING THE

DEVOTEES ARE BOTH FUNCTIONS BELONGING TO YOGAMAYA. TRANSFERRING THE PREGNANCY

OF DEVAKI AND KEEPING MOTHER YASODA IN DEEP SLEEP WERE BOTH DONE BY YOGAMAYA;

MAHAMAYA CANNOT ACT UPON SUCH DEVOTEES, FOR THEY ARE ALWAYS LIBERATED. BUT

ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR MAHAMAYA TO CONTROL LIBERATED SOULS OR THE

SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, SHE DID BEWILDER KAMSA. The action of yogamaya

in presenting herself before Kamsa was the action of mahamaya, not yogamaya.

Yogamaya cannot even see or touch such polluted persons as Kamsa. In Candi, in

the Markandeya Purana, Eleventh Chapter, Mahamaya says, "During the

twenty-eighth yuga in the period of Vaivasvata Manu, I shall take birth as the

daughter of Yasoda and be known as Vindhyacala-vasini."

SB 10.1.69 P The Advent of Lord Krsna: Introduction

THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE TWO MAYAS--YOGAMAYA AND MAHA-MAYA--IS DESCRIBED

AS FOLLOWS. KRSNA'S RASA-LILA WITH THE GOPIS AND THE GOPIS' BEWILDERMENT IN

RESPECT TO THEIR HUSBANDS, FATHERS-IN-LAW AND OTHER SUCH RELATIVES WERE

ARRANGEMENTS OF YOGAMAYA IN WHICH MAHAMAYA HAD NO INFLUENCE. The Bhagavatam

gives sufficient evidence of this when it clearly says, yogamayam upasritah. ON

THE OTHER HAND, THERE WERE ASURAS HEADED BY SALVA AND KSATRIYAS LIKE DURYODHANA

WHO WERE BEREFT OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE IN SPITE OF SEEING KRSNA'S CARRIER GARUDA

AND THE UNIVERSAL FORM, AND WHO COULD NOT UNDERSTAND KRSNA TO BE THE SUPREME

PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD. THIS WAS ALSO BEWILDERMENT, BUT THIS BEWILDERMENT WAS

DUE TO MAHAMAYA. THEREFORE IT IS TO BE CONCLUDED THAT THE MAYA WHICH DRAGS A

PERSON FROM THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD IS CALLED JADAMAYA, AND THE MAYA

WHICH ACTS ON THE TRANSCENDENTAL PLATFORM IS CALLED YOGAMAYA. When Nanda

Maharaja was taken away by Varuna, he saw Krsna's opulence, but nonetheless he

thought of Krsna as his son. Such feelings of parental love in the spiritual

world are acts of yogamaya, not of jadamaya, or mahamaya. This is the opinion

of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

Adi 6.79

There are eleven expansions of Rudra, or Lord Siva. They are as follows:

Ajaikapat, Ahibradhna, Virupaksa, Raivata, Hara, Bahurupa, Devasrestha

Tryambaka, Savitra, Jayanta, Pinaki and Aparajita. Besides these expansions

there are eight forms of Rudra called earth, water, fire, air, sky, the sun,

the moon and soma-yaji. Generally all these Rudras have five faces, three eyes

and ten arms. Sometimes it is found that Rudra is compared to Brahma and

considered a living entity. But when Rudra is explained to be a partial

expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is compared to Sesa. Lord

Siva is therefore simultaneously an expansion of Lord Visnu and, in his

capacity for annihilating the creation, one of the living entities. As an

expansion of Lord Visnu he is called Hara, and he is transcendental to the

material qualities, but when he is in touch with tamo-guna he appears

contaminated by the material modes of nature. This is explained in

Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Brahma-samhita. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, it

is stated that Lord Rudra is always associated with the material nature when she

is in the neutral, unmanifested stage, but when the modes of material nature are

agitated he associates with material nature from a distance. In the

Brahma-samhita the relationship between Visnu and Lord Siva is compared to that

of milk and yogurt. Milk is converted into yogurt by certain additives, but

although milk and yogurt have the same ingredients, they have different

functions. Similarly, Lord Siva is an expansion of Lord Visnu, yet because of

his taking part in the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation, he is

considered to be changed, like milk converted into yogurt. IN THE PURANAS IT IS

FOUND THAT DURGA APPEARS SOMETIMES FROM THE HEADS OF BRAHMA AND SOMETIMES FROM

THE HEADS OF VISNU. THE ANNIHILATOR, RUDRA, IS BORN FROM SANKARSANA AND THE

ULTIMATE FIRE TO BURN THE WHOLE CREATION. IN THE VAYU PURANA THERE IS A

DESCRIPTION OF SADASIVA IN ONE OF THE VAIKUNTHA PLANETS. THAT SADASIVA IS A

DIRECT EXPANSION OF LORD KRSNA'S FORM FOR PASTIMES. IT IS SAID THAT SADASIVA

(LORD SAMBHU) IS AN EXPANSION FROM THE SADASIVA IN THE VAIKUNTHA PLANETS (LORD

VISNU) AND THAT HIS CONSORT, MAHAMAYA, IS AN EXPANSION OF RAMADEVI, OR LAKSMI.

MAHAMAYA IS THE ORIGIN OR BIRTHPLACE OF MATERIAL NATURE.

 

Prabhupada750418SB.VRN Lectures

SRIMATI RADHARANI IS ALSO MAYA, YOGA-MAYA, AND DURGA IS ALSO MAYA, EXPANSION

OF RADHARANI. BUT DURGA'S BUSINESS IS DIFFERENT THAN RADHARANI'S BUSINESS.

