Clutches of Maya (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"clutches of maya" |"maya's clutches"

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to R. Prakash -- Allahabad 22 June, 1951: As followers of Bhagavad-gita we are firmly convinced that the onslaught of nature which is constantly being inflicted upon human society is a sort of police action by the laws of the Almighty and as soon as we surrender unto the Divine Will of the Almighty we not only become Mahatmas & saints but also the attack of unkind Nature is vanquished at once. That is the teaching of Bhagavad-gita and that is the demonstrative preaching of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The real life begins when we are freed from the clutches of Maya which is nothing but a bewildered conception of materialistic life. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu changed the face of it spiritually.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- Calcutta 18 November, 1967: When such individualism is employed in the center of Krishna there is no harm even if there is personal misunderstanding. Personal misunderstanding exists even in the higher levels. There is competition of loving Krishna even in the party of Srimati Radharani. It is a kind of rasa to compete in loving affection centering around Krishna. We shall, therefore, try to bring back Hayagriva and Kirtanananda to their senses. After all we must understand that we are dealing with persons affected by Maya. Every one of us is under the influence of the external energy, Maya. The best way to get out of the clutches of Maya is to concentrate our attention in the loving service of Krishna.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 23 January, 1968: Regarding Krishna devi: You have been misinformed by Krishna devi. I have never given permission for a new husband. Rather, I asked her to come back immediately and join her husband, Subala. Subala might have informed her that if she loves Krishna at all, then she may live peacefully with her new husband, but let her conduct the Santa Fe center, and that will be proof of her love for Krishna. I have directly asked her to come join her husband. If she doesn't come, Subala has decided not to accept any other wife, but to remain in Krishna Consciousness alone for the rest of his life. Krishna devi is in the strong clutches of Maya, and she wants to have a new husband under any price. I have never allowed her in that way. But if she served Krishna's cause, I will not disallow her, because that is our main business. My point is that she must conduct that center, not that I have encouraged her to accept this boy. If she wants to keep this new friend, and keep up the S.F. center, I welcome it, but not that I am encouraging her to have a new husband.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Los Angeles 30 January, 1968: I understand that some of our students are in Boston, and they are not attending the Temple or cooperating with you. This means they are under the clutches of Maya more or less. After all, Krishna Consciousness is difficult job for less intelligent persons. But one who understands Krishna Consciousness and acts accordingly, he should be accepted as spiritually the strongest man. In the Caitanya Caritamrta it is said that persons who take to Krishna Consciousness are supposed to be the most intelligent man.

Letter to Yamuna -- Montreal 7 June, 1968: Yes, please decorate Jagannatha with very attractive nice clothing and ornaments, helmets, as brightly and magnificently as possible. The sample of decorating Jagannatha is already instructed to Harsarani, and in that way you can make arrangements. There shall be sufficient flower garlands for them daily also. The decoration should be so attractive that people when seeing Jagannatha will forget all attractiveness of Maya. Then it will be successful, and actually, this is the process of decorating Jagannatha. Our eyes are attracted by the beauty of Maya, but if our eyes are attracted by the beauty of Krishna, the Jagannatha, then there is no more chance of our being attracted by Maya. In other words, when seeing Jagannatha nicely decorated, we become freed from the clutches of Maya.

