The  Illusory energy of the Lord

Jaya  HDGSrila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj! Jaya HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada!

Lord Krishna addressing  Arjuna informed him saying, 'O my friend! This illusory energy of mine is divine and is not from this material world and hence insurmountable. The holy Rsis and the demigods cannot surmount this illusory energy so what to speak of ordinary human beings and those lesser creatures. Factually this bewildering energy of Vishnu which is connected with the three modes of nature namely goodness, passion, and ignorance can only be overcome by the devotee of the Supreme Lord and nobody else. Lord Krishna Himself has declared that only to my unalloyed surrendered devotee do  I grant him freedom from the entanglement of material energy. At one time the demigods and the demigods engaged in churning the ocean of milk to obtain the aspired immortal nectar and while both these groups frantically tried to push forward to partake of it manifested in a chaotic frenzy, especially the demons causing the very earth to shake by such turbulence. It was then at that time that the Supreme Lord Vishnu observing the chaos decided to take the form of the beautiful woman called  Mohini to bewilder and trick the demons. It was a really beautiful form, complete with her arched eyebrows and beautiful smile, It was as if to enamor the whole creation that prompted her advent, From her ears there were dazzling ruby-adorned earrings, her hand was adorned with bangles, a necklace woven with the divine parijata flowers hung from her neck complete with her pearly appearance and her beautiful smile emanating from her shining reddish lips. Her appearance defeated the beauty of millions of Cupids and her sweet speech flowing like the mystical vina instrument addressed both the demons and demigods saying, ''O gods and demons! Why have you started this baseless, chaotic struggle just for some ordinary nectar?'' If you like, I can act as a mediator to solve this problem. Brahma himself becomes deluded by the bewitching potency of the illusory energy and cannot fathom it, what to speak of other lesser creatures. In this way, the demigods and the demons immediately affirmed the suggestion of the Supreme Lord appearing in that beautiful form. This was the influence of the deluding potency of the Lord. Besides the demons and the demigods beginning with the beasts, birds, worms, insects, creepers, and trees to the scholars, yogis, rsis, workers men, women, and heavenly beings male and female, all the living beings up to Brahma become bewildered by the bewitching potency of the illusory energy. In this way wrapped up in the bodily conception of life forgetting the Lotus feet of the Lord and thinking of their wife, children, daughter, friend, wealth, and ornaments as the only solace in their lives while undergoing threefold suffering in the forms of sickness, lamentation, birth, and death.This is confirmed by the statements of the holy scripture Geeta:iswara sarva bhutanam hrdese arjuna tsthati meaning the Lord is thrusting all the living entities helplessly in the vortex of the material energy as He resides in the heart of all living entities except His devotees. Those who have surrendered to the lotus feet of the spiritual master can be able to surmount this bewildering energy.What do we understand by the term Guru? It is similar to a blind person showing the way as here both the guru and the disciple will have to fill into a ditch. Therefore one must take shelter from a  bona fide spiritual master who possesses all the necessary qualifications otherwise one will remain conditioned without a doubt as confirmed by the scriptural statements;tavijnartham sa gurum evabhigaccet also tasmad guu prapadyeta jijnasur sreyah uttamam    Actually in this material world there is no question of any happiness for all types of happiness are never permanent and flickering compared to the reflection on the water or the mirage of water in the desert as it disappears when one approaches near.Just as one tries to satisfy one desire but as casting oblations into the burning fire simply causes it to burn more, hundreds of such desires again infest the heart of that individual in the course of trying to satisfy just one. In that respect, even those used to sleeping on silken bedsteads see no respite in their lusty desires and hence no one is immune. Hence there is a necessity of surrendering to the bona fide spiritual master otherwise being bewildered one either traverses to the heavenly planets through pious activities or falls down to the hellish planets due to sinful activities and all in the vortex of action being implicated by the reactions of work are forced into three-fold suffering from time immemorial.What are the characteristics of a genuine spiritual master? He who understands the purports of the Vedas in the right manner of interpretation and who has realized the Supreme Lord through his full-fledged devotional service, such a guru should be approached for knowledge.Only those who are surrendered to such a bona fide guru can be free from the infection of the material energy.What are the qualities of such a disciple? The Geeta states:tad viddhi paraipatena parupresnena sevaya meaning such a disciple has to be in a surrendered mood while exhibiting humble, sincere enquiry as , ''O Guru!I may understand mundane knowledge but I am fool and