A person who was regular customer at a bar was seen carrying a bamboo basket one evening. He bumped upon one of his old friends. A curious friend asked the drunkard, “Hey, what is inside the basket?”
The drunkard replied with a wink, “I have a mongoose in the basket.”
The friend asked, “Why are you taking a mongoose to the bar?”
The drunkard explained, “My friend, there is nothing wrong for me to let you know about it. I will gladly tell you, see off late just after gulping two or three pegs I start to feel as if I am surrounded by snakes, I experience those creepy creatures crawl all over my body. To keep those nasty reptiles away from me, I have come up with this great idea of taking a mongoose with me.”
Stunned by the reply, the friend shot back, “You say that you feel like have them around, I think those are imaginary snakes. It is only in your mind, nothing is there at the bar.”
The drunkard was quick to reply, “My friend, you are right it is all in my mind and there is nothing at the bar. I am sharing the secret which I alone know. The mongoose is also imaginary, and there is nothing in the box.”
Now let’s not laugh at this incidence...... this is how we also are dealing with Maya (illusion). Maya finds place only in our minds. Just like the mongoose remedy the drunkard came up with to get rid of the imaginary snakes, we too search and find remedies to tackle Maya. The biggest problem for the Maya to reside in our minds is to think we are the “Doers.”
Engrossed in Maya the mind suggests incredible ways to tackle Maya, the illusory power of Absolute. Again with the suggestions from Maya we believe that Absolute created this universe using his creative power called Maya which is Prakriti. Thus separating the creator from the creation.
This created power works in three distinct ways to keep the created away from the creator.
First it is the Avarana Shakti (Power to Conceal). Here the object which we had to view is concealed. Like the drunkard not able to comprehend that the liquor consumed is the cause for his imagination.
Next is Prakshepa Shakti (Power to Project). Here the object that is other than which should have been is projected. The hallucination of snakes in case of the drunkard is due to this power.
Finally we have this Vikshepa Shakti (Power to Distort). The effort by the drunkard to use an imaginary mongoose to get rid of imaginary snakes is due to this power.
Maya can only be comprehended through Vedanta. This does not mean that we need to know about Maya. When the Real is know the imaginary just vanish. Had the drunkard understood that the intoxication was the real cause for him to see the imaginary snakes all over him, the need for an imaginary mongoose would not have arisen.....What say???
The drunkard replied with a wink, “I have a mongoose in the basket.”
The friend asked, “Why are you taking a mongoose to the bar?”
The drunkard explained, “My friend, there is nothing wrong for me to let you know about it. I will gladly tell you, see off late just after gulping two or three pegs I start to feel as if I am surrounded by snakes, I experience those creepy creatures crawl all over my body. To keep those nasty reptiles away from me, I have come up with this great idea of taking a mongoose with me.”
Stunned by the reply, the friend shot back, “You say that you feel like have them around, I think those are imaginary snakes. It is only in your mind, nothing is there at the bar.”
The drunkard was quick to reply, “My friend, you are right it is all in my mind and there is nothing at the bar. I am sharing the secret which I alone know. The mongoose is also imaginary, and there is nothing in the box.”
Now let’s not laugh at this incidence...... this is how we also are dealing with Maya (illusion). Maya finds place only in our minds. Just like the mongoose remedy the drunkard came up with to get rid of the imaginary snakes, we too search and find remedies to tackle Maya. The biggest problem for the Maya to reside in our minds is to think we are the “Doers.”
Engrossed in Maya the mind suggests incredible ways to tackle Maya, the illusory power of Absolute. Again with the suggestions from Maya we believe that Absolute created this universe using his creative power called Maya which is Prakriti. Thus separating the creator from the creation.
This created power works in three distinct ways to keep the created away from the creator.
First it is the Avarana Shakti (Power to Conceal). Here the object which we had to view is concealed. Like the drunkard not able to comprehend that the liquor consumed is the cause for his imagination.
Next is Prakshepa Shakti (Power to Project). Here the object that is other than which should have been is projected. The hallucination of snakes in case of the drunkard is due to this power.
Finally we have this Vikshepa Shakti (Power to Distort). The effort by the drunkard to use an imaginary mongoose to get rid of imaginary snakes is due to this power.
Maya can only be comprehended through Vedanta. This does not mean that we need to know about Maya. When the Real is know the imaginary just vanish. Had the drunkard understood that the intoxication was the real cause for him to see the imaginary snakes all over him, the need for an imaginary mongoose would not have arisen.....What say???
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