Letter to Madhusudana -- Montreal 29 July, 1968: Yes, by keeping engaged in Krishna Consciousness activities we can keep out of Maya's clutches, and there are so many nice engagements, as you have stated. By your sincerity and service attitude you are making good progress; by your letter it is shown.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Joel Chalson -- Los Angeles 22 July, 1969: Please read our literatures carefully, and try to give service to Krishna as far as possible. Whenever you are in doubt you can ask me, and I am at your service. But one point you should not miss is that this life is very important to awaken our dormant Krishna Consciousness, and we should not miss this opportunity in any circumstance. That would be a great blunder. We must be very cautious to not fall prey to the clutches of Maya because in this material world Maya is very prominent although Krishna is everything. Maya and Krishna are just like the sunshine and darkness: the darkness has no independent existence without the sun. But still the darkness is existing in some corner of the sunlight. If we therefore always keep ourselves exposed to the open sunlight, there is no cause of being attacked by the darkness. If you keep yourself faced to the sunlight, you will never see the darkness, and as soon as you turn your back to the sun, then immediately you find in your front a huge shadow of your own body. This shadow is Maya, and if you turn to the sun, to Krishna, then there is no shadow. Therefore, Krishna should always be in the front of us, and Maya will disappear automatically without any separate attention. Yogis and jnanis artificially try to get rid of Maya, but in spite of their much endeavor for spiritual realization they are still in the Kingdom of Maya. The conclusion that God is impersonal or that everyone is God is the statement of a person who is in Maya. In other words, anything which is a setback to the realization of Krishna Consciousness is Maya. Anyone who is not in Krishna Consciousness is supposed to be in Maya, and anyone who is in full Krishna Consciousness is out of the clutches of Maya. This is the statements of the Vedic literatures, and we should try to understand and follow the principles.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Tittenhurst 15 October, 1969: I have heard also from Brahmananda that he plans to spend 3 days per week at Boston, but I have also heard that during his absence 3 devotees have left the temple. So things should be managed so nicely that our devotees may not leave us. We get a devotee after great endeavour, and we must train such devotee in a nice way so that he may not go back and be at large in the clutches of Maya.

Letter to Brahmananda -- London 15 November, 1969: Regarding your request for your deliverance from the clutches of Maya, please rest assured of being delivered, because we have captured the strong chain of disciplic succession. This chain is coming down from the highest platform, Krishna. Just like a rope comes down the well so that anyone who may catch the rope from any position is sure to be delivered; so our aim should be to not give up the rope. We must capture the rope very tightly. Then our deliverance is assured. so far as I am concerned, in relationship with my disciples who are so kindly cooperating with me in the matter of my rendering service to my Spiritual Master, for them I am always ready to come back from Goloka Vrindaban, if they are not delivered along with me. So don't be worried about the clutches of Maya. Be fixed up in your determination and go on serving the Supreme Lord, Krishna, with determination as you are already doing.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- London 13 December, 1969: To the neophyte devotees we should issue instruction that there are four stages of understanding the Absolute Truth. The first stage is re-establishing our relationship with Krishna. This is the first stage. The second stage is after understanding our relationship, to perform devotional service under proper guidance. The third stage is acquisition of the desired Object. The fourth stage is relishing the nectar of perfectional love. So Radha-Krishna Lila belongs to the fourth stage of understanding, and we are publishing BTG for people in general to re-establish their forgotten relationship with Krishna. So we should always remember this and from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and Isopanisad they should try to write how our relationship is revoked from this stage of forgetfulness. They should write articles like this: 1) Krishna, the Omnipotent, 2) How God can be realized as All-Pervasive, 3) The Original Source of Everything, 4) Transcendental Process of Hearing, 5) How one gets out of the Clutches of Maya, 6) Prayers by Arjuna, 7) Prayers by Kunti Devi, 8) Prayers by Bhismadeva.. They should try to understand Krishna first in so many ways which are described in our Bhagavatam. They should read them carefully and pick up subject matters as above mentioned. What general people will understand about Radha-Krishna Lila? Immediately they will take it as ordinary boys and girls in spite of a thousand warnings,

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Mandali Bhadra -- Los Angeles 3 February, 1970: This is called in Vedic language sva karma bhuk, one is destined to undergo reaction of one's past life. This reaction can only be checked by Krishna Consciousness. So our duty is heavy, to induce persons to come to this platform of consciousness; and if we can save even a single soul from the clutches of Maya, the value of such act is millions of times better than fruitive actions or any kind of altruistic and philanthropic activities.

Letter to Sacisuta -- Los Angeles 14 February, 1970: I am glad to learn that you have now become steady in comparison with your flickering past life. The association of devotees is the most important element in learning Krishna Consciousness way of life. By association with undesirable companions we have learned so many bad habits and similarly by association with pure persons or devotees we can become purified of our acquired bad habits. So constant association and working cooperatively with devotees is the prime and easy method to relearn our original good habit of Krsna Consciousness. I am also very pleased to know that you are living happily with your good wife, and you are expecting a child in July. So now you must take especial care to raise the new child in such a nice way that he will become a pure devotee in Krsna Consciousness; that is the responsibility of the parents, to see that their child is freed from the clutches of Maya.