ignorant in understanding spiritual matters.What is my actual identity?Where was I originally from?Where will I go after this? ''I do not know anything about all these matters.Please bestow your mercy on me so that I can actually understand all these and in that way, be able to surmount the ocean of transmigration without impediments.If the spiritual master were to mercifully impart instructions to the surrendered disciple who carries out obediently all his nectarine instructions then such a disciple can overcome this insurmountable illusory energy otherwise not.The demons on perceiving the form of the beautiful form of the Lord as Mohini became infatuated with lusty desires while the demigods seeing her in the form of the universal mother became infused with devotion.The leech contaminated by his nature is prone to suck the blood in the breasts of a woman while the baby simply sucks the milk of the mother  The demons being lusty and lowly-minded under the control of their senses now began to view Mohini in an enjoying mood and in a crooning voice to her form of modest, smiling form saying, O lady with beautiful eyes!Please come closer as we are your servants!Whatever order you give with a pleasing mind, we are ready to carry that out with our heads bent in supplication.The demigods on the other hand viewed this angelic form as a baby would to his mother.For that very reason, the demons became tricked by the form of Vishnu while the demigods could drink the immortal nectar thereby wandering around the ten directions with increased strength.So we can understand that this material world is under the jurisdiction of the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord.All the fourteen worlds including the Earth, the middle sphere, heavenly planets, maha,jana, tapa,satya then the lower planets as tal,atala, vital,sutala,patala,talatala,rasatala, This material world can be compared to a huge prison and all the inhabitants are prisoners appearing to take the form as kings, citizens, servants, workmen all acting out in their role by the influence of the material energy.In the theatre, Rama acting out the role of Maharaj Harischandra crying out in lamentation with his wife at the death of his son transformed all the spectators in that pathetic scene to lamentation when suddenly all became enlivened when that son Syama became revived.In this way in the field of material energy, people take different forms as demigods, demons, beasts, birds, insects, and confined in the stones and mountains.Nala and Kuvera were engaged in sports with the heavenly girls but they became cursed by the saint Narada to become the huge Yamala Arjuna trees.Ahalya, the consort of Gautama became transformed into stone by the curse of Gautama Rsi. The living entity under the bewilderment of the illusory energy is forced to traverse through 8,400,000 species of life, going up and down because of having to suffer the results of their reactions to their own actions.The illusory energy can be twofold, firstly connected to the spiritual energy and the other connected to the material world as knowledge compared to ignorance as vidya maya and avidyamaya.It is the material energy that confines the living entity to the prison of this material world.However, Vishnu maya cuts off all attachments and bestows devotion to Lord Krishna.What do we understand by knowledge?By gaining material knowledge, there is hope of living an independent, carefree life for a while but all that is temporal and bound to change.Presently in Western countries, people are excelling in scholarship in science, philosophy, astrology, the Art of Warfare, Ayurveda, and being rich with rubies and wealth but just as the vanishing of the shadow play of a magician comes to naught in the end.In the end, there is just chaos and restlessness.As in the Geeta, Lord Krishna says earth, water, fire air ether mind intelligence, and false ego are the eight elements that constitute the earth.Above that there is the energy called the living entity which is struggling in this material world and above that the superior Supreme Lord on whom they are dangling as the pearls on the thread.Hence by the effect of this material energy, the living entity is forced into many incredible situations that cannot all be described.Just as a puppet master dangles and dances his puppets in countless ways and styles with his hands according to the whims and pleasure of the spectators and yet the spectators are unable to view this puppet master who is making everything happen.In the same way, Lord Vishnu by the effects of his illusory energy is bewildering the three worlds and making the living entities in this world sometimes laugh like crazy people, some crying, or shouting at the top of their voices.Nevertheless, those who are not affected by the influence of material energy but rather intelligently take the shelter of the Supreme Lord and engage in His service will definitely attain a high destination.Otherwise, all likewise sick people will simply cry in lamentation.All will be busy frantically satisfying the desires of their mind and running hither and thither.Hearing the frantic pleas of these lost souls, the guru in the form of the physician beckons them to him for the right solution.In this way by the incredible strength of the illusory energy, no one can understand their original identity, and therefore other than Vishnu, all are bewildered by the energy of Lord Vishnu.