About MAYA ( Illusion)

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Dear all,Radhe krishna!The answer for this is given in Narayaneeyam by Bhattatiri himself,"KASHTAA THEY SRISHTI-CHESHTA BAHUTARA-BHAVA-KHEDAVAHAA JEEVA-BHAJAAMITHYEVAM POORVAM ALOCHITHAM AJITHA MAYAA NEIVAM ADYAABHIJANE!NO CHED JEEVAAH KATTHAM VA MADHURATARAM IDAM TWAD-VAPUH CHID-RASA-AARDRAMNETHREIH SROTHREIH CHA PEETHWA PARAMA-RASA-SUDHA-AMBODHI-POORE RAMERAN!(Dasakam 1, sloka 7.)

Commentary

"O Invincible One! Your own creation, Maya, which encompasses the whole Universe, has no temptation for You. Hence, You are one who is beyond the realm of Maya. All those who want to be free from the temptations of Maya should, therefore, worship You. Your prowess is so great that great warriors like Ravana found themselves to be totally helpless while confronting You. Mythology is replete with Your sportive adventures and I used to wonder how difficult this activity is, and whether it is necessary at all! Sport for You turns out to be suffering for somebody else! O Lord! Your sport of creating this vast universe and an array of living beings therein, and subjecting them to the untold miseries of Samsara, going through millions of birth-death cycles, looked puzzling to me. Is it not atrocious on Your part to indulge in a sadistic game like this? No wonder! If only You had undergone even a fraction of their woes, You would not have ventured into this tragic sport!

"NA HI VANDHYA VIJANAATHI GURVEEM PRASAVA-VEDANAAM" (A barren woman does not know the intensity of labour pains). So how can You, who do not submit Yourself to the realm of Maya, understand what is misery?

O Lord! Even during the incarnations as Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and the like, although You had assumed a body consisting of Suddha-Sattvam, there was no lack of, or concealment of, the "Nishkala-brahma-chaithanyam" (the divine vitality of Brahman, Impersonal and Absolute.). In each of these incarnations, it looks as though You have really undergone a mundane existence, displaying attributes like birth, growth, decay, death, etc., behaving like any other human being, and giving expression to feelings, sentiments and the like whereas, in reality, it was all a make-believe, like a super-star acting in a drama! I had felt that this injustice was committed by You as You have not really understood others' feelings!" The address as "AJITHA" echoes this idea.

"But, my Lord! I do realise now, after having had the vision of Your divine image and having enjoyed the nectar of the Supreme Consciousness-Bliss present in You, that it was, indeed, immature on my part, (the stupid person that I am), to have entertained such thoughts about You. This job of Creation is not at all difficult for you. Extremely fond of Your devotees, as You are, what You have done is a great favour indeed! For, if You had not indulged in this activity and created these living beings, and this beautiful universe too for their enjoyment, how could they have had the pleasure of feasting through their eyes and ears respectively, on the vision of Your charming form and the wonderful stories of Your incarnations and sports to their hearts' content, and getting immersed in the ocean of Infinite Bliss? In fact, the entire mankind should be thankful to You for creating them and providing them with unlimited opportunities for satiating their thirst for You ! "

No doubt, the Lord's creative activity brings about misery to the ignorant and immense pleasure to the enlightened. By this sloka, the poet impresses upon the readers the incessant need to worship the Lord of Guruvayoor with all sincerity and devotion.

RegardsKVG