Letter to Mahananda (Michael) -- Los Angeles 29 March, 1970: I am very pleased to know that you have been strictly living according to our Krsna conscious way of life in the matters of daily chanting sixteen rounds, following the four basic restrictive principles, and working hard in Krsna's service. Please continue to live in this way and the success of your life in Krsna consciousness is assured. Always chanting the Holy Name, Krsna, observing the regulative principles, and working in the service of the Lord are the essential program for advancement in spiritual strength.

You have written one interesting line, that Maya seems to have a special interest in you. So it appears that you are intelligent enough to detect the tricks of Maya; that is very nice. We should always remember that Maya or darkness and Krsna or the Light are existing side by side. So if we keep ourself always in Krsna Consciousness or in the Light of Krsna Sun, hardly there is any chance of being covered by darkness or Maya.

But a little inattention may cause our falling down into the clutches of Maya. The path of Krsna Consciousness is compared in the Vedas with a sharpened razor blade. If you carefully manipulate it, the blade helps by clean shaving; but a little inattention causes a bloody cheek. So this example we should always remember and carefully manipulate the blade of Krsna Consciousness.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Danavir -- Gorakhpur 11 February, 1971: You are a very fortunate boy that you have got a very good friend in Sriman Madhukanta Das because he has actually saved you from the clutches of Maya. I am so glad to see that you are understanding the distinction between Krsna Consciousness and materialistic frustrated consciousness by association with this Movement. Thank you for your nice appreciation of the Spiritual Master. Unless one has got utmost confidence in both Spiritual Master and Krsna he cannot advance on the path of bhaktiyoga of Krsna Consciousness. Please keep up this nice attitude and render service sincerely and your life will come to perfection, love of Krsna.

Letter to Govinda -- Calcutta 28 May, 1971: I have received the enclosed checks for $500; ($200, $200, and $100) and also a check for $15. I am so glad to receive your father's money because this process will help your father to be delivered from the clutches of maya. Your father is fortunate enough to have a worthy child like you who is trying to force him to become Krishna Conscious by different ways. So both of you are blessed. I wish that both you and your father be elevated to the highest standard of Krishna Consciousness.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- London 4 August, 1971: So far your question is concerned you should understand that a devotee is never under any karmic reaction. Whatever is happening is the mercy of Krishna. That should be the view point of the devotee. Once surrendered to Krishna, karmic reaction is immediately gone, but if he acts again independently, then he is again in the clutches of maya. That marginal state is always there but for a pure devotee who has actually surrendered to Krishna, he has no karmic reaction. The same example of the fan switched off; it is still running some rounds, but that will be stopped very soon. That is his position. Therefore a pure devotee who is having some adverse reaction, he doesn't take ill of it. He knows that the karmic reaction is already stopped but what is happening is the residual turning of the fan, even after the switch is off. A pure devotee therefore takes it as the mercy of the Lord because the Lord is finishing his karmic reaction by summary punishment. ___. To the devotee such adverse condition is seen as the benediction of the Lord and more enthusiastically he engages himself in the Lord's transcendental service. He is never hampered by such reaction, neither his Krishna Consciousness is hampered by the least degree. In the presence of such adverse conditions of karmic reaction, the Lord advises to tolerate; tams titiksasva bharata. My dear Arjuna, please tolerate these things without being perplexed. They come and go like seasonal changes of summer and winter. They have nothing to do with the pure soul engaged in devotional service. So the reaction is stopped, but the momentum is still there. Simply one has to tolerate.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Mohanananda -- Mayapur 27 February, 1972: You inquire why, if the devotee is struggling very hard to be free of the clutches of Maya, then how can he not be interested in such liberation? That is a contradiction. The devotee is not interested in liberation, but in serving; as such, the devotee is already liberated. So liberation is not very important business—it doesn't matter if he is liberated or nonliberated. The idea is that nobody should serve Krishna with motive, even up to liberation, he should serve for service sake. Liberation from Maya means engaging himself in the service of the Lord. So one should strive to become a servant of the Supreme, and in that position he is automatically liberated and free from the clutches of Maya, so when it is said that one should strive to be free from the clutches of Maya, it is simply another way of saying one should strive to be a servant of the Lord, not that being free from Maya is the goal of striving, but that the serving is the goal of striving. Liberation is the constitutional position of the living entity, and that constitutional position is that the Lord is great and that the living entity is subordinate & servant of the Lord. So one should try to extricate himself from the clutches of Maya in order to regain his healthy, normal condition as the servant of Krishna, not just to get himself liberated. But once in this service, he is liberated already.