DURGA'S BUSINESS IS YAYA SAMMOHITO JIVAH, TO KEEP THE LIVING ENTITIES COVERED

NOT TO BECOME AWAKENED TO KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS. THAT IS MAYA'S DUTY. SO

VYASADEVA SAW THIS MAYA, THIS MAHA-MAYA, WHO IS KEEPING THE LIVING ENTITIES

UNDER THE COVER OF ILLUSION. SO IT IS SAID, "THIS MAYA.HE SAW THE SUPREME

PERSON, AND BACK OF THAT SUPREME PERSON HE SAW THIS MAYA." WHICH MAYA? YAYA

SAMMOHITO JIVA: "THAT MAYA WHICH IS KEEPING THE LIVING ENTITIES IN ILLUSION."

WHAT IS THAT ILLUSION? THAT IS ALSO HERE: YAYA SAMMOHITO JIVA ATMANAM

TRI-GUNATMAKAM. TRI-GUNA, TRI-GUNA MEANS THE SATTVA-GUNA, RAJO-GUNA, TAMO-GUNA.

So, under the influence of maya, we are identifying with the different gunas or

qualities of this material world. So sattva-guna, yes, sattva-guna is the

brahminical qualification. So one is thinking that "I am brahmana." One is

thinking, who is under the control of rajo-guna, "I am ksatriya." Or in other

words, this is, this identification, is all over the world. Now you may not

think, "I am brahmana," but you may think, "I am American." Or I may think, "I

am Indian." There is some sort of identification. And therefore the whole world

is full of anarthas, unnecessary, unnecessary thing. I am not brahmana; I am not

Indian; you are not American; you are not ksatriya; or... This is all false

identification. So this is the work of maya, that all the living entities they

are under certain impression that "I am this. I am this." And this "I am this.

I am that," they cannot make any solution

Prabhupada741011SB.MAY Lectures

So these things are going on in the name of worshiping God. But that is not

God worship. That is worshiping the fearful personified by the criminals. Just

Durga... Kali is expansion of Durga. Just like Visnu is expansion of Krsna,

similarly, Krsna's energy... Energy has also many expansions. Dasa maha-vidya.

THERE ARE MANY EXPANSIONS OF DURGA BECAUSE SHE HAS TO LOOK AFTER... JUST LIKE

POLICE DEPARTMENT. POLICE DEPARTMENT IS THERE, BUT THERE ARE MANY OFFICERS IN

THAT POLICE DEPARTMENT. SIMILARLY, DURGA IS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE OF

THIS UNIVERSE. DURGA. DURGA MEANS THE FORT, DURGA. GA MEANS GOING, AND DUR

MEANS DIFFICULTY.

So where you cannot go unless you accept so many difficulties, that is called

durga, or fort. SO THIS UNIVERSE, MATERIAL WORLD, IS JUST LIKE A DURGA. YOU

CANNOT ESCAPE. CONDITIONED SOULS, YOU CANNOT ESCAPE. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT.

DAIVI HY ESA GUNAMAYI DURATYAYA.

68-05-28. Letter: Uddhava

SAMBHU IS THE PRINCIPLE BY WHICH THE LORD IMPREGNATES THE MATERIAL NATURE WITH

THE SEEDS OF LIVING ENTITIES. DURGA IS EXPANSION OF INTERNAL ENERGY AND

RADHARANI IS THE QUINTESSENCE OF INTERNAL ENERGY. IN THAT SENSE DURGA IS

EXPANSION OF RADHARANI. Brahma is the father of Rudra or Sambhu, therefore

Brahma is the original creature for creation. Generally Sambhu is the creator

of many many demons. Demons are therefore mostly worshippers of Lord Siva.

69-02-09. Letter: Hamsaduta

REGARDING YOUR QUESTION ABOUT SUBHADRA AND DURGA, THEY ARE NOT AT ALL THE

SAME. DURGA'S OTHER NAME IS BHADRA, NOT SUBHADRA, AND DURGA'S ACTIVITIES ARE

WITHIN THE MATERIAL WORLD. SUBHADRA DOES NOT WORK AS DURGA. SUBHADRA IS

INTERNAL ENERGY, AND DURGA IS EXTERNAL ENERGY. AS ENERGY, THEY HAVE A

RELATIONSHIP AS MUCH AS WE ARE ENERGIES OF KRISHNA, BUT THE ENERGIES ARE

WORKING IN DIFFERENT CAPACITIES. ALTHOUGH ORIGINALLY THE ENERGY IS ONE, BY

THEIR EXPANSION, THE ACCENTS OF THE ENERGIES ARE DIFFERENT, AND AS WE ARE NOT

IMPERSONALISTS, THIS VARIEGATEDNESS OF ACTIONS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE SUPREME

PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, AS MUCH AS THE GOVERNMENT IS ONE BUT THERE ARE

MULTI-DEPARTMENTS FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

AND THE CRIMINAL DEPARTMENT ARE ALL DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT. THE

GOVERNMENT IS CONNECTED WITH ALL PARTS AND DEPARTMENTS, BUT THE EDUCATION

ACTIVITIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. This is the philosophy

of inconceivably simultaneously one and different manifestations of the

Absolute Truth

Prabhupada711111RC.DEL Conversations

Guest: In that expansion can't we take Durga and Siva, even for...

Prabhupada: Yes. THAT IS SAKTI-TATTVA. We have to take expansion according to

the tattva. Substance and categories; in which category. THE SUBSTANCE IS

VISNU, AND ALL OTHER TATTVAS ARE CATEGORIES. SO DEVATAS, THEY ARE SAKTI-TATTVA,

SAKTI CATEGORY, THE SAME CATEGORY AS YOU ARE. The same example. Just like here a

government officer, he is also Indian gentleman, you are also Indian gentleman,

but he has got his power on account of his high qualities. SIMILARLY YOU CAN

BECOME ALSO DURGA. YOU CAN BECOME INDRA, CANDRA, SURYA.