Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji during bhajan evening on third day of Sri Devi Navaratri Celebrations – September 27, 2014 – Mysore
Om Ayim Hreem Shreem Sri Lalita Parameswaryai Namaha
It is the 3rd day now. We see Mother in her various forms. 9 Avaranas are there in this Avarana Puja. Each has different forms of Mother Goddess. 16 services are offered. Sitting, standing, walking round and round, sitting on a bench, chanting mantra, or not chanting mantra; don’t worry about these details; simply watch. Learn to witness without questioning. There are several methods for Avarana pujas described in the scriptures. Swamiji worships the Sri Chakra Bindu in the formless state; the five elements in their subtle state are worshiped. Today the 3rd Avarana Puja was completed. Today we will learn about Maya.
On the first day, we learned about why this Sarannavaratri is celebrated. On the second day we got an introduction to the principle of Tripura Rahasya as taught by Lord Dattatreya to Parasurama.
Dattatreya alone knows the secret of Sri Chakra Navavarana puja performed solely for universal welfare. No one else in this world knows this particular procedure except Lord Dattatreya. It is stated so in the scriptures.
Devi Mahatmya explains the glories of Mother Goddess. It explains Her principle. How illusion overpowers us, we will learn today.
Bhajan: Maya rupa patu mam.
It is impossible to fight against Maya and come out victorious. Mother Goddess has many names such as Maya, Mahamaya, Yogamaya, Vishnumaya, and so on. By Guru’s grace, the enlightened are able to transcend Maya/illusion. Yogis conquer illusion by their yogic penance. Devotees recognize Parashakti as assuming the form of Maya. Therefore, by offering worship to Mother Goddess, they overcome illusion. There is absolutely no other method to win over illusion, other than these three.
Lord Krishna declared that it is impossible for anyone to escape from His illusion, which is far reaching. We will try to understand what Maya is, but it is not possible to measure the extent of Maya or to protect ourselves from it. Krishna also stated that whoever surrenders to Him totally will be able to transcend Maya. On this third day during the Navaratri Festival, let us try to learn some details about the power of Maya.
Sage Vyasa narrated to Janamejaya the details about the Kurukshetra battle. After listening to it, Janamejaya expressed his doubts to Sage Vyasa thus:
“Why did the great ones go against dharma? O great soul! Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Karna and others are followers of Dharma. They had all realized that this Samsara/worldly life is without any essence or significance. Yet, they indulged in Adharma/unrighteousness. If that be the situation of such exalted souls, then, what is the pitiful fate of ordinary folks? How can Dharma possibly survive under such circumstances? What is the standard authority for Dharma? In this regard my mind is much disturbed. Dharma stands on four legs called truth, purity, compassion, and unselfish charity. If even one amongst these four gets adversely affected, Dharma will become lame and disabled. Dharma will lose its balance. The Lord of the Universe Vishnu Himself resorted to deceit to subdue King Bali. Bali was a virtuous king who had performed a hundred Yagas/ great rituals. He ruled righteously. He followed Dharma scrupulously. He was famed for his generosity. He adhered to truth. He was highly self-restrained and had power over his sense organs. Such a great one got usurped from his throne by Vamana and pushed down to Patala. Between the two of them, who truly was the victorious one? Was deceitful Vamana the victor? Or was Bali, the victim of deceit the winner? O Sage Vyasa, please clear this doubt for me.”
Sage Vyasa answered him thus:
“O Janamejaya, undoubtedly Bali is great. Bali is a truly great king who gave away in an instant, the entire earth as charity. He certainly is a winner. However, to accomplish a divine mission, Lord Vishnu/Sri Hari assumed the form of a dwarf to vanquish Bali. Thereafter, Sri Hari Himself served as the doorkeeper to Bali.
Ego overtook Bali. Ego raises its head due to Maya. The desire to control the entire Creation will possess the person who is obsessed with ego. Vishnu actually saved Bali, who deceived himself that he had conquered illusion. Bali also came under the sway of illusion. It is next to impossible to escape from the grip of Maya.
God liberated all the souls who died during the Kurukshetra battle.
Any desire is bad, not just lust, or the attraction between husband and wife. Dissatisfaction about fame, scholarship or knowledge, or wealth is also caused by Maya.
O King Janamejaya, it is true that forevermore, divine dharma supersedes everything else. Not all living creatures have the capacity to experience themselves as one with everyone else and carry out their duties adhering to that truth. The reason for that is Mahamaya. This Mahamaya is all-pervasive and encompasses all the three Gunas. It is insurmountable by anyone. This entire world happens to be an illusory creation with the combined power of all the three Gunas. A cheat cannot be truthful. Bali became egotistical and succumbed to illusion. He could not stay above it. Bhishma and the others became victims of illusion, and hence, were unable to stay away from Adharma/unrighteousness.
It was God’s will that the earth be relieved of its burden of the overpopulation of wicked souls. Maya cooperated with the divine will in achieving this task.
The extremely powerful sense organs throw man into delusion. In this way, the sense organs become the cause of repeated births. The mind gets entangled with the sense organs and is unable to free itself from their clutches. It is the mind that generates all kinds of emotions and thoughts.
The entire world consisting of the mobile and the immobile living creatures, including everyone all the way from Brahma to the tiniest grass blade, is activated by the three Gunas. O King, this power of illusion does not spare anyone. Everyone in this world is victimized by Maya/illusion. This Maya is entertaining Herself in this world. It is Her sport to make everyone subservient to delusion. Those who wish to transcend Maya, have to offer worship to the Mother Goddess.”
Sage Vyasa spoke at length to Janamejaya, explaining the different ways of overcoming Maya/illusion.
To overcome illusion we must worship Parashakti. Let us also sing the praises of Parashakti and make every effort to conquer this Maya.
Bhajan: Maha Maya Maha Shakti
Bhajan: Maado Maado haridhyana
Keep meditating upon Hari. He destroys sins without any doubt. He is the father of Brahma. He is the supreme. The child Dhruva attained an eternal, indestructible position by meditating upon Hari. Contemplation of God and the calling out of His name repeatedly, yield all boons. Keep listening to the voice of Sachchidananda. Keep the pious company of saints forever. Keep contemplating on Hari.
Today is Saturday. Please have the darshan of Sri Datta Venkateshwara. Harati song: Jaya devi durga
Sri Guru Datta