Letter to Bhagavan -- Ahmedabad 13 December, 1972: I think by now Mandakini has again gone to Russia, so she may send report as soon as she is able. Under all circumstances, keep our preaching work in front, it will save us in all conditions from the clutches of maya, that we have learned.

Letter to Janajanmadhih (Jeffrey Balawajder), Anadi (Alann Hayes), Araudra (Auda Gen) -- Bombay 27 December, 1972: Now my request to all of you is that you very seriously stick to the principles of devotional service, following especially the four principle restrictions, and without fail always chant at least 16 rounds on your beads daily, and be happy. You have got now the golden opportunity of this human form of life, and it is not accident that you have got your spiritual master, so take advantage by following always in his footsteps and very quickly you will attain the supreme perfection of your life. That is done by trying always to please your spiritual master, being engaged 24 hours in Krishna's business of spreading this Krishna Consciousness Movement all over the world, helping me however best you are able to do it according to your individual capacity. Then you will be freed from maya's clutches and go with me back to home, back to Godhead

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Ramesvara -- India 9 January, 1973: I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 27, 1972, and with great happiness I have read your figures of amount of books sold during three-day period, December 22-24, 1972. It is scarcely believable that more than 17,100 books could have been sold by one temple in three days! That indicates to me that people are at last becoming little serious about this Krsna Consciousness movement in your country. Otherwise, why they should buy our books? But they can see that our boys and girls, devotees, are so much sincere and serious to distribute the message of Krsna consciousness, they are at once struck by seeing them and therefore they appreciate and purchase. This is unique in the world. Perhaps we are the only sincere persons on this whole planet. At least our books are not to be seen anywhere else.

So I am so much pleased upon all of the boys and girls in Los Angeles and all over the world who are understanding and appreciating this unique quality of our transcendental literature and voluntarily they are going out to distribute despite all circumstances of difficulty. By this effort alone they are assured to go back to home, back to Godhead. In order to change this materialistic society and prevent them from gliding to hell, first thing is to educate them. All decent men want to give service to humanity, only thing is they do not have information really what is that service. Hospitals, feeding the poor, Red Cross, these are service to the bodies only, not to the man. Service to humanity means jnana. By giving people knowledge, jnana, that is the highest service to humanity. So we are performing the actual welfare work of society by informing everyone through our literatures who is God, who they are, and what is the relationship. In this way everyone who hears our message gets the opportunity to fulfill his actual position as human entity and become delivered from the clutches of maya. So you may understand it that by disseminating our Krsna consciousness propaganda anywhere and everywhere, by selling books, by making publicity, newspapers, television, so many ways there are to spread Krsna consciousness information, you may know it that by utilizing our energy in this way to give everyone access to the Absolute Truth, that is the real understanding of desire to serve humanity.

Understanding is one thing, and practical application of that understanding is another. But as devotees of Krsna, being engaged in the practical work of spreading Krsna consciousness, that is already the highest realization. That's all right, that is our real mission, to deliver the world by preaching Krsna's message to others, but even higher realization, the highest realization, is to save oneself.

Letter to Kirtida Kanyaka -- Dallas 20 May, 1973: My request is that you please take this Krsna Consciousness Movement very seriously. It is a great opportunity to become free once and for all from the clutches of Maya. Maya is very strong, but by taking shelter of Krsna, Maya cannot reach us.

Letter to: Dayananda: — Bombay 16 October, 1973: Regarding the older boys, they can do gardening engagement and other brahmacari engagements, study and manual work. And, as soon as they can read Sanskrit and English, they should read our books, such as Bhagavad-gita As It Is. By cleansing the temple and growing flowers their attention in this way be always in Krsna consciousness. That will save them from the clutches of maya.

kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha

durlabham manusam janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam

[SB 7.6.1]

"From the very beginning of childhood one should learn how to behave and practice Krsna consciousness, because this human form of life is very rare. . Although it is also perishable, it can give us the greatest boon; therefore we shall utilize this body from the very beginning of life.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Rupanuga -- Tirupati 28 April, 1974: As for drugs, not just one party, but everyone was involved. Our process is to reform. Everyone is under the clutches of maya. If we follow the regulative principles we can get out and come to spontaneous love. A diseased man is always under the clutches of disease. But if he follows the prescribed orders given by the __ __ he can be cured. Now, how to reform? If we ask him to go away the whole society will be finished. In the hospital many patients are there and the attempt is made to cure them, not to tell them to go away or to kill them. They try their best to cure them. If they tell them to get out of the hospital or if they kill them, that is easy. Initiation should be given as a future hope, but we should be careful about the second initiation. As recommended by the president or GBC they should only do so when they are quite confident of a man. Otherwise, he should not be recommended. If you follow this principle it will be successful. Every day I am getting request for second initiation, but I do not know. The responsibility goes to the presidents who pick them. Unless they are thoroughly convinced second initiation should not be given. In the beginning we may be a little lenient. But if someone falls down after being initiated he should not be credited with second initiation.

Letter to Govinda -- Bombay 30 April, 1974: Anyone who becomes a victim of woman, his falldown is inevitable. In our society the girls and boys mix, intermingle together and this is practically impossible to stop because you western people are accustomed to the habit. Sometimes my Godbrothers criticize me for intermingling of girls and boys. But there is no way out of it—you girls and boys will mix even if I say so they cannot avoid it. They sit separately in the temple and then outside mix again. So this was not possible from the beginning. Therefore I get the boys and girls married. But nature is so strong that in spite of being married they are attracted to the opposite sex.

These things can be avoided when one is very much advanced in Krsna Consciousness. Krsna's Name is Madan Mohan, the conqueror of lusty desires, or the cupid. Unless one is very much attracted with Krsna one cannot give up or avoid attraction of Cupid. Those who are fixed in chanting Hare Krsna Mantra and always reading the books and following the regulative principles they can be saved. Otherwise, there is no question of being saved from the clutches of Maya. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14].

To you my advice is, because you are very intelligent and educated girl, you forget your relationship with Gaurasundara. Now you become mixed up in Krsna business and live like a chaste Hindu widow woman. There are many ideal young Hindu widows who do not dress nicely at all, do not comb the hair, and who take bath three times daily in the Ganges, wear white sari and are engaged 24 hours a day in chanting Hare Krsna Mantra. The vivid example is Visnupriya devi, Lord Caitanya's wife. When Lord Caitanya left home accepting the renounced order of life, sannyasa, at that time Visnupriya was on the summit of youth, 16 years old, but when her husband became sannyasi she also became greater than sannyasa. She was chanting her rounds on the beads and after one round she was collecting one grain of rice. In this way all day and night, as many rounds as she could finish, that many grains she would cook and eat. Just she how much austerity she underwent! Visnupriya is the incarnation of the Goddess of Fortune but to teach us how much austerity and penance she underwent, I think you should follow the footsteps of Srimati Visnupriya.

Letter to Jagadisa -- Melbourne 25 June, 1974: Govardhana Prabhu, the Detroit president had left his post and was living in the Chicago temple, because he was not chanting his sixteen rounds. I hope by now he has taken your advice and has returned to his post and is following the chanting with full knowledge. In your previous letter you stated that the deity worship in Detroit was superexcellent and that all programs were being expertly managed by govardhana. Why should he leave therefore? You write he is chanting 14 rounds daily; so you are experienced and know what to do in this case, simply encourage him to chant 16 rounds. The injunction is kirtaniya sada hari, one should always be chanting all day. The 16 rounds is just a minimum 1 set for my disciples so they will chant at least that much. Actually chanting should always be going on. So I will be anxious to hear that Govardhana has returned and is chanting more seriously, aware that he must do so to remain free from the clutches of